Help to withdraw from suboxone

[flyercrazy]

I need advise, I have been on suboxone for at least 5 years, I am trying to withdraw after having what i was told a side effect from suboxone which is "sick sinus syndrome" or Bradacardia, this reduces your heart rate and resulted in a pacemaker having to replace the natural valve which controls my heart rate.  I woke up one morning feeling like I had the flu, I had been working out trying to lose weight from suboxone gain over the years of taking it, I have probably gained at least 40 lbs and my appetite is much less than it has ever been.
My big concern is I am begining to get to the point to where 8 mgs twice a day is not enough as I start to feel anxious and need more which I am holding back on but I can unable to reduce even a quarter of a pill.
Are there supplements which will help ease the withdrawal symptoms.  I am currently taking .50mgs of xanax twice a day, down from 1 mg at the doctors orders due to my sick sinus issue but I would rather increase the xanax and reduce the suboxone as the suboxone is the culprit responsible for my heart issue.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much

[EvolverU]

I'd echo everything that MSDelight said & asked. I'd also add that increasing your dose of Subs will not result in less anxiety or more euphoria (there's a ceiling dose & you're past it). However, it will most likely exacerbate some of the nasty side effects that folks experience @ high doses of Subs.

I'd also echo pillguy's question about the Xanax. It's contra-indicated with subs. Did you know that people who take Xanax regularly often experience 'rebound' anxiety & need to up their dose or add in other kinds of benzos? Xanax are highly addictive & the hardest Benzo to come off of.

If you'd like to get off the Subs & the Xanax, you can do it but I'd suggest that you find a responsible Dr. who understands addiction & detox who can help put together a plan with you & monitor your progress. The folks on this forum would be happy to help support you in your journey.

We're here :)

[pillguy]

Subs are so strong and the half life so long that getting off of 16mg/day is going to be a daunting task.  This site can't allow posting of taper schedules but if you pm me, I can help you with your research.  This is defiantly doable but you need a plan.  I was on subs for 2 years and have been off of them for about 3 months.  I tapered over a period of 6 months.  While supplements may have helped some people, I found them to be of limited benefit.  Your Xanax can help with sleep, insomnia being an almost universal symptom and one of the hardest to deal with.  It's hard to fight the fight when you've slept 4 hours in four days.  I'm curious about your Xanax and Suboxone.  Are they prescribed by the same doc?  Xanax is usually contraindicated when using Subs.  It can be dangerous but this is usually a problem for IV users.  

I try to be as positive and encouraging as possible when talking about getting clean.  It's simply worth whatever you have to deal with to get it.  With that said, there's no easy way out here.  It's going to be a fight.

[msdelight]

Hi and welcome! Your sick sinus syndrome could be from the subs, but could also be from a variety of other causes including congenital. The thing is, why are you still on subs after 5 years? Where is the prescribing doctor and why aren't you tapering this very large dose? That's the first thing you should address, I agree that this large dose of a very strong opiate is not doing your heart any good. As far as the Xanax, this med will definitely slow your heart rate and should be used in small, .5mg doses only when needed.
There are supplements you can take, collectively known as the Thomas recipe, but its not a cure. At some point you need to face the withdrawal. What was your original drug of choice?