Aa
starting suboxone
Hi all. I have been addicted to oxy for 1 and a half years and take 80mg-100mg daily. I quit briefly last year (1 week) but mentally I could not take it. This time around I have found a Dr. that is putting me on suboxone. I understand that many people think this is a bad idea but I fear I don't have any other choice. For starters, cold turkey did not work for me. I have made it clear to my Dr that my intentions are to get off the drug as quickly as possible. Secondly, I obtain Oxy off the street and I am very happy to once again be operating within the law. My question is, before I start next week what questions should I ask my DR? Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, has anyone out there taken the drug for a short time only and if so what duration would you suggest? Thanks for any advice. Good luck to everyone.
PS: As soon as I get more info, talk to my DR, start taking Suboxone I will be more than happy to dispense advice or answer questions.
PS: As soon as I get more info, talk to my DR, start taking Suboxone I will be more than happy to dispense advice or answer questions.
I bought it online at ****..comes in a powdered form there for 999 and i like this as i mix it with EmergenC along with other powdered aminos and a nootropic called piracetam and guzzle/not bad as Emergenc is flavored..they also have the pills but u want at least a 200 mg capsule... they also have it at the vitamin shoppe.....it is the major component/antioxident in Green tea..if u go to an oriental good shop u can get the good green tea verses the walmart t-bags and such...full of theanine...i have never seen it at walmart but i woulda thought gnc would have it...oh well...google it but **** is great for vitamins with lots of quality choices and powdered forms as well of most of the amino acids
just signed on to read all the great information that's been posted. Thank you all so much for responding. I have to say this: when I spoke to the Dr and told her I wanted to do a quick detox she sounded hesitant. From all of you comments it sounds like doing this quickly is the best way. I know that I am an addict and I won't fool myself into anything else but I have to say that this was a complete surprise to me. I started taking opiates recreationally. In the meantime I started the most stressful job I have ever had. These events were what led me to self medicate. Otherwise I have always been moderate with alcohol and drugs. (In fact I don't much care for alcohol or any other substance).
I was surprised that the Dr seemed to discourage a quick detox and I have to say that I fear I have to take what she says with a grain of salt. I really appreciate all the advice that has been posted.
And finally, I want to clarfy, when I say I tried to quit once I guess I mean that I have only been semi succesful once. Every single day I wake up and try to quit. The one time that I did I lasted a week. Surprisingly my body went through all the horrible WD's but it was the mental aspect that made me take again. And it was a couple months till I was back to taking 80ms's-100mg's a day.
This continues to be a humbling experience. Thanks and I will keep posting and reading.
I was surprised that the Dr seemed to discourage a quick detox and I have to say that I fear I have to take what she says with a grain of salt. I really appreciate all the advice that has been posted.
And finally, I want to clarfy, when I say I tried to quit once I guess I mean that I have only been semi succesful once. Every single day I wake up and try to quit. The one time that I did I lasted a week. Surprisingly my body went through all the horrible WD's but it was the mental aspect that made me take again. And it was a couple months till I was back to taking 80ms's-100mg's a day.
This continues to be a humbling experience. Thanks and I will keep posting and reading.
Addiction is NOT about HOW LONG you've been addicted, or HOW MUCH you've been addicted to.
Addiction is about what happens to your body when you take that first pill, or that first drink.
For most people who are addicts/alcoholics, once they take that first drink or first pill, it sets off a mental obsession and a physical reaction.
Once an addict takes even a tiny amount of their drug of choice, it has started that vicious cycle once again.
This is why they say, "It is the first drink that gets you drunk"
Addiction is about what happens to your body when you take that first pill, or that first drink.
For most people who are addicts/alcoholics, once they take that first drink or first pill, it sets off a mental obsession and a physical reaction.
Once an addict takes even a tiny amount of their drug of choice, it has started that vicious cycle once again.
