Will I have withdrawals from taking Suboxone every 2 days for 2 weeks?? HELP

[bbb22]

I ma really trying to kick my Lortab habit.. I started Suboxone a week ago. I started at 8 mg the first day and my doctor told me to start tapering as soon as I felt I could. Basically I started right away, in hopes to get off of all of this as soon as I possibly could.. So after my first dose I realized that I could go 2 days. My 3rd day I broke it in half (4mg) and took that. So every other day or as long as I can hold off until I now take 2mg. My goal is to be totally off Subs and out of the physical wd stage of Lortab by the 14 day mark... Is this possible of am I going to have wd's from being on the Sub for those few days?? I have read so many different things and I don't know what to do. I don't want to trade one addiction for another.. Please help me..

[worried878]

hard to say cos we r all different...why did u get on the sub? Were u at an extreme dose of hydro?  some have to work and cant take the tme of so sub can help people thru that...hydro wds last a week or less/physically..u did not state ur prior dose of hydro...but a week is usually the top for pill poppers..i was at 100 mgs and physically i was ok day 4 and back to work day 5...the least amount of time u stay on it..the better/less is better with sub.......u should be safe to jump off now as a week is not gonna make u addicted to sub as a rule...2-3 weeks it gets a bit touchy and depends on the person

Remember u r gonna have mental wds/depression., fatigue etc due to the use of ur DOC and this can last a couple..2-3 mths for many..this is the part that makes people relapse.the mental aspect of wd..if u stay on sub that long u will have to wd from sub at that time..the sub will keep u perky for now..but it comes with a price

I u can get off soon and stay clean u will end up doing a great job///some need sub long term/again we r all different..be prepared for the mental aftermath and be sure u have a plan like aftercare of some sort..u sound like u have been bery cautious..sounds as if u know what u r doing and that u have a good sub dr...i am sure u have read up on where sub can take u....u r doing a great job...and after all of this long post i just did  LOL   2-3 weeks ios the cut off from sub to avoid addiction..i would probably go with 2 weeks cos i have helped people taper off huge doses of oxy etc and they became addicted to sub even tho they stopped at 3 weeks..hard to say..cos we r all different

keep posting

[bbb22]

I was taking 15-20 10mg Lortab a day for about 2 1/2 yrs. I don't plan on taking the Subs longer than 14 days. I want to get clean so bad. I have heard terrible things about Suboxone and great things. I don't want to trade one addiction for another. I tried stopping the Subs all together on day 5 and a day and a half later severe physical wd's came back and I ended up taking 4mg of sub. I was crawling in my skin, screaming and moaning. I couldn't sit still and all of my muscles were shaking involuntarily. My last does was yesterday, 2mgs. It lasts for 2 days. I am going to see if I can cut it out now and hopefully the physical wd's are gone from the tabs. I know the sooner I get off the better. I just cannot deal with the physical wd's. I am soo ready. I can't stand it. I just want to be clean. Thanks for your advice. I will keep you posted on how things are going. I am so thankful for this site. Just talking with someone who has gone thru it helps. Thanks! 14 days is my mark and I'm flushing the rest of my prescription. I only take such a small amount any way I don't even need the full thing.

[avisg]

Keep going the way you are going try for the shortest time you can .I honeslty dont know whether you are going to have any wds after .I think its great that you have a plan set in motion and you are doing everything you can to not go from one addiction to another.
avis

[salsinator]

Hi bbb,

You are doing great by going short term with the suboxone and by tapering right away.  I got stuck on suboxone for nearly 4 years and had to do a detox because I could not taper on my own.  If you plan to be totally off by 14 days and have been dosing every other day, you should be in great shape.  By day 7, the lortab should be out of your system, so keep tapering on the sub.  If you can try going as low as 1mg, so that would be an 1/8th of an 8mg tab.  You would be taking crumbs.  At this point, there should be minimal withdrawal.  You may have some symptoms for a few days, but they should be mild.  Awesome job!  Congrats and keep posting.

[BIKERDAD1963]

You will difinately go thru some type of wd when off the sub. It just takes the place of the drug you are quiting. The wd shouldnt be to harsh as long as you wean yourself off the sub. Doing it to quickly or staying on to long can make it worse. The best taper off sub usually takes about 3 months. Doing it in a week may cause you to come down off the sub to quickly. The whole point of sub is to get enough of it in your system so when its discontinued it will slowly release from your body so the wd isnt to severe. If done to quickly than the sub doesnt build up and it leaves your body quicker causing worse wd.

