How do I get off Suboxone?

I have been on Suboxone for a year and a half. I was previously taking over 100 mgs of Oxycontin and Percocets a day.  I'm trying really hard to get off the subs.  I have tapered myself down from 24mgs a day to just 2mgs a day over the course of 4 months.  So far I haven't had any withdrawals from the taper.  My question is, where do I go from here and if I just stop taking them now will I go into withdrawals?  I'm scared of withdrawals, because my withdrawals from the pain pills was severe.

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

Suboxone is a medication specifically designed to use for weaning from opioid addiction. It is a combination of an opioid receptor agonist/antagonist, and naltrexone, which is a pure receptor blocker. In theory, it makes it easier for an addict to switch over to this medication without serious withdrawal symptoms, and then it is meant to be tapered off with the help of a physician. It is not meant to be a maintenance medication.
However, as you found out, people do get addicted to it, and when they try to stop, they do get severe symptoms of withdrawal. There are tables on the web that you can follow on your own that will help you taper it off with minimal side effects. You must follow those tables faithfully in order to be successful. Another trick you can do is, once you get below 1mg of Suboxone, you can dilute it and then titrate it by half and then by quarter mg. This is the only real way to avoid withdrawal symptoms on your own.
I suggest that you look at my blog by clicking on my name, and clicking on “blogs”.  Also, I encourage you to look at my clinic website www.mdsdrugdetox.com , because it gives a lot of information that you might be interested in, and we do detox many people from Suboxone.
I highly advise you against taking any medications that were not prescribed to you. There are over the counter sleeping aid, such as Valerian or Melatonin that I sometimes recommend for insomnia related to withdrawals, but I suggest that you find a physician who you can speak honestly and openly with, and who will help you temporize such symptoms as depression and insomnia that can linger after withdrawal from narcotics.
I wish you all the best.