suboxone withdrawl is LIVING HELL

[Amanda1127]

To: anyone with an answer
I went to treatment two years ago to over come opiate addiction. I was put on suboxone along with many other scripts. In March i decided it was time to stop it all! I was on 32mg of suboxone for almost two years. i weened off and felt like i was about to lose my mind. I went to the ER and could not find any help. Since March i have been taking a half of pill(4mg) per day. I feel like i am ready to give up. I feel sick everyday and my depression and anxiety is a nightmare!!!! I feel like i am pushing loved ones away. I am miserable all the time and they are starting to feel as helpless as me. I feel like i am losing all hope and dont know what to do anymore. Is this last half that i take causing me to feel this way? If i would have known more about this nasty drug when i started it, i would have never ever even considered it. Does anyone know of anything i can do to feel better? ANYTHING? This is the end of June already and i cant live another day feeling this way. I stayed sober for two years and now i will do anything to feel better. Now i have stooped to the level of drugs, coke, weed, pills, just something to feel good for a minute. WRONG. I got sick doing each one of these except weed of course. That seems to help with my nausea but not the anxiety!!!!!!! I am a single mother of two and i need answers NOW! When i find an answer i will try to help anyone feeling like me and STOP anyone from starting this "devil" drug! Thank you for listening.  

[nuredshuz]

Hi I dont know much about sub, but wanted to offer you some support by bumping this post to the top so someone else might see it who knows a little about your question. Im sorry your going thru a tough time. Have you tried talking to the doctors to get some other relief? I hope the best for you ~  Peace

[Amanda1127]

Thank You so much for your concern. I am new at this so thanks for bumping my post. I hope to get some advice!!!!!!!

[road2recovery]

Welcome...I have never taken sub, but some here have, so hopefully they can help u....Did they give you anything to help with the anxiety?
r2r

[wannabefree330]

Well I have never taken sub but volunteer at a rehab center and they prescribe sub to almost all the opiate w/d patients.  At the point in your life when you needed to get off the opiates, it was probably the best choice at the time for you and your situation.  Now that you are away from them, this seems to be the next battle you need to conquer.  Try not to look at it as something that is unbearable or can't be done.  Look what you have done so far!  You haven't touched the opiates so thats good.  Meddling with the other recreational stuff is NOT wise-you'll get hooked on something without intending to so stay away from everything.  My opinion would be to just stop the sub now.  You're only taking 1/2 a pill a day.  You will have to quit sometime and you already are feeling lousy, so why draw it out any more?  I have read it may take up to 8 weeks to feel like you are getting yourself back but it's so much better than a life time of hell using drugs!  Hang in there, YOU CAN do this!  There are so many of us out here who have made it and you can too.

[mr.lucky66]

I don't think it was the best choice at the time to give this poster sub. Look at the situation they are in as a result of a careless doctor..

[avisg]

Amanda , welcome to the forum PLZ continue to taper down all of the way until you get to a crumb then every other day .Some people even go every three days then go off .If you jump off even at 4 mg you will really suffer .You were on it for a long time at a very high dose .It is going to take awhile to adjust your body you might want to stay at 4 for a while until the withdrawals settle a little then continue .I am all for sub if needed for short term use ,but long term use seems to be like replacing your DOC with another. PLZ stay around there is tons of support here .There are a few people that I think can help allaboutmary and flmagi they are members you can PM them they are both on sub .Mary has been tapering slowly with next to no withdrawls they will be more then happy to talk to you ... It will get better.

[Amanda1127]

my doctor did not want to prescribe anything that would be addictive for the anxiety. But now that this has gone on so long and is so BAD, I have to take something.

[road2recovery]

I agree that you have to taper to a crumb after being on it for 2 yrs....Is your doctor trying to help you taper??  I really think you need to tell him how bad this anxiety and depression is, and put you on something mild that you can only take when it is unbearable...I can tell reading your post that you really struggling., and i am so sorry...Being a single mother is tough, and i know you can't feel like this everyday and take care of everything you have too....I hope your doctor will really listen to you and help you...
good luck
r2r

[extrmeski]

You can do it!  It isn't a great experience, but if I can get off of those darn fenanyl patches I honestly feel that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it.  It ***** it stinks, it isn't pleasent but it is worthwhile.  I'm on day 13 and you just take it a day at a time.  Try to stay as hydrated as possible to flush out your system, try to stay as busy as you can.  I told my boss what I was trying to do and he has been very supportive.  I didnt think I could make it through the day today but I did.
Stay the course the anxiety will subside, the effects will slowly go away and you measure each day against the day before!
Good Luck.

