hi guys i have been reading everyones comments over the last couple of days and it has been very interesting. i've been reading up heaps as on the 27th sept 2010 i'm going into a detox hospital here in perth western australia. my main reason for looking info up was to see if subutex was as bad to withdraw from as methadone. i was on methadone for 51/2 years and started to withdraw which was the worst pain i've ever experienced, ( even worse than child birth cos at least you know it will be over soon), but in day 2 i found out i was pregnant so quickly got onto subutex 4mg. i'm down to 1.2mg and am sick to death of the daily chemist visits and not being able to travel etc. yes clonodine is very good, and here they give valium and temazapam also which are benzos. the main thing i'm scared about with my withdrawals are the restless legs. i don't care if i'm too crook during the day but laying there in bed thrashing the legs around does my head in. does anyone have some ideas about making the legs stay still. would love some advice on remedies.
Hi winternaplesfl, welcome to the forum. Getting of the last couple mg of subutex/suboxone is the hardest. I was on suboxone for nearly 4 years and I too had trouble dropping below 2mg. In he end, I decided to go through a detox program that used clonodine and some other meds - took 8 days, but in the end I was able to get off the sub completely with minimal w/d. The clonidine really does help - it is prescribed for blood pressure and it is not addictive. The difference in the detox program and some others is that I received daily injections of narcan, which kicks the subutex off the brain. You can also taper slowly off the sub on your own, but since the half life is so long, it can take more than a week to get past the withdrawal once you finally stop for good. Several other members on here has kicked the sub. Keep posting, others will reply to your post as well. Congrats on your progress, that took lots of work and determination.
Hi! You need to follow the directions of the prescribing doc for the best results. Sub does have to be tapered slowly. Maybe he could add something to help you be able to drop down more comfortably. Just a thought. Clonidine helps and is not habit forming, so he might be willing to give you that?? It would be worth asking!
Best of luck to you! Talk to the doc, ok?