Suboxone Withdrawl ? Whats next

[jmidz88]

I have been on "street suboxone" (no prescription) for about 2 years until 4 days ago. I started off at 2mg (quarter pill) and worked my way up to 4 mg toawrds the end about 3 months ago. Then i dropped it down to a quarter for the remainder until i completely cut off 4 days ago. I am experiencing constant chills but thats because it is January and I live in CT which happens to be cold right now. Other than that I just cant sleep and Im extremely tired during the day. How long should this last considering its such a low dose. Would it matter? Im very thin also, does that have an affect as well? Thank you for your support everyone.

[vicky7168]

can some one help me please..i am off suboxone for 20 weeks.last 4 weeks its ok,don't have depression but still don't feel and cant do stuff..the only reason for feeling good is because am taking penadine forte but,yesterday was first day i didn't feel good,and today is nothing better..i wish to go back on Tramadol but i just don't know how to kill off suboxson..doctor said it will stay in system for 9 month..don't tell me to get up and do stuff because i just cant do it there must be something to help i got off oxiconten and tramadole before and in 7 weeks every day was better and better,now every day is ****

[jmidz88]

Hey kelsey, reaching out is a good thing. Talking to ppl helps alot too. By holding it in you can cause emotional problems for yourself. And as bad as it sounds you need to get up and move around as much as possible. At first it will suck yes but you'd be suprised how fast your body adjusts. i was running on a treadmill 3 days in thinking omg what am i thinking but after about 10-15 seconds it gets better. Remember a body at rest stays at rest while a body in motion stays in motion. A hot shower or bath also gives you total relief for the time being. And yes it is possible, I am not a strong minded person and I am doing it. This 17 days is my longest clean time EVER and i want to just keep on going, im feeling much better now just knowing that!

[KelseyDEz]

Hi I just joined this site due to my struggles I'm having trying to taper down my suboxone dose. I am prescribed 16 mg a day, two 8 mg strips. I have gotten myself down to just 4 mg a day and I've been feeling terrible! Everyday I sleep all day and take my half a strip at 8 to 11 pm depending on how long I can wait, so at night I don't sleep, I'm sick I'm tired ans horribly lazy I never get out of my pjs! If you can help with any advice I'd be very grateful! Glad you've done so well, guess it is possible!

[jmidz88]

Well day 16 and man what a mess today was. I definatley got hit with the "wave". I actually had 3 good days in a row thinking it was all over. I don't know why or how but halfway thru today i was fine then it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I was keeping busy, ran 2 miles, did a heavy upperbody workout and ran errands. As soon as i got home BOOM extreme depression i couldn't believe it. Anyway its about 6 hours later and finally starting to pass thank god. Just confused, thinking it may be something I ate or an old friend I saw even though it didnt really bother me. No cravings just felt really down for some reason

[jmantz811]

Thanks for the input guys! I tried my best not to dose today.... but my cats in heat and I got 3 hours of sleep last two nights and got up early to take her to get fixed.... so Idk if it was exhaustion/worry or detox but I started feeling real bad. Within 24 hours of last dose....
So I'm going to try and go down to half tomorrow then half that the next day which is my day off. Idk we'll see.
Ugh.

But I do have to say how extremely proud I am of myself for coming off pills. I was able to catch up my bills this week, pay for vet visit and still have spending cash. What a concept, spending cash..... not to mention some good karma came my way tonight at work. :)
Feeling good tonight. <3

[weaver71]

I would taper down to .25mg if I had to work, or at least .5mg. Trying to work through that drop from even 1mg would be a little bit of a push, but it can be done. Also, I'd try to quit the morning of you're last day before a weekend off. If it starts to hit you, then it will be obvious to you and others, you can use the flue excuse for a few days, when you weekend is over. Most people can make it through day one, but it's exhausting and you'll want to lay low after that. How you are going to feel seems to depend a lot on how high your normal dose was and how long you took the subs. If you stayed at lower doses like jimi did, you'll be fine. Congrats on getting totally clean, it's a whole different world, a better one.