[bbb22]

ok, so two weeks won't be enough time and I will just wd the same as when I tried quitting the Lortabs?? So basically there is no point in Suboxone what-so-ever?? I'm so confused? My doctor didn't tell me any of this... But I guess I will stick with my 2 week plan and see how it goes then go from there. If it doesn't work I will try tapering for a longer amount. I just want to get off of everything. I just feel like I'm a wreck. I don't know what to do.

[bbb22]

Ok, so far I am ok tonight. It has been 2 days since I took my last 2mg piece of Sub. My back is starting to hurt and I have felt restless and energy-drained all day. All my mind can think about is taking another pill.. Even when physically I don't feel the need to take one.. It's like it's trying to convince me into taking pills again at any expense... Like my mind has a mind of its own. God, I probably sound really mental but it's how I feel. Hopefully I can get thru tonight and then I feel like I will be ok. I know the mental part will be a battle but at least I got thru the physical part, which for me is the hardest. I can't deal with the involuntary body shaking and insomnia. That's why I researched Suboxone in the first place. I ma going to need support. I don't have it from anyone else in my life. And unfortunately I don't have time for therapy, as stupid as that mind sound to ya'll I really wish I did. I travel all over for work and I'm usually gone 2 months at a time. I am leaving to New Zealand in a week and a half for 2 months. As soon as I get time off I am going to schedule time with a therapist to help me. I will keep you posted throughout the night and how things go. This has got to be my night. It's just got to be. Thank you in advance for all t he messages. I am grateful for this site

[worried878]

glad u r posting..and no...u will not have hydro wds if u use sub for 2 weeks..as long as u r frugal on ur dose like u r doing....sub takes a bit to get addicted to..it is not like it just takes the place of ur prior narcotic..sub is a partial agonist..it is different/a different type of narcotic..the prior poster may have been on a stronger drug than hydro and still felt physical wds from his dos...all situations are different

I was a 100 mg hydro user for 4 yrs...there were days when i took 15 tho..didnt have enuf to do it often tho...i would use sub when i ran out of pills///i used it up to 2 weeks and had no addiction to the sub..i didnt use sub to quit cos i liked it better than hydro..i woulda got stuck on it cos i suk at tapering...fact is tho i have used it for a week several times...and for 2 weeks sevral times without addiction to the drug..but we r all different...also//as stated///2 weeks is not long enuf to overcome the mental wds from any doc that is abused for any length of time..mental wds is what causes relapse and much more paiful/at least for me/than physical wds...many link the 2 together...cos they still feel cruddy so they kinda look at it as a long wd process...there is a distinct difference for most and u can tell when the physical stuff stops and the mental part kix in...no runs anymore, no nausea, no shakes etc...altho I will admit the sweats would hit me off and on for much longer after the other physical symptoms stop..i think what the poster was trying to convey is mental wds as far as depression, fatigue, loss of motivation, cravings...do last a few months..some differentiate the 2 as mental and physical....i personallt7y fel;t physical wds go away and was very aware when mental wds kicked in...but we r all different

do not be so afraid of physical wds...fear can paralyze u and get u into deep doo doo..u can not get this done absolutely pain free////even with the sub..u have helped urself not suffer as much//but unless u stay on it long term u r gonna feel som wds//probably mental but again the mental wd is the toughest part...looking back//the runs were no biggie//imodium would stop it...a bit of anxiety etc....i had no idea what was to come after physical wd left//and had i not studied and learned about PAWS on this forum I woulda probably thought i was still in wds as well cos i did not feel good

U can not get thru this toally pain free..u can put it off but eventually/unless u use a maintenence drug like methadone or sub for life..u will have to deal with this..i am sorry if ur dr misled u..fact is they take an 8 hr course to enable them to rx sub..Drs are not superhumans..educating urself is important..cos i hate to admit as i am in the medical field///Doctors are not always right

[bbb22]

Ok, damn... I guess I will do my 14 days and taper down as much as possible and hopefully get thru it. I think if I get thru the physical wd I will be ok. I'm still good so far. Still haven't taken a Sub. I'm so eager to be done with all of this. I know I will have severe depression and mentally I will "want" to take pills still for a long time but I am very motivated and want to do whatever it takes to get clean. I will keep you posted on my progress. Thank you for all your help. I know I will be able to get thru this. I am determined. I don't know why I'm so scared of the physical wd's. Every time I tried to quit it was the worst and I would just go back to my pills. I am in some ways prepared for the mental. I know that it's going to be tough. But I know whats coming. Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes tonight.

