Suboxone Withdrawels Questions

[Sarcoise]

I have been taking Suboxone for a few weeks (about 8-12mg daily) and it was wonderful for coming off Herion, but now I am ready to take the plunge and taper off the Sub.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I want to drop my dose slowly untill I get down to taking 1/4 of an 8mg pill a day, and then hopefully stop all togather.  Is this the best method, or could I just stop taking the Sub. all at once?  I am not sure how severe the withdrawel is from Sub, I am VERY familar with withdrawels from herion and methadone and I do not want to go through anything that severe in my life again!  Thanks for the advice in advance.

-Sarcoise

[allaboutmary]

Some have had there insurance pay for it.  It really depends on your insurance company. Call them to see if they cover it. I would also call around to different sub doctors they can really vary in price.  I got all different prices.  I found one an hour away and she was 150 for 1st visit and 65 every month after that.  If you find the right doctor its not that exspensive.  Between the doctor visit and the suboxone I spend under 200 a month.  I was spending so much more than that on perc's.  I will be back in the morning if I can help you any further.  Have a great night.

[feohmoon]

Welcome to the forum...you posted to an old thread...start a new one by posting a question...lots of good info here regarding sub.
Best of luck!
Peace

[molly55888]

How can you get Soboxone paid for? Is there an insurance company out there that pays? It's so expensive!!!

[kyjobr]

Sarcoise, sorry I didn't respond sooner.

There are many people who have finished sub treatment.  You may find more research overseas since it's been used there for years longer than the US however, do not let anyone scare you about the w/d 's.  All the research and people who've done (correctly) say it's not that bad.  It's nothing close to regular w/d's.  I just went through w/d's from Effexor after only using it for 3 weeks and it was horrible.  Way worse that sub.  I can say this because I've jumped off sub before (from 2mgs due to changing dr's and running out) and all I felt was some jitters, stretchy.  I probably wouldn't have even known what was going on if I hadn't known.

I would agree that not all dr's know what the F they're doing.  But there are many good ones out there who really care about us.  They wouldn't have gone through all the additional addiction training necessary if there wasn't some desire to help others.  I know people think it's for the money but for all that additional time, there are other things they could do so it can't be all about that.  I'm super lucky in that my new dr is highly educated AND an ex addict so he knows just where I"ve been and truly considers my individual situation and listens to me.  Any dr (or anyone for that matter) who has one plan for all patients isn't worth **** in my opinion.  

[Sarcoise]

Thanks to everyone that has posted a response, any help is appreciated.  I am now taking less than an 8mg tablet per day, with no side effects to speak of.  I have found taking small doses throughout the day help me the most.  You would be amazed how tiny you can break one of those 8mg pills apart - about 1mg each.  Thanks again.
-Sarcoise

[Sarcoise]

     In response to your question about why I am seeing a Dr. if I don't trust him:  They are the only ones that can write the prescription; legally.  
     A Dr. has no first hand experience in dealing with withdrawals, addicts do.  Thats why N/A works so well, it is a recovery program ran by addicts.  I'm not listening to one person and making my decision based solely on that; I am taking from what everyone of you has said and making a decision based on that and my personal experiences.  
     I have found that everyone is different, as some have said in this very thread: one guy had no problems after sub. another said he had severe withdrawals.  
-Sarcoise

[Gobig]

Plenty of people are off it.?

[FLaddict]

The answer is there are not enough people off of it to have an opinion of the withdrawals.

[sabrea]

thanx, i looked on line and it said that there was no study done on it but it would be high risk.

[hillary5]

no, suboxone should not be taken during pregnancy ... good luck to you ...

[Continlover]

um why did i spell oxycontin wrong in my first post?

[Continlover]

i forgot to say that i stayed on each sub tapering dose for like two weeks.... i think the slower your body can adjust the less painful it will be.  im just so excited for be done with it...if i have to taste that god awful orange flavor one more time ....

[Continlover]

I didnt feel like reading everything everyone wrote but....
I was on oxytontin for a few years and lesser painkillers for like 10 years before that.  I started taking suboxone a YEAR ago and did the whole tapering down thing from 16 mg (two 8 mg tablets) to 2 mgs and I always went back. I couldnt even take the withdrawal from suboxone. which i feel pathetic about.  So THIS time im going down to 1 mg and then half a 1 mg....im trying to REALLY slowly wean myself. and actually starting today im stopping the half mg and taking nothing but i got a bunch on klonopins to hlep me out.  Try that out and see if it works

[Gobig]

If 12 is more like what you're comfortable at now, then go  (a week each) 10, 8, 6, etc.

You will (normally on the 2nd or third day after a taper) feel some discomfort (didn't think you'd get off that easy :-) after each taper, but then you level out for the rest of the week.  For me, it helped to split my doses, i.e. 4 in the morn and 2 in the eve., etc. once I was down to lower levels.

[Gobig]

Stopping at once 8-12mgs a day would be as bad as going CT from any opiate - very, very horrible.  If you feel fine at 8 mgs, I'd do the following:

Go to 6 for 1 week, then 4 for 1 week, then 3 for one week (I went 4 to 2, and that felt like a major leap), then 2 for one week and stop.  Going 2 to 1 is just prolonging the inevitable, imho.

Once you stop, you'll have a rough day or three (nothing compared to going CT from vics or oxy or heroin), and then you'll start to feel just fine and better every day.

