How long does it take to get off suboxone?

[edie12]

I have been treatment resitant depression for 15years, suboxone has been my miracle life saver, as well as my mother who uses it ( wisely) after even her ECT never worked. i have been on 24 medications, only suboxone has saved my life. ( in never use opiates except once when i was desperate i dabbled for a few weeks)
the only problem is that it seems to lose effect on me ( not my mother- perhaps cause she alternates between 2-4 mg a day) whereas i never go past 4 mg a day. i find that for me only, it poops out after about 4 months, and i have been taking drug holidays which i am miserable as i only have a lousy anti-depressant to help me out.
the withdrawals are rough- today is day 5 no suboxone. is this long enough holiday so that i can go back on it again and have the same 2mg a day work? i used to take 1 and a half weeks off but it is too hard.
please can you advise me how to detox rapidly and keep my tolerance down.
also please save any stupid lectures about how depressives should  not take suboxone- you have NO IDEA how hellish my life was two years ago for so many years until suboxone saved me. the holidays are damn worth it!
i can now work, and feel like a normal person, no anti- depressant, mood stabilizer etc has ever worked long so please keep your own judgements to yourself- unless you have a clue of how dehabilitating depression is- i used to cut my wrists, attempt suicide again and again - suboxone has made me normal - and my mom is great too.
ie. please just answer my question and save your judgements. i have been on suboxone 2 years and it is my lifesaver, i am sick of the criticism and yeah i have heard it all.

[Kova]

i think no one wants to answer because we are all thinking the same thing suboxone for depression?  and you said you don't want to hear it.  i have major depressive disorder as well and i have been through 4 meds before finding wellbutrin which helps me.  the problem with the suboxone is that you will build up a tolerance to it and need more and more for the same effect and when you do want to kick it, if it is anything like other opiates, you will go through hell.  no desire to try to find an antidepressant that works for you?  takes a lot of patience and trial and error but maybe you just haven't found the right one.

i know how bad depresseion can be.  sending you love and hope for whatever you decide to do.

Kova

[mr.lucky66]

I didn't know sub was used for depression and I'm saddened to hear it. Sure it works, it's dope, really. That's the problen when people  say drugs like sub saves their lives like in the addcition section where they use it a lot. It may seem like it saves your like, but at what price? With patience and good medicial supervision you can get off of it. all the best

[Hensley258]

Actually Suboxone is buprenorphine and naloxone.

There is a Ton of newer scientific evidence that supports that fact that this opiate is almost the perfect antidepressant. I say that because it is VERY effective, BUT I also say "almost perfect," simply because science can't get the Opiate side effect out of this medication. After all it is an opiate, but not like the kind of opiate you take to get high.
People like me with Refractory type Uni-polar Depression, (haven't tried it yet) That take Buprenorphine often get significant improvement of their severe depression, when other drugs like MOA and Tri-cyclics just don't offer full relief of their severe symptoms.

In fact there are several Major Drug companies that are currently trying to develop a "new Type" of opiate based antidepressant medication without the bad Opiate mechinism in it.

If and when this is successful you will see a revolutionary leap in Severe depression treatment. Because of it's universal effectivness at treating depression, and because of it very high positive response rate we can all finnaly get relief in a safer and more tolerable medication that actually works.

Edie12, I don't blame you at all for taking Buprenorphine. As I have sufferered this damn cronic disease for so long with only partial relief and failing meds, I may also join you in taking buprenorphine.

It's hard even for clinical depression sufferers to understand the level and intensity at which true Refractory Depression kills you. I mean it's so bad that you can't even get up off the floor, (Not even kidding) at my worst I am almost catatonic. I mean litterally not able to even function. It's a Hell in which I have no words to describe it. It goes far beyond just clinical depression that requires and SSRI.

That's why Edie takes the Opiate based drug. It really works even for this kind of massive depression.

I just had to explain that because I didn't want everyone on the Forum to think edie was some distructive drug user of Opiates.  

[mr.lucky66]

Yes opiates are the best antidepressant I ever had and I tried them all, SSRI'S etc.. The only problem is you get hooked like a lab monkey, I did. I guess if the depression is like or death it's worth it but not for me at this point. I used methadone for years but there's no future in it.

[Hensley258]

Actually I think edie is talking about suboxone, which is Opiate based, but that is absolutly impossible to get "high on."

It has somekind of added ingrediant that prevents the drug from giving a high.

As for getting hooked like a Lab Monkey, well maybe your right, but I have had to take AD medication to control my severe depression for a full 16 years now, with no break except med changes.

That would actually make me a Lab Monkey on antidepressants. I fail to see the difference.

[mr.lucky66]

Sub does give a slight high and is very addictive. Acually it's almost as addictive as methadone. Maybe for suicidal pts. but not for the masses with depression

[Hensley258]

Oh I agree 100%. I'm talking about maybe 5% of patients that absolutly have no options left.

No way for the masses. I agree with this drug there are risks involved, but When the other option is simply death I think it's a viable solution.