This is why they say, "It is the first drink that gets you drunk"
It's really scary the information I've discovered since being on it! The doctor who originally put me on it really had no clue what he was doing. I wanted to be on and off of it within 6 months tops, and thanks to his lack of knowledge, I've been on it much longer than that. It's really frustrating to watch other people potentially run into the same problem. Although suboxone has been a great tool for me and my recovery, I wish there was a way to get people better informed of the downside as well as the goodside. Alot of people, including myself, don't really know what they're getting into cuz doctors call it a "miracle drug" and say nothing but good things about it. For me the risks ended up being worth it, but I know it doesn't always work that way for everyone and it s*cks watching people get in over their heads. maybe someday I'll figure out a way to save the world!!! :) Thnx Lyn - wishing you the best!!
Hi Cattalina, yes, I pretty much took the pills the same time everyday. If you want to take your last one by 4 in the afternoon, you don't have much time to space them out..lol.
One of the moderators that used to be here, Fladdict, suggested that I ask for all 2mg pills and I am so glad she did, I never would have even thought about it and it did make it easier when I got down to the last few days and taking the smaller doses.
I have to say, suboxone made the detox so much more bearable and I don't regret for a minute using it, I just know that you can't play around with it and what helped me the most was educating myself and not to mention the people here were so helpful.
Btw, you are so right about the sub doctors, many of them don't have a clue how serious this drug is IMO. I know I learned everything from people on here and people who had previously been on sub...what works and what doesn't. Take care! Lyn
One of the moderators that used to be here, Fladdict, suggested that I ask for all 2mg pills and I am so glad she did, I never would have even thought about it and it did make it easier when I got down to the last few days and taking the smaller doses.
I have to say, suboxone made the detox so much more bearable and I don't regret for a minute using it, I just know that you can't play around with it and what helped me the most was educating myself and not to mention the people here were so helpful.
Btw, you are so right about the sub doctors, many of them don't have a clue how serious this drug is IMO. I know I learned everything from people on here and people who had previously been on sub...what works and what doesn't. Take care! Lyn
That's a great suggestion, that's what I've done since I've been on it. In the beginning I took it 4 times a day, now it's only twice and the mgs are much smaller. Another thing I've learned is that it's important to take your pills around the same time every day. I'm not sure if that applies to a quick taper tho... did you do that Lyn?
One more thing I just thought of and again, you might be totally fine but for me the 8mg made me sick and made me feel weird as in made my eyes feel real heavy, almost like I was high but not in a way that people like so for the first few days I would take 4mg and then in the afternoon take the other 4mg. That way it wasn't so much at once and I could handle it better. You could break it up anyway you need to ..ie..2mg early morning, 2mg late morning, 2 mg at 1 and 2 mg at 4. Whatever it takes, the thing that is so important is staying on your plan and not breaking your taper.
You might not have any problems at all and all this might be irrelevent, just putting it out there just in case.
Lastly, and this is important....ask your doctor to prescribe you all 2mg. pills instead of the 8mg pills. The reason is that it is easier to break down your doses and especially when you get towards the end of your taper. Lyn
You might not have any problems at all and all this might be irrelevent, just putting it out there just in case.
Lastly, and this is important....ask your doctor to prescribe you all 2mg. pills instead of the 8mg pills. The reason is that it is easier to break down your doses and especially when you get towards the end of your taper. Lyn
I don't mean this offensively... Other than trying to quit once last year, have you tried to quit other than that? If you haven't, then you would be better off with a quick suboxone taper. I was a chronic relapser for almost 4 years and could not get clean on my own no matter how hard I tried or how much I wanted it. I went on the suboxone as a last resort, because I knew that if I couldn't stay clean I would die. And although now I've been clean for almost 15 months (and on suboxone about the same time), it hasn't been without it's problems. I would do it again if I had to, but for someone like yourself who has only been addicted for 18 months and tried to quit once, a plan like faith_hope_love's may be the best option for you at this time. I just want to warn you, alot of doctors that are licensed to prescribe Suboxone are not completely educated about the med and addiction. I post that alot, but it's 100% true and people should be aware. If your doc tells you that you can't get addicted to sub, or that you can be on it "as long as you like/need to" - you may want to find another doc!! Everyone has given great advice, make a plan and stick to it no matter what. Things won't always be easy, but as long as you continue to move forward you can make it!! GL & keep posting!