[TJack]

I was on suboxone for 24 days.  2 weeks at 8 mg a day.  They say that's a light dose.  It worked great.  Then after two weeks or there about, i went to 6mg for 6 days.  Still doing fine.  Then 4 mg. for 4 days. okay still okay.  then 2 mg for 2 days.  the first aftenoon after the 2mg. i was an anxious mess.  Took the other 2 mg. that night.  I was in withdrawal from the sub for a couple of weeks.
Not as severe as cold turkey but awful.  High anxiety , depression, cold, sneezing, aching.  Not good.  I don't know if they tapered me too fast or what, but i am good now and it will be 4 weeks on sat. that i took that last sub.  Still fight the anxiety some, but near as bad.  But, i definitely think you need a dr. telling you how to come off of the stuff.  Good wishes. TJack

[wait2long]

i am sorry hun, that, i do not know...   look it up online by googling ,suboxone and pregnancy...

[sabrea]

does anyone know if suboxone is ok to take if your pregnant?

[hillary5]

awesome awesome post ... yes, we were ALL out last nite trick or treating ... too tired by the time we came home w/the little ones to jump on the computer....

sarcoise, i hope you are able to get the information you need ... it is all up to you and your doctor .. i would contact KYJOBR to see if she can give you some great information ... she is someone who is VERY knowlegable about the suboxone ... i too have been on sub since april ... i am still at 20mg ... i c the dr tomorrow and may or may not go down .. if he decided to decrease, it will be only 4mgs at a time ... he said i can take this for the rest of my life if i choose and am afraid of relapsing ... right now i will work my way down to 8mg and see how i feel then .. if i feel i am ready to taper, i will ... if not, i will stay at 8 for a while ... everyone is different .. what is good for some is not good for others ... good luck .. keep us posted ... have a great weekend!!!! peace!

[wait2long]

you said..."the best advice comes from those that have been through the same expirence - not a Dr. that reads from a book.  Sorry if my response sounds a bit witty, but after many years dealing with Dr's I have found many to be incompetent - almost to the point of complete negligence."

my question is why would you turn to a doctor to begin with if you do not trust them or find them so incompetent?  i am in no way trying to be a smart a**, just curious why?
and they dont just read from a book, LOL!!  that would be crazy!!  LOL!!...there is someone here on the forum who has ALOT  of good information on suboxone and also how doctors got their training, if you are interested contact kyjobr, she can point you in the direction you want for your requested information.  again best of luck hun...i hope this works for you, i really do...some do really well with short term...i am not one of them...drug abuse/addict for 18+ years...i cant fix that in a months time...LOL!  kep us posted and let us all know how your doing...

[wait2long]

well i know alot of people were most likely out trick or treating with their kids, thats where i was most of the night...and i think most, not all, but most people here have chosen the longer term maintenance, another reason for the slow or no response, to this post, but be patient, i am sure more answers will appear tomorrow.
i have been on suboxone for 5 months, transitioned from methadone, not an easy task, i am choosing the longer term suboxone...i have way too much at stake to stop the sub only to relapse again,i know i dont have all the tools needed to deal with the cravings and every other trigger out there and even after 5 months i KNOW i am not ready, i refuse to go back to where i just was 5 short months ago,i need more time to heal, but that is me. but, i would listen to your doctor, he is the one who has decided to help you with your addiction, so i would follow what he recommends, if you don't agree with him, then maybe you should talk to him about your reservations. did your doctor explain to you why he thinks maintenance may be best for you? why does he believe in maintenance?  one reason may be (from what i have read)  the failure rate for short term soboxone use is quite high, but you should ask him, i cannot answer for him and i am sure he has his reasons as some doctors only believe in short term and they have their reasons...it all comes down to you and what you want to do and how you feel. if you feel you are prepared to battle the cravings and triggers and  can succeed with short term, by all means taper, but taper slowly.  are you in any type of therapy to help you for when the suboxone is gone? therapy is highly recommended.
and as far as what is best for you...only you can answer that and no one else.

i would not recommend stopping the sub all at once...talk to your doctor about a taper plan best suited to you...he knows you, he should give you the taper plan...

good luck, and i wish you success with this...

[FLaddict]

I used Sub for 10days started at 6mgs and tapered down after the third day 1-2mgs drops everyday, I had very mild sweats/chills about 3 days after stopping it they lasted about 24 hours and then poof gone.. felt better after that.

I just noticed that there were not alot of responses to this question... I wonder why..

[lurker]

I do know that it has a very long half life and stays in your system for a long time.  I don't know what happens after 24-32 hrs.  I do know that I will taper down and stay on the lowest possible dose I can.  If, however I have cravings or withdrawals I'll go right back on the Suboxone because I don't want to find myself on the pain medication roller coaster ever again.  Best wishes to you - keep posting!

[Sarcoise]

I started off with 1 1/2 8mg pills per day (12mg).  I now take about the same, some days less than others.  The cravings cause me to take more, other days I get by on 8mg.  I have not had a point where I was in severe withdrawels if I try and push not taking any Sub.  I only experienced mild cravings when I would not take my first dose in the morning and go to work without any with me (just to see how long I could go)  The rate at which your body metabolizes suboxone must be really slow because after 24-32 hours of no Sub, I was only mildly affected with cravings and chills.  I am wondering how severe withdrawels were for others once past that 24-32 hour mark.
-Sarcoise