[bbb22]

So this morning after being up all night with only mild wd symptoms I gave in and took 1 mg of Sub. Today would have been day number 3 clean of everything. But now I am aware of what my wd symptoms will be like. Nothing like the beginning. Mostly mental with pure insomnia which I can handle. I took this whole weekend off from work so I could be done. I don't mind not sleeping if I have nothing going on. So I am going to tough through it. I have fri-sun off and I am going to flush the rest of my subs tonight when I get home. It will feel so good to say "I'm clean" . Finally.

[sid3]

Before you flush them all, it's good to remember that those who have sucessfully tapered of of sub have done so by taking .5 or crumbs and even tiny slivers prior to stopping completely. Usually there is a skipping of days in between the final doses. Usually 2 or three days are skipped due to the long half life of sub. There could be some benefit to you by not stopping  at 1mg. In fact by flushing all but one may prove to be more beneficial to you. I would think your wds may be eased a little by using the crumb/sliver method for a short period. JMO

[bbb22]

True, the wd's from last night weren't that bad, I have a little bit rls and I couldn't sleep but nothing major. I would've just toughed it out but I had work early in the morning and I couldn't go with no sleep. It wasn't that bad though. Nothing I couldn't tolerate. The third day is usually when the bad withdrawals kicked in and I was crawling out of my skin. But last night wasn't anything like the first few days. So I know this weekend I am just going to jump off and bare through it. If I get through the weekend then I'll be ok. I just want to get through this, and be strong. I just want to kick it. Be healthy. I've been tapering from basically day 1. I just want to be off as fast as possible to avoid getting addicted to the Suboxone. I don't want to trade one for another and I've heard horror stories about Sub. I think the wd's are minimal enough to jump off now. Hopefully it works. Thank you for the advice and messages, I appreciate all.    

[worried878]

This poster...bbb222 is not addicted to sub yet...so tapering to a sliver is not an issue for this poster as he has been frugal and judicious as far as sub use goes..encouraging this poster to keep using sub//instilling wd fears that this poster obviously already feels..is not beneficial...I agree sid3///if u have been on sub long enuf to become addicted to it...a taper to a sliver is important to evade the "gosh almighty physical wds".but encouraging someone who has been frugal with their sub..and is under the 2 week mark/to continue tapering is ludacrist...really...people who post about sub and recommending using sub to others should really know what they r talking about before they lead people into deeper doo doo than they r already in...this person used sub frugally and in small doses to relieve wds/physical wds/that he feared///getting rid of the sub before the sub becomes a problem/ie flushing is what this poster most probably needs to do....now if he had been on sub for a long time/tapering to a sliver is advisable/but even then it depends on the person....this concept of "I wanna quit and feel absolutely no pain" is a myth...u can reduce ur wd///but u can not toally avoid it without life time mainetenence drug use such as sub or methadone..this poster has made it clear he does not want to be on narcotics the rest of his life!

I am sorry...dont mean to SCREAM!..but so many come on here talkin bout doing sub like it is an aspirin...it is a very extremely strong narcotic..u r not narcotic free cos u r on sub...sub/mg per mg is almost 10 times as strong as methadone///different but it is still a narcotic...fear of physical wd can paralyze people...can make a person make choices that are not logical...there is not an issue with advice given to people on this forum///but only if u know what u r talking about!  someone in wd is easily swayed//a prime target for anything to make them feel better...i just get a bit "ticked"    sorry guys/girls/...when i c someone recommending sumpin that can hurt someone...and thats all..sorry for the outburst  (:

[sid3]

I don't see anything dangerous or harmful in my reply. It certainly was not my intention BBB.  Having suffered for many years with addiction, just the thought that my recklessness could cause harm leaves me regretting having made any suggestions. .....   I apologize for not articulating my thoughts well enough. I certainly don't think I was encouraging the prolonged use of sub. Being frugal, as BBB has been, is/ or should be easily apparent in my suggesting his keeping one pill. I have used sub and I was only sharing my first hand experience. I apologize for not including IMO. It's unfortunate that trying to help another addict is seen as harmful when you don't agree with what is suggested. I'm sorry if I had scared you BBB, I was basing my sugestions on the long half life of sub.