How hard to wean off sub and benzo combo?

[needingadvice164]

I've been taking suboxone for a little over 2 years now and am about to prepare for my wean.  I've also been on 4 mg of Xanax for about 6 months now (sometimes a little more) to help me sleep while weaning on the sub.  I read a post earlier that coming off Xanax is much worse than suboxone which I find really really hard to believe as I've tried to come off suboxone before and felt worse than I've ever felt in my life with the w/d symptoms.  So, it didn't work out.  Still on it.  However, I'm going to do it.  I'm taking 2.5 mg a day of the sub and have cut down to 3.5 mg of xanax a day and am feeling fine.  I'm planning on tapering as slowly as I can with what I have left and see what happens.  Any advice would be much appreciated, especially on the sub/benzo combo issue.  

[refusingbondage]

Very good advice above.  You shoulld definitly wean slowly off the Xanax.  Great choice to do this now, since its only been 6 months on, hopefully it won't be to difficult for you.  The sub should be tapered too.. to a very low .25 or even lower every few days as the above post suggests.. Sub withdrawal is difficult but you can do it. From I understand the lower the dosage the better.  I quit subs at 1mg and had a really hard time with it.. but I did it.  Keep cutting those subs down.  Good luck and take care!

[mom_of_two136]

It is good that your weaning slowly off suboxone. I am doing the same. My friends who have weaned off would stabalize for about a week at a dosage before lowering it. When they got down to 0.25mg, they would start skipping days. I think the trick is to not go too fast. It is better to go slow then go too fast then possibly relapse. Has your doctor given you any advice? Anyway, this is just what worked for my friends. You will still have some withdraw but it will be manageable (atleast that was their experience everyone is different). I do not know about benzo's. Good luck. it sound like your heading in the right direction.
God Bless

[SophieShine]

Hey, I have no idea about the sub, but I can tell you about benzos. Is there any way you could see a dr and talk about your plan to taper? See the mean thing aabout xanax is that it's a short acting benzo, so if you could make the switch to a long lasting one like Valium, that would be easier for you to taper.
In general, you taper 20% of the actual dosage/month.
Fortunately you didn't take them for too long so it shouldn't be that bad. There is no drug easier or more difficult to quit. They all are difficult to quit at some point. The mean thing about benzos is that you can not stop them CT, so for some tapering is He!!.
Here's a site where you'll find all the tapering plans, but I still think you should see a dr.
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s1
Good luck to you. sophie.

[snowflake620]

Please do a very slow taper with the benzo stopping c/t can kill you, I don't know about sub but I know all to well about benzo's if you want to p.m me I will be happy to tell you aabout what to watch for and how you will feel please be very careful
snowflake