from methadone to saboxone

I'm new and I've been on methadone for about 3 1/2 going on 4 years and I've recently been tapering my dose down.  I've been wanting to switch to saboxone, since I heard it's easier to come off of and that you don't have to take it long.  I was wondering if anyone has tried it, if it worked, and if the switch was hard.  I started taking the Methadone for a 6 year, everyday, oxy addiction, so I know what withdrawl (withdrawal) is.  I don't know if I should just taper off the methadone or try to switch.  Help please...

[wait2long]

you can successfully transition from methadone to suboxone, i did in may, its not as easy as going from a short acting opiod, but it can be done, its best to be on 20 mgs - 30 mgs of methadone daily as your dose, for at least 2 weeks although i recommend the lowest for a month, the lower the better. do you have a suboxone doctor lined up yet?
it is kind of a misconception that you dont have to take it that long too, a short term taper of 2-3 weeks wont be long enough to over ride the long lasting withdrawals of the methadone, i would recommend from MY experience no less than 6 weeks on suboxone. methadone has a long half life, as i am sure you know, and it takes up to 6 weeks for your body to rid itself of it. i have been on it since may and it really took about 6 weeks for me to get the full benefit of the suboxone. i was also on the maximum dose of 32 mgs daily for 5 weeks, when i started to feel better i tapered down to a lower dose. i would recommend suboxone over going cold turkey from methadone ANYTIME...it is just too torturous for cold turkey and last for weeks, and even can have PAWS for up to 2-3 years after...
the transition was hard, but manageable. you have to be in withdrawals from methadone before you can start the sub, this took 5 days for me to achieve and even then i was not in withdrawals enough and was put into precipitated withdrawals, which is horrid. so if you do decide to do this...make sure your good and sick with withdrawals before you take that first dose of suboxone.
my dose of methadone was 20 mgs daily for just under a year, but yes it can be done.
do you have an aftercare plan for when you are done tapering off the sub? i have to recommend therapy or meetings, something, or this could be a wasted effort. you really have to put the work in. just taking a pill to avoid withdrawals will not fix the underlying problems that led you to addiction to begin with...think about it, ok?
if you have anymore question, let me know...

[Lotsatrout]

Since we're on the subject... maybe someone can educate me here.  I'm only asking this out of ignorance ok.... I'm not being judgemental.  Here's the question:  Why do people stay on methadone for so long?  I simply don't understand.  Yes, CT after years of addiction is difficult but can be accomplished in a "relatively" short amount of time.  

I don't understand why some choose to stay on another drug for 2, 3, 6, 8 , 10 years....  Are people really that afraid of the WD's that they just choose to stay medicated so that they don't have to face them?  Again....  I'm not being judgemental, I have never taken methadone so I know very little about it.   Please pardon my ignorance.  :)

Trout

[Savas]

It's because the long term PAWS will kill your will to go on. Your right, a week or two isn't a big deal (although it isn't easy, but a determined person can get through). But when you have to get back to your life and you're facing/going through months, a year or two even, of PAWS...well...

Lets put it this way, On month four of being clean, I was still using a cane (which I hadn't for years) because I couldn't produce the natural endorphins still to deal with the normally small amount of pain in my leg.
Plus, I was so exhausted all the time, I had to..say take a cab the eight blocks to and from the store to do grocery shopping. Doing anything other than laying about feeling exhausted from lack of sleep and general weakness was impossible. It was like my blood was replaced by lead and the weight of my own body was an effort to move (and I weigh 125 pounds).

I was always late to work and when I got their, I was constantly screwing up because I couldn't think straight and perform the simplest tasks. Keep in mind this was in month four.(I almost got fired because of this. I had to go back on to keep my job, more than anything).

That's why people put it off.

[wait2long]

Methadone maintenance is "supposed" to be used for long term, although it can be done with a short term detox, i am unfamiliar with a clinic setting because we have none around where i live, so i got mine illegally off the street. methadone not only helps avoid withdrawals, it stops cravings, it also blocks any effects if you relapse. gives you a feeling of normalcy (if you stay on the same dose without spiking it) it is used to help people who have had "usually" years or a lifetime of heroin addiction, as you must know, going through withdrawals is just a part of getting clean, staying that way is another whole issue and a lifelong battle. so the belief is if you stay on methadone for maintenance your chance of success goes up, because it is supposed to be used as a tool so you can have that normalcy in your life and feel well enough for a long enough time to tackle for some what has been a lifetime of addiction and core issues. but then you are left with the withdrawals of methadone, which is long and torturous, its NOTHING like going cold turkey from percocets which the worst is over with in about 5-7 days, methadone withdrawals are up to 4-6 weeks, long and never ending even when done with a slow taper and at a low dose, there is no such thing as short withdrawals when it comes to methadone, so most dont make it and end up back on methadone, i know of people who will be on methadone for the rest of their lives because of this, and also because some do have legit chronic pain. another thing, which is true in my case, i thought i was doing myself a favor by taking methadone, to help me learn to how to stay away from that addictive lifestyle and behaviors, which it did, little did i know i was getting myself into a worse situation than i originally had, and i think this is true for a lot of people, if i knew then what i know now about methadone, i would have never touched it, but then again my addiction had gotten so severe, who knows, i may have ended up dead. and although heroin was not MY drug of choice (at the time), heroin addiction IS a killer, how many 60 year old heroin addicts do you know?  none, because from what i have learned about heroin, most die from it when the help is not there or offered, so methadone is a very important tool for this type of drug addiction for some, to prevent death and give them their lives back.
also when you are on methadone (from my experience) you are not high if you stay on the same dose throughout your treatment, a little fuzzy feeling, but its hard to even tell you are on it because you feel so normal. and that is what most addicts want, when they have had enough, they just want to feel normal again, and methadone gives them this feeling, as long as you dont abuse it or spike your dose. also sometimes this is the only opportunity people have to feel that normalcy again, inpatient rehab facilities are not available for everyone, most have no insurance (like me), so methadone is sometimes their only option to get their lives back in control again. of course this is all my opinion and what i have learned to be true for me and the people i know that take it. not everyone will agree with me...and i could be totally wrong, just MY opinion...

[wait2long]

bumping this up so it doesnt get lost in the shuffle for you