[marcatj]

from what i know, you have to taper very slowly.

32mg for 2 years is alot, for a long time.

it's possible you jumped down too quickly.  the taper has to be very slow, and very gradual.

i'm not a doctor, so i can't tell you what your doses should be.  but a good Sub/addiction specialist should be able to give you some relief - no doubt.

again - it just sounds from the little bit of info i am reading that your taper was too fast.  perhaps you need to go back up on your dose a little, then slowly taper back down - then off.

i know for many of us Sub was a life saver.  but the taper has to, again, be very gradual, and very slow.

please seek out another qualified professional to help you with the process.

i have to believe there is someone out there who can give you some relief...

good luck, friend...

-mj

[road2recovery]

Great advice, and glad to see you!!!
r2r

[Amanda1127]

Thank you for all the concern and help so far. This is the only hope i can find, others that understand how i feel. I just dont understand why i have such horrible depression, nausea, anxiety, no appetite, and headaches. I have been on a half for 3 months now and feel like i did when i came off 4 a day. I feel like if i am already suffering that i should be done now! I tried taking a quarter the past 2 days and today i had to take a half to get through even though i still feel bad. I just want to feel normal, whatever that is! If i stop this last half how will i make it through another couple months of hell, without getting hooked on something else? And yes my doctor says to taper off but i dont think he has any clue how this feels or why or what to do. If he doesnt help, who can

[Amanda1127]

Thank you!!

[worried878]

It is hard now to tell u to go back up and taper down again....have u talked to ur doctor?  can he/she help?   I do know that the narcotic/sub is a strong one and ur nuerotransmitters/receptors in general have been being fed now for quite a while from outside sources/a strong one...and they are screaming at u right now...it worries me when i see posters getting on sub that have a relatively small narcotic habit....i hear how great they feel while they are on it....take it away and he!! can break loose for some...i do know that u can benefit from herbs/vitamins/aminos that can feed ur receptors right now....an AD that hits the target nuerotransmitters u need could help tremendously...have u read the thomas recipe?...i feel for u and please keep posting

[mr.lucky66]

I became very unpopular for my views on sub. These docs have no idea how bad someone feels after taking rthis stuff for too long while they milk fees. Amanda I hope you continue and make a clean break

[flmagi]

I'm so sorry to hear you're having such an awful time with this. I'm on sub to and so hope I don't end up regreting it.
Has your doctor prescrbed CLONODINE for you? If not get a script for it. It will definatley help you get thru this as you taper down. I would also suggest an anti-depressant like CYMBALTA too. Both these things will really help.
How much Sub were you takeing right before you dropped down to 4 mgs? Did you go from 32 mgs right to 4 mgs? I do know Sub needs to be very slowly reduced, all the way down to just a crumb. I have a real problem hearing these Sub doctors haveing someone one 32 mgs of Sub for 2 years, when most people really should never need more than 8-10 mgs to start, and that should only be for the first 7-10 days.
Please let me know those answers, so maybe we can come up with some ideas of how to help you.  
Keep in touch and PM me if you need to talk.
Magi

[marcatj]

honestly, i would really see another doctor...

look around for someone GOOD.  from a referral, from info you can find on them, etc.

again - i'm no doc, but i really do think if you can get your dose adjusted properly, then again - do a SLOW taper - you really should be ok.

it's alot to come off of that fast... it really is.

please try a new doc.  a GOOD doc.. from what i'm reading, it doesn't seem like your doc is helping you much right now.

i'm so sorry.. i wish i had more info to give.  only that i really don't think you should feel this bad.

and if you did taper properly, then maybe something else is going on.  and a good psychiatrist/anti-depressants might be in order.

good luck.. and don't give up!!!  i know there has to be relief out there for you.. you just have to pull up your boot straps and go find it.

now go find it! :-)

you will be ok.....

with luv,
mj

[marcatj]

XOXOXOXO!!!!

sending lotsa love your way, baby....
:-)
mj

[Amanda1127]

yes, actually i do have clonidine. I was given 0.1mg for bedtime.I was trying for awhile to go without anything at bedtime cause i had a hell of a time stopping seraquil 200mg a couple months ago. I finally could sleep again at night with nothing and now the past week, no sleep again! i took 2 or 3 clonidine at night and it did help. i just spoke to my doctors nurse and she said i could take the clonidine during the day also. She is gonna talk to the doc and call me back! they also gave me visitril for nausea and anxiety awile back but it did not seem to help. They  are trying to keep it mild so i dont end up with another addiction. As far as the suboxone, I tapered from 4 to 2 pill