-wishing everyone love and sunshine :)
-wishing everyone love and sunshine :)
Just wanted to say a quick hello to you worried878 and a big thank you for helping me so much during my detox. I learned most of the above from your journals. I don't want to derail this thread but this question will help Jenny too. Where in the heck can you buy theanine? I hope I am spelling that right. I know you said it is for anxiety and to be honest, I am not having anxiety but thought I would like to have it around if needed...didn't you say it has a calming affect in your journal? I have been to Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and GNC and no one sells it. The guy at GNC kept trying to sell me B-3 and I think the ingredient was niacin? He kept trying to say that is what I was looking for and I kept saying no...lol. Anyhow, nice to chat with ya again!
PS to Jenny > worried's journals are very helpful and especially the one where she lists the amino's and vitamins she takes and what there for.
PS to Jenny > worried's journals are very helpful and especially the one where she lists the amino's and vitamins she takes and what there for.
Wow...looks like Faith gave u lots of good information...great post...and like she said...just be sure to get off of it quickly and stay at the lowest dose u can...i have not taken it but have friends who have etc..sometimes even 1-2 mg twice a day can be enough to keep the wds away as ur habit is not extremely high...My friends doc started her on 16 mg a day and it was much to high for her and made her sick...2 mg twice a day ended up to be enuf for her and she is off of it now..took it for about a week i think but it will stay in ur system for another 3 days after u stop it..it is a very strong narcotic..... I do know some have a bit of trouble adjusting to it..just be careful and get on off of it as some get kinda stuck on the sub...and maybe that is a good thing for some...just remember u have to want this upstairs as the sub will help u bypass withdrawal but it will not keep u from relapsing later on...be sure to include aftercare in your plan..posting on the forum helps too..best of luck
Hi Jenny, I detoxed with suboxone short term (20 days) back in May. My DOC was lortabs...6 to 10 per day for around 5 or 6 yrs. (started lortabs for back problems but then they became ineffective, built up tolerance and started becoming a problem so I wanted off)
I have to say that the only side effect I really experienced was nausea from the suboxone, but no withdrawals at all, totally detoxed off of lortabs and didn't feel it and because I did suboxone for ONLY 20 days I didn't withdraw off of that either..or not enough to even mention. The only thing I felt was a little cramping in my left calf when I would drop the last mgs. and that didn't even last a day but seriously, it wasn't bad at all.
The key is making a quick plan and sticking to it. There were times that I wanted to drop mgs. quicker or skip down mgs. because I heard so many bad stories of withdrawals but I didn't do it. I stuck to my plan and I honestly believe that is the only reason I didn't withdraw from the sub.
It has been 45 days that I have been off the sub. and 65 days off of lortabs and I feel good. I feel normal again. There are days that I struggle with energy but with everyday it gets easier. Also, about 2 weeks ago I went through what I might call a mini depression...just felt blah for a few days and it came out of nowhere...I realized it was probably PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome) and started taking my 5htp again and it brought me right back to feeling normal again just by taking one a day. (5htp is an amino acid that raises the seratonin levels in your brain...we need it because use of opiates deplete this...see the health pages-amino acids to the left of the page..also article on PAWS there) The reason I stopped taking the 5htp is that I thought I didn't need it and thought it might be affecting my energy..obviously I did need it..now I just take one pill in the evening. You can't take this if you are taking antidepressants though...again see health pages.
I do have to stress that the one problem I had with suboxone in the first 5 or 6 days was nausea but I bought some over the counter emetrol and I would take 2 tablespoons before every dose of suboxone and then I would be fine...that stuff works. I started sub at 8mgs and for some reason I am one of the few that it effects like this in the higher doses...some people can take it and not feel sick at all. The reason I wanted to talk to you about this is because of what I saw some people do early on and how it affected them negatively and messed their taper up. Because the sub. made them nauseous, some people would go up and down on there mgs. and then got stuck where they continuously got sick and couldn't adjust and ended up on it longer than they wanted so just pointing out that if you do get nauseated, buy emetrol or whatever you prefer and take it before each dose...that way you have more of a chance at starting at a certain mg. and tapering sucessfully. I will list the taper plan I used below but do have to say that now many are saying that you don't even need to start at 8mg....some start as low as 4mg, some start at 6mg...you decide, your body will tell you in those early days...the key thing is trying to be done in 20 days if you can.
