Aa
help please
How long should I wait before I can take SUBUTEX after methadone. I was on 80mgs and didnt dose today can I take it tomorrow?
Most of it's been said, but it's so important, I'll say it again. Look up the COWS chart. Look at a few of them unil you find one easy to follow. I've seen methadone precip withdrawal at 100mgs methadone, that gave my buddy a new definition of hell. PLEASE, used the chart. I used it and was told by my doc to dose at home from 160mgs. It took way longer than I would have used it without it. Keep us posted.
Hi there & Welcome,
As ariley13 mentions above you must be in moderate w/d's before you take your first (small) dose of Subs. You should be at least a 6 (out of 10) on the COWS scale before you take buprenorphine. NO!! Please, don't dose tomorrow!! 72 hrs is NOT enough time, either, btw. The detox that I went to last december to come off of Methadone waited 5 full days before they'd give a M'doner Subs.. (I was coming off of 28 mgs.) I had a dear friend whose Dr. told her 72 hrs. & she went into violent precipitated w/d's.that lasted for days. While you might be fine, it's not worth taking the risk. I've known few people who feel comfortable on subs initially after long-term M'done treatment. Subs are a partial agonist while M'done is a full agonist. So, there might be a period of 'acclimation'. Personally, if I had it to do over again, I would have detoxed further on the M'done & gone cold turkey as Subs were unpleasant/had side effects for me. Besides, Subs are very similar to come off of anyway. 80mgs. is way too high a dose to switch to Subs from. You need to get down to 20 or below. (That's the medical protocol) It sounds like you need a plan, my friend. Are you trying to detox or are you in trouble w/ your prescriber/or out of M'done? If you've made the decision to come off M'done make a firm commitment with a well-laid plan. Otherwise, it simply won't work. If you're doing a 6 month to 1 year Sub program & it gives you time to get counseling & put your life together then all power to you ! ;) We wish you all the best. We're here & are in your corner!
As ariley13 mentions above you must be in moderate w/d's before you take your first (small) dose of Subs. You should be at least a 6 (out of 10) on the COWS scale before you take buprenorphine. NO!! Please, don't dose tomorrow!! 72 hrs is NOT enough time, either, btw. The detox that I went to last december to come off of Methadone waited 5 full days before they'd give a M'doner Subs.. (I was coming off of 28 mgs.) I had a dear friend whose Dr. told her 72 hrs. & she went into violent precipitated w/d's.that lasted for days. While you might be fine, it's not worth taking the risk. I've known few people who feel comfortable on subs initially after long-term M'done treatment. Subs are a partial agonist while M'done is a full agonist. So, there might be a period of 'acclimation'. Personally, if I had it to do over again, I would have detoxed further on the M'done & gone cold turkey as Subs were unpleasant/had side effects for me. Besides, Subs are very similar to come off of anyway. 80mgs. is way too high a dose to switch to Subs from. You need to get down to 20 or below. (That's the medical protocol) It sounds like you need a plan, my friend. Are you trying to detox or are you in trouble w/ your prescriber/or out of M'done? If you've made the decision to come off M'done make a firm commitment with a well-laid plan. Otherwise, it simply won't work. If you're doing a 6 month to 1 year Sub program & it gives you time to get counseling & put your life together then all power to you ! ;) We wish you all the best. We're here & are in your corner!
I agree with the above replies. Are you doing this with the guidance of a sub doc/clinic? If not, you absolutely need to. Don't try to manage this yourself.
More important than the TIMING of your induction dose (after your last dose of Methadone), is the severity of your w/d symptoms. You should be experiencing at LEAST moderate w/d symptoms. Like already said, the COWS scale is one assessment tool used to determine the level of w/ds. A doctor can do a thorough assessment and determine when an appropriate induction time would be, and many docs will supervise the induction dose, which is a good idea. This is why it's better to do this with a doctor.
Also, like the others have said, typically, it's recommended to taper to a lower dose of Methadone before transitioning over to subs. Good luck, keep in touch and let us know how you're doing!
More important than the TIMING of your induction dose (after your last dose of Methadone), is the severity of your w/d symptoms. You should be experiencing at LEAST moderate w/d symptoms. Like already said, the COWS scale is one assessment tool used to determine the level of w/ds. A doctor can do a thorough assessment and determine when an appropriate induction time would be, and many docs will supervise the induction dose, which is a good idea. This is why it's better to do this with a doctor.
Also, like the others have said, typically, it's recommended to taper to a lower dose of Methadone before transitioning over to subs. Good luck, keep in touch and let us know how you're doing!
I would wait at lest 72 hours.and you have to be under 30mg .How I know this is because I just jumped off methadone and started on suboxone now I am 9 days clean now it's hard but can be done stay positive.
Good luck!!!
Good luck!!!
subutex caused me to have HORRIBLE hallucinations the 1st time i ever tried it over a year ago when i tried to get off pills. please, be careful if you are not being monitored by a physician with the subutex.
good luck. <3
good luck. <3
I just switched from 80mg of Methadone to Subutex 8 months ago. I took my last dose of Methadone on a Monday morning and waited until Friday night to start the Subutex. I did not go into full blown precipitated withdrawals but about 30 minutes after taking my dose I felt worse than I did before I took it. I was all ready feeling the withdrawals from the Methadone. It took about a week of dosing to feel ok but it was doable. My doctor told me I should have titrated down to 20 mgs before switching. After a month on Subutex i switched over to Suboxone. My insurance company recently took Suboxone off of the preferred list and replaced it with Zubsolv. I deciding if I want to to switch to Zubsolv. Good Luck.
Hi there! Are you trying to do this on your own? Subutex really should be taken under the care of a doctor along with an entire treatment plan. That being said, if you are doing this on your own, you are supposed to wait until you are in moderate withdrawals before you take it, or you will risk precipitated withdrawals. The half life of Methadone is long, and it is stored in your tissues and likes to hang on longer than other opiates. There is a scale called the COWS scale that might help you decide when to take your first dose. Good luck to you!
So sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I've always been told you have to be at a minimum of 40mg to do a switch :-(
Maybe if you wait a good 4-5 days you may be ok to switch over but I'd consult with a doctor before doing so.
If you have methadone left in your system, the subs will put you into immediate withdrawal and you will get very sick!
Sorry again and I wish you the best of luck!
Dee
Maybe if you wait a good 4-5 days you may be ok to switch over but I'd consult with a doctor before doing so.
If you have methadone left in your system, the subs will put you into immediate withdrawal and you will get very sick!
Sorry again and I wish you the best of luck!
Dee
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