quitting suboxone

[hopsing94]

Hey all, I've been trying to learn as much as possible about sub withdrawls. I have recently been to a couple meeting for people detoxing and in recovery from opiates and using sub to detox.  I learned some really  good stuff but what helped me most was how some of the folks got off the sub painlessly. A couple of them had been on sub for about a year and one person was on it for three months. They told me the way they were able to quit the sub pretty much painlessly was by tapering very very slowly. They told me that the longer you take the sub daily the longer the taper you need and with the half life of 37 hours it can take a very long time to taper properly. The guy who took it for 3 months tapered for about 7-8 weeks and felt no withdrawls. The two people who took it for about a year said they started tapering after the 5th month and went pretty quick at first but as they got down to 2mg and less they went slower and felt no withdrawls. So its my understanding that the longer you take it on a daily basis they longer the taper. These two year long subbers told me of 3 of their friends who have done the same thing. It can be done but the key seems to be in the taper. They also told me of some horror stories but these were people who would not wait out the taper long enough. Just wanted to share what I learned....John

[Cocodrie]

I am so glad I saw this information.  This is what I will try to do. Taper very very slowly and the skip days when I'm down to a tiny bit. My subs are in strips. So i literally can make tiny cuts in it. I want so much to be back to my normal self. I've been on this medicine a lot longer than I ever abused pain medicine after my husband died. Two years longer. I got off the antidepressants and this will be my last step to trying to feel like my old self again. Thanks for all this very useful info. It gives me hope !  Kay

[NautyOne]

I am so happy for you, and for how you are dealing with your situation.  You are on the right track as far as getting as much information....good or bad, so you can succeed, and I know you will.  I have been on many other message boards and read at least a hundred or more stories of people who have used sub.  I had a friend who did exactly what you said about dropping off at 2mg.  He did not succeed.  He has gone from 9-I don't know how many morphine and how many perc's a day to codeine #3.  Granted he still takes 8-10 a day, but that is a hell of a drop I think.  I warned him about dropping the sub at 2mg. but his doctor was the idiot that said he should be just fine and only had him on it for a week after a 6 day "detox" in a facility where they just kept him sedated with phenobarbital and some sub.....i think.  Sent him home with a weeks worth of 2mg. and he was back on the morph. in less than two weeks.  

I think you are exactly right.....from what I read, the only people who have had success with sub are the one's who have done what you have described.....stating literally, shaving the **** off with a razor at a quarter pill and stretching out the dose to every other day or so.........I wish you all the best and keep armed with information and don't let your doctor tell you otherwise.  Your paying a fortune for this stuff.....I' m sure, so do it ......how you feel is best and not the Dr.  they are not always right and seem to think that 2mg. is appropriate to stop from.  It may work for some, and I've read of people doing that no problem, but you have to go with you, and only you know your mind and body and what feels right ........

Keep up the battle.  I know your going to do this.

Luv,
Nauty........................

P.S.   Please keep posting your progress.  Your helping so many others by doing so.

[hopsing94]

Hey Rick good to see ya. Man I wonder about you at times. You have been a rock through this. I wish I could of done as good as you but I think your right. I am gonna get it done this time. I have really changed my thinking the last few weeks. I have learned to deal with things without the pills and getting better at it everyday. Good to see ya

[traveladdict]

John looks like you are going to get this done this time.  Keep up the good fight!

Rick

[hopsing94]

Hey worried i'm doing pretty good. Every couple of days I lower my dose of sub just a little and its going good. I've been trying to stay busy at work. It seems that if I stay busy I need less of the sub. I will keep ya updated.
      Lukey: from what I have learned from  others. Once down to less than 1 mg or even less than half a mg. If you start spreading the time out between doses by going days apart you will eventually just not need it. The sub really does stick to you receptors like glue. I think Bolpak was telling us that. So by getting down to such a small amount and giving the sub you have been taking time to get out you can then jump off at the very small amount with little to no w/d. You are right we can do this. You must be patient and believe. There are alot of success stories out there.

[worried878]

Glad to see you post hops...let us know how u r every now and then dude  LOL

[ILoveLukey]

Thank you so much for sharing this info.  I too am on Sub since February.And probably as scared as you as far as getting off. Your post gives me hope. I surely need that after all of the bad stories of getting off the sub.  I don''t know if you ever read any of my posts, but I stated that I want to go down to a shaving. Most of the success stories I have read were people who went down to shavings.  I admit, I have gotten discouraged alot here by reading about people who had really bad experiences getting off the Sub. Most of them jumped off to quikly. But I try not to get too discouraged due to the fact that alot of the posts I read were people that tried to jump off at 2 mg...........i am so  proud of you.  We can do this if we go down to shavings.  So many success stories. Lets do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GoingToMakeIt]

Great info, John. This was my opinion but it is good to see it is true.

On another note, I always feel good inside when I see you posting. I am so glad that you are OK.

[SableZen]

You know, I keep reading and reading the same thing time after time. Not from doctors but by people who went through it. I understand people wanting to rush off a taper... Especially if they are leaving behind another opiate with a shorter half-life and are afraid of just replacing one drug for another. But it seems that success using Suboxone for most people is so intimately tied to the taper protocol and support.

I think the best people can do is really educate themselves on both the dangers, drawbacks, and advantages of Suboxone. There are many differing personal accounts about it and people are understandably passionate about their own experiences... but anyone that has already decided to go the route of using Suboxone really needs to hear things like this post too.