buprenorphine withdrawel hell

[jules_72]

I have been on subutex for the last 2.5 years.  My doctor put me on it for pain management because I am also an addict in recovery and he said that other opiates would lead to a relapse.  I have been detoxing for months now and after getting to .5mg/day and staying there for three weeks I have cut down even more to 0mg for the last two days and nights are awful becuase I sweat and wake up freezing and soaked.  It aslo feels like detoxing off of valium all over again.  It's like having RLS in my arms and legs.  I have gotten to this point before only to give up and go back to .5mg a day.  I'm sick of this cycle.  How long do you have to be completely off of subutex before the the night sweats and RLS stop?  I've contemplated taking clonopin or vicodin to help the withdrawel which is insane since I've been clean and sober for 4 1/2 years.  HAS ANYONE GOTTEN OFF OF BUPRENORPHINE SUCCESSFULLY?

[worried878]

There are a few people who have posted who got off of sub successfully.....a lady in my NA group got off recently but i do not really want to say how she did it but i will...she had been on it for 3 years and used narcotics...hydros to get off...tapered over a month with hydros...that sounds a bit twisted but that is how she did it 2 months ago...she tried and tried for 6 months and could not shake the sub....she is clean now and happy....does have the same probs with fatigue, depression and such as i do but she broke the addiction to any narcotic she was on...i am not recommending that at all as it is supposed to be opposite....just an observation

[mr.lucky66]

I heard of that before. Someone going back to opiates to get off synthetic drugs like sub, methadone ot ultram. These drugs are harder to kick or longer than true opiates.

[jules_72]

Thanks for your feedback.  I have a presciption for vicodin from my doctor to help with my chronic pain since subutex stopped working and I didn't want to increase the dose like he suggested.  It just seemed like I'd be diggging a deeper hole for myself to take more subutex for the pain when the lower dose didn't work.  If the withdrawel gets too tough I might try it one night to see if at leaset the sweating stops.  IT would be nice to get some sleep!  It's weird that I've been clean and sober for a few years and may need to resort to the vicodin.  I talked to my sponsor about it and she couldn't advise one way or the other and I think the doc that started me on subutex doesn't really care if I stay on that stuff forever.  Nobody including my "addiction specialist/pain management doc" really seem to have a clear answer.  Anecdotal evidence seems to be the most help.

[SableZen]

Subutex was probably prescribed to you as an alternative opiate to lessen the chance of abusing while still giving you some pain control. There just aren't a lot of options out there for someone with an addiction that needs long-term pain control... But it is still an opiate - it just doesn't cause a high or euphoria that will make it as tempting to abuse.

Detoxing from it will be like other opiates - physically it's horrible. But if you switch to taking other opiates you are just going to be prolonging the inevitable if your desire is to quit, and since you've already put some time into detoxing I'm guessing that is the intent? I'd hate to see you waste time already spent detoxing... By going to another opiate you are increasing the likelihood of abusing it for things it's not intended for (and unfortunately, sleeping falls into that category)... and starting the cycle of addiction up as opposed to staying with the Subutex.

When worried878 said she would not recommend it - that it was an observation, please consider that. It's really not the best solution if you want to quit. Just my opinion and I wish you the best of luck no matter what you decide to do.

[LONESOME]

Have you talked to your Doctor about it? I really don't think going back to narcotics is a good idea, I know that been on sub for 2.5 years is not a good idea either but maybe trying to even go lower than .5mg just a crum of it every day for 2 weeks then every other day then every 4 days and so on that would maybe help.

I'm on sub now for 12 weeks trying also to taper no let me say it again tapering I'm on 1mg from 10 mg and doing ok, I know is hard but we just need to go through it.

I know now that getting on sub just help me getting off the 30+ pills I was taking every day and from ODing one day and also it has help me get my life in order again.

In your case you were giving sub for pain managment so I don't know what kind of addiction.

Anyways you can do it you just have to go through it .

[nursenomore]

I just started taking Subutex over two weeks ago, and am so happy i chose to take this route over methadone or kicking c/t!!!  Like you, i had an average of 30 norco a day habit, and it was literally destroying my life.  For me, it was the only logical choice for getting my life back together, plus entering out-patient rehab and meetings.
I would hate to think that I would give up all that I've been through lately to start back on the pills that have caused so much devastation to me and my family.  Do you really want to take that chance right now, with all the clean time you have?  There must be better options for you right now, for the w/d symptoms?  I've heard that no matter how long one has been on subs, you have to taper down very very slowly over a long period of time.  Just like any other medication, like anti-seizure meds, anitdepressants, and so many others.  Especially one that is so delicate in nature for helping addicts to stay clean.
Sorry to hear about your situation, really.  Pain management can be such a double-edge sword, it's a tricky issue.  Could you possibly talk with another p.m. doc or an addictionologist?  Get a second opinion for your dillemma?
Good luck and try to hang in there!  You're not alone!!!