[jmidz88]

I actually lost my job on New years day, which is why I am doing this now while I have the oppertunity. I probably wouldn't have stopped otherwise. But after a week in I was ready to look for a nother job, it actually feels relieving to get out of the house and do things. this is a good time for you, since it's flu season, you can tell your employer that you have the flu and that should buy you enough time to get thru the worst of it.

[jmidz88]

Hey again, depending on how fast your system reacts to the shock of 'nothing' depends on when your withdrawals will start. i've found out it takes some people a couple days before they are actually sick. If you are anything like me which you probably are, my w/d's started the same day I took my last dose of 1mg. If you can manage to take a week off from work, I would recommend that unless you really love your job.

[jmantz811]

Hey there.....

So I just found your other message board and realized just how much you and I have in common.

For those of you that don't know me, I have tapered down to 1mg of suboxin a day. I use them to come of oxys. I have the will power to be clean. I want to be clean. So I need to just do it....

I want to come off the suboxin. Like I said I am down to only 1mg a day. I'm just trying to decide if I should start day one on a day that I have a couple days off from work, or if I should use work to push thru the rough.... I am a waitress and my income relies on how fast I can run....
Ugh. I'm just nervous. I'm so afraid of where I used to be. I don't want to go back to that place.

[weaver71]

Oh yeah, wanted to add that I'm on the 14mg nicotine patch, felt a little off for a day or two, but I was fine after that. I think the patch is helping me get out of the habit, while giving me a little less nicotine than I'm used to. It's easier to taper the patch than cigarettes. I'm giving it a shot anyway, I just want to be totally healthy and free.

Don't get discouraged, subs do seem to detox in waves. It feels like they are hanging on so tight, then a few let go and bring you down. It comes and goes for awhile, but it will go away permanently. Keep fighting bro, you got this thing.

[weaver71]

I would wait, if I could do it over. Nursegirl was telling me that, depending on where you are in recovery, a shock like that to the system can send you into old feelings of euphoria or withdrawal. I felt like I was going through withdrawal from methadone, not tobacco. Everyone told me to wait, but I thought I could handle it. Bad decision. If you can taper of the cigs, then I think it might work, but I wouldn't just stop. I'd let yourself heal awhile.

[jmidz88]

Sounds like u went thru hell. Be happy u possess the will power. This is a mf'er to beat and I give anyone with over 6 months alot of credit. Today im feeling the pain that i missed out on yesterday. But does quitting cigarettes really bring out the sickness more? I was planning on quitting after 30 days or so.

[weaver71]

It's been 196 days since my last sub dose of .5mg. It was a long ride, because i was coming off so much methadone, I had detox symptoms real heavy for 3 months and PAWS for another 3 months. The last couple months have been pretty awesome. I did drink for 3 days in a row at 120 days, but I'm not real concerned about that, I can just stop that. Opiates are another story. I tried to quit tobacco too soon, and went into full blown methadone withdrawal again. Easy does it, first things first. Boy did I learn that the hard way. I took all kinds of drugs, starting at 11. I grew up around heroine, meth, alcohol, coke, LSD, you name it, so I was real careful to not take anything too many days in a row. Then about, I don't know for sure, 8-10 years ago, the I stared taking pills for pain. I needed them for work. I think the fact my dad took so much morphine as a kid, I built a tolerance pretty fast and ended up going with methadone. It worked great for 2 or 3 years, but then in turned and bit me where it hurt like nothing I have ever felt. I always encourage subs over methadone. You seem like you used subs the way they should be, and you bought them on the street, no doctor to give bad advice. I'm so glad it's working out for you.

[jmidz88]

Thanks, and yes i agree with the idea that 24mg is way too much. I was a heavy user for a while and half a sub would keep me going through-out the day. I believe the drug companies want to load us up with it so we have a hard time coming off it and want to continue taking it as long as possible. how long have you been off everything now if u dont mind?

