Suboxone---only for detox??

[NikkiB78]

without going into all the missing details for now....i started on suboxone monday.  and have come to the realiztion that i want off before i get too far in.  i have been taking between 12-15mg (1.5-2 8mg strips per day) for the last 4 days.  is there anyway that i can do this to where i can ween myself down quickly and avoid going back to opiate withdrawal or withdrawal from the subs?  i guess my question is...how long is too long to experience the sub wd, but too short of a time to have to re-experience opiate withdrawal?  i took my last perc10 monday at 7am.

if someone could help me i really need it.  i will answer any detailed questions if i didn't provide enough i just have to run for now.  thank you all!  :)

[Luckytwice]

L-Tyrosine helps with dopamine deficiencies, but don't take too much or it causes opposite effects that you are trying to relieve. 200mg is better than whats recomended in the thomas recipe.

[Luckytwice]

So that's 100mg oxy  or 100 hydrocodone a day at the most.

I'm a bit blown away by the doc putting you on subs for 2 years as well.

There is some info on tapering from subs at the bottom right of this page. I think you'll find that useful.

These opiates are a *****, they cause all kinds of axiety and depression, so i hear you. There are some things you can use to help with the anxiety and depression while tapering. You can read those at the bottom right of this page as well.

You should find the AA or NA in your area, probably better than the local small town shrink anyways... AA people are more discreet than a small town shrink who probably talks too much about everyone else...

[NikkiB78]

i should add that was 10 norco *OR* 10 percs a day.  not both.  10 pills a day max....whatever they were.  usually an averge of 6-8.  but for the last month more like 2-4 a day.

[NikkiB78]

i have been taking pain pills off and of for 5 years,  the worst being the last year.  i would say my max was 10 norco/10 perc10's a day.  i was prescribed 3 percs a day this last go around and was taking about 6.  but those were 7.5's (if we're getting technical) but u get the point.  

i was to start seeing a psychiatrist today....but i called my counselor this week to ask her opinion on the subs....and the psych dropped me before i even met him.  won 't see a sub patient.  so i feel completely screwed.  fed up with the medical community.  period.  u go to these people for help....wait a whole month to get in....to be dropped the day before.

i asked to be put on sub.  i can't get thru perc withdrawals as wimpy as that may sound.  i have been trying for months.  but i also know how much worse sub wd's are, hence the reason i am rethinking this and want to just use it for detox and then get into aftercare.  i live in a relatively small town where psychs and meetings are hard to come by as it is....so not even being given the chance to see this guy after a month wait kills me.  i was in the psych ward a month ago and the psych there put me on abilify.  now i am left to quit that CT as well since i have no psych to go to anytime soon.

i feel like i have been left hung out to dry and hopeless.  but i do know one thing.  for the sub doc to tell me my habit is "small" and then to recommend a 2 year program blows me away.  aside from filling his pocket with cash every month....i don't think it needs to be tht long either.  

i just want to know the correct amount of time to do this in so i can avoid severe wd's from the percs and/or subs as much as possible.  i think if i make it thru those (which is what keeps me going back in the first place; the leg pain and anxiety being the worst) then i can proceed with my aftercare.  which i am more than willing and actually hopeful for.

my aftercare plan was counseling/psych.  and now i feel betrayed by them.  i have a very hard time trusting docs as it is.,...so at this point, meetings may be my answer since i haven't received any valid help fom the docs here.  

anywho.....thank you so much for responding and caring.  thank god for this board or i would have gone on the subs with no questions asked.  but i realize how much *more* trouble i can get into with those and want to stop it now.  or at least asap.  i just need to know how to go bout doing that.  i did ask the sub doc about only doing it short term....and like i said....he basically told me 2 years.  $$$$????

[Luckytwice]

How many perc 10's were you taking a day on average?

It's generally easier to taper off those than  going the long term sub route, just to taper off those anyway.

[IBKleen]

I did do a short taper on them. That being said, I was heavily involved in a support group and had been working with them (and individual people) for years. I could not have done it without the support because even after going off of the Suboxone, I had big time cravings. Had I have had nothing to fall back on, i would have used.

A short taper is tricky so I am making suggestions for things that worked for me. I would be concerned about you if you jumped at this point.

[Luckytwice]

2 years!!??

Thats sounds kinda long. I would imagine you are coming off a long time addiction then.

That does NOT mean you eed to be on subs for a long time though. A short taper plan will work for you BUT, as IBKleen says, you WILL need aftercare to avoid relapse.
You may be able to avoid withdrawal, but that will not prevent the desire to get high, nor will it stop the PAWS part of a long time addiction, thats why aftercare is especially important. I wouldn't attempt a short taper without it.  So the sooner you get started with NA the better. Then you will more likely to be successful with a short taper.

[Luckytwice]

It's hard to say without knowing why you are on subs in the first place.

generally if you've been put on them for detox, they stabilized you and put you on that dose to maintain.
All the other opiate you were should be out of your system within 72 hrs depending on what you were taking.

After that you should be able to taper off the subs. Tapers can be anywhere from 21 days to months. Generally the shorter time you are on them the better. Since subs have a long life, you won't feel what effect a cut in your sub dose has for about 3 days.
The best thing to do is ask your clinic person about tapering off, keeping in mind the shorter the better.
Some people taper down to just 1 mg/day, taking .5 twice a day. you can cut those strips down to the appropriate dose spelled out by your taper plan.
Some people claim little to no wds at this point after a short taper plan.

let us know what they tell you.

[NikkiB78]

thanks IB :)  my doctor wants me in his 2 year program.  i was ok with that until i started thinking.  i want to be clean of everything.  and aftercare is a must, i know.  i just doni't want to get too big into the subs considering how wishy washy i am about it and experience worse wd than that of perc.  i know some folks have done a 21 day program or the like and just wondered their experience.

[IBKleen]

Hi,

You should work with your doctor on a proper taper schedule. Voice your concerns.

I also hope that he/she recommended some form of aftercare. If you are just using the Suboxone to get through the withdrawal phase, it can be dangerous and you could be setting yourself up for a relapse. Suboxone can help, and does help, if it is used properly and the time on it is used wisely.

Please don't try the taper on your own. Doing this by yourself is self-medicating and that is exactly what you were doing with the percs.

Ask any questions you need. Stick around here and please listen to the members. We speak from experience.