[Penelope14]

I have never detoxed from suboxone but I did do a lengthy detox off of methadone, I slowly tapered off of it & the withdrawals lasted a long time, two-weeks I was at my worst & after about a month most symtoms were gone. Their were many days that I really thought I would never get better & wondered if it was ever gonna end, but it did, it just takes time. Hang in their & remember everyday that passes you should see improvement. Penelope

[pdiddy75]

Im sorry to read this post. THIS right here is the reason Im done with Subutex. I was abusing Norco 10mg for over 2 years...and couldnt do it cold turkey or tapering..though I needed something to help me....so I went to a doc that gave me Subutex. I started it on May 8th and am now off of it. I didnt want to become addicted to that too or dependent on something else. It wasnt a piece of cake...I had to cut one of my 2mg tablets in half..then take half of that half every morning...thats what I got off at. I still have 6 here...and just dont feel its ok to take them anymore. They did thier job..they got me off my Norco habit...HELPED me detox while still living Norco free and cleaning my house. I wasnt sick at all. I felt HUMAN for once again in my life. I support this med with everything I have...cuz it gave me a chance to see life on the other side, and help me change my daily habit of poppin 4 Norco with my coffee....I did go through some RLS a bit and still do at night only, so my doc gave me Requip for RLS which I started last night...hope that helps. I dont know if I have become addicted to Subutex or if these symptoms are wd from the Norco still???

[mr.lucky66]

it's better to keep it short on these sythetic opiates. They can help but can make things worse and are untested for long  term.

[SableZen]

Buprenorphine is not a synthetic opiate...

Methadone is a synthetic opiate...

Buprenorphine is derived from thebaine (a natural opiate from the plant)...

Methadone doesn't occur in the plant...

But they are all made in a lab since most people prefer not to have to pick up opium at the pharmacy and refine it themselves...

Sorry if this comes across rude. Just tired of all the misinformation trying to tie Suboxone/Subutex to methadone...

[avisg]

Buprenorphine is a synthetic opiate that binds to opiate receptors and stimulates them. It is similar to one of the original opiates, morphine    

[worried878]

I guess people look at both of them as alternatives to taking their DOC and a way to detox off of their DOCs so people compare them...but u r right...2 totally different drugs that are used to get clean ...i think methadone was originally intended for long term use to get junkies off the street and to help stop the dangers associated with street drugs like HIV and stuff...jail time...stuff that goes along with drug use...now there ia a generation of pill users...like me...middle/upper/lower class/  educated/non educated...no discrimination as far as addiction goes...it can touch or bite anyone..Pills became a popular way of dealing with pain...in my dads day they did not throw hydros at u for tooth aches and such
I have never taken either of these drugs...i can see where in some cases they are a much better alternative for some than abusing and the things we go thru to stay stocked up on pills...but i can see how someone can get "stuck" like jules feels and now can not get off his alternative medication...pdiddy is one of the few i have seen get  off sub so fast....i am sure it helped her not feel all of the withdrawals symptoms so intensely...she is strong and i see hers as a success story but not everyone gets off this potent narc so fast...i have pondered it just in case i ever relapsed...10 days of sub would not help me much....i can handle the physical withdrawals..I know it passes and i know i wont die...dont like it but i can handle it....it is the mental part that has been the dickens for me so 10-20 days on sub would not help me...i would have to use it long term to get past the mental part which could be a year or more from now...i am at 4 months and still struggle with it...and if i used long term i would then have to go thru a harder withdrawal from sub than hydro withdrawal...and feel stuck like jules feels right now....if i were past the mental part of craving etc.. and was ready to get off the sub for good for whatever reason...i would do what i had to do to get off...u r not stuck jules....just gotta think out of the box and follow tapers that are all over the site...it may not be pleasant...but it is do-able and u can do this if it ur goal

sorry about the long post but i have gone over and over the pros and cons of sub for myself so it hit a a spot of interest for me...so many different situations and so many different choices that can be made

and congrats pdiddy!