[weaver71]

All that good nutrition is definitely helping. You seem to be maintaining motivation and are healing fast. Sub detox does seem to happen in waves, don't trip if you start to feel worse again. You seem focused and you have the IOP to support you. I will say, it's nice waking up and daydreaming for a few, rather than waking up "wanting." I think you staying at 2mg for most the time you used the subs is helping you, and the 4mg was not a long time. I hear of people  using 16mg or 24mg a day, it doesn't even make sense. You where doing H and 2mg worked great it seems. I had to up my sub to 8mg the first day after switching from a 200mg street methadone habit. I tapered down to 160mg and switched to 8mg of sub, I felt great. I can't imagine what kinda drugs you'd have to be taking to need 24mg. Anyway, Glad you're off the H and moving to total sobriety, You'll like it. All the drugs stop working after awhile. You're getting closer every minute.

[jmidz88]

Keep in mind I am also keeping a healthy nutrition during this process and I think that may be a big help. I am taking a cocktail of Vitamin B,C,&D along with a multivitamin, fish oil, herbal teas, lots of protien and 100oz's of water daily.

[jmidz88]

I was taking them to get off H and i did enjoy the euphoria from them. But after a while i just got tired of the idea that i needed them to feel normal. I would look at regular people functioning and be jealous. I really wanted that more than I wanted to continue getting high. What happens if you get in trouble for something and end up going to jail. I never have or would want to detox in jail, or u get stranded somewhere without them. What would you do? Im much happier now and breaking the mental distress of looking foward to my morning "feel good"

[atthebeach]

so glad you are feeling better. yes keep yourself busy and moving as much as possible. exercise is also very helpful in getting your brain chemistry back in order. that is great that you are going to IOP. that will keep you grounded, you will gain a lot of knowledge and learn new coping skills.
keep on moving forward....
one day at a time....
keep the faith.....

[weaver71]

Wow, that's amazing, I didn't sleep more than about an hour for 2 wks. You have this thing licked. Moving your body and staying busy is key with subs. Sometime it hard to get the ball rolling,  but it really helps detox and just feel better in general. Another day of victory. Did you take the subs for the high, or where you getting off something else? I have to admit, I like the sub high, it's an upper for me, that's why I had to get off them fast. I didn't want to trade methadone for subs. I liked methadone at first too.  It's okay if you don't want to share, I'm just curious. The more experiences I hear about subs, the more I can help people in the future. Love your attitude, you getting further down the road my the minute. So nice to hear.

[jmidz88]

Day 8 already feelin a little better. Had the energy to go to a non-user friends superbowl party last night and got my first nights sleep. I figured my body finally crashed after 1 week of 2 hrs sleep per night.  Today i found some errands to run to keep myself busy and it really helped alot! I even stripped some xtra layers that ive been wearing to help with the chills and it didnt bother me at all. Keeping your mind busy is key. Do that and you can do anything

[jmidz88]

Thanks for your input, il be sure to do that.

[weaver71]

Right on. No, coming off subs isn't easy, despite what many doctors claim, especially after more than a year. If you had jumped at 4mg, you would know what I mean about an easy time of it. It can take quite awhile for the anxiety and motivation to return, but it's worth it. I used subs to get off methadone and was thinking, "Man if I where only on H, I'd be feeling better already." Congrats on getting you life back. Keep us posted on you progress or concerns.

[jmidz88]

That is probably the best news iv heard. I wouldn't say im having an easy time but its def not much compared to the smack i went cold turkey from before starting suboxone. I had a month clean and stupidly turned to subs in desperation to sleep and stayed on them because they helped. As for up's and downs i get thosse alot. Im starting an iop next week already signed up. I will not go back once this is over, i just came to the sudden/final conclusion that i want my old life back.