Here is my taper plan -
Day 1 - 8mg
Day 2 - 8mg
Day 3 - 8mg
Day 4 - 7mg
Day 5 - 7mg
Day 6 - 7mg
Day 7 - 6mg
Day 8 - 6mg
Day 9 - 6mg
Day10- 5mg
Day11- 5mg
Day12- 4mg
Day13- 4mg
Day14- 3mg
Day15- 3mg
Day16- 2mg
Day17- 1mg
Day18- 1mg
Day19- .5mg
Day20- .5mg
Some of the products I have used in my recovery are Muscle Milk Light protein powder(this is low calorie, low sugar and very high protein) I take Ltyrosine for energy(this is a must to have IMO), I take one 5htp in the evening for seratonin, melatonin for sleep..this stuff works great for me and I have alway's struggled with insomnia, pills or no pills, multivitamin (I am taking One a Day Energy but be careful with this one because it has the guarnara (sp?) in it and caffeine) All of the above has been essential in my recovery.
One last thing, since suboxone is so strong and effects people differently, you might want to add in the amino's slowly because sub at the higher doses will already give you a speedy feeling (here I was withdrawing from lortab and cleaning everything in sight..lol) It is when you are almost off the sub that your energy starts decreasing and that is when the amino's and vitamins are key. I also drink one Rockstar energy drink a day...not sure healthy that is but I like it..lol.
One of the girls on here also told me to try and take my last dose of sub before 3 or 4 in the afternoon so it wouldn't keep me up and she was right so keep that in mind. I did take melatonin from the start for sleep and still take it.
Best of luck, you won't regret getting off those pills. I feel so much better and I have also lost 20 pounds which is an added plus. Take care! Lyn
I have to say that the only side effect I really experienced was nausea from the suboxone, but no withdrawals at all, totally detoxed off of lortabs and didn't feel it and because I did suboxone for ONLY 20 days I didn't withdraw off of that either..or not enough to even mention. The only thing I felt was a little cramping in my left calf when I would drop the last mgs. and that didn't even last a day but seriously, it wasn't bad at all.
The key is making a quick plan and sticking to it. There were times that I wanted to drop mgs. quicker or skip down mgs. because I heard so many bad stories of withdrawals but I didn't do it. I stuck to my plan and I honestly believe that is the only reason I didn't withdraw from the sub.
It has been 45 days that I have been off the sub. and 65 days off of lortabs and I feel good. I feel normal again. There are days that I struggle with energy but with everyday it gets easier. Also, about 2 weeks ago I went through what I might call a mini depression...just felt blah for a few days and it came out of nowhere...I realized it was probably PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome) and started taking my 5htp again and it brought me right back to feeling normal again just by taking one a day. (5htp is an amino acid that raises the seratonin levels in your brain...we need it because use of opiates deplete this...see the health pages-amino acids to the left of the page..also article on PAWS there) The reason I stopped taking the 5htp is that I thought I didn't need it and thought it might be affecting my energy..obviously I did need it..now I just take one pill in the evening. You can't take this if you are taking antidepressants though...again see health pages.
I do have to stress that the one problem I had with suboxone in the first 5 or 6 days was nausea but I bought some over the counter emetrol and I would take 2 tablespoons before every dose of suboxone and then I would be fine...that stuff works. I started sub at 8mgs and for some reason I am one of the few that it effects like this in the higher doses...some people can take it and not feel sick at all. The reason I wanted to talk to you about this is because of what I saw some people do early on and how it affected them negatively and messed their taper up. Because the sub. made them nauseous, some people would go up and down on there mgs. and then got stuck where they continuously got sick and couldn't adjust and ended up on it longer than they wanted so just pointing out that if you do get nauseated, buy emetrol or whatever you prefer and take it before each dose...that way you have more of a chance at starting at a certain mg. and tapering sucessfully. I will list the taper plan I used below but do have to say that now many are saying that you don't even need to start at 8mg....some start as low as 4mg, some start at 6mg...you decide, your body will tell you in those early days...the key thing is trying to be done in 20 days if you can.
Here is my taper plan -
Day 1 - 8mg
Day 2 - 8mg
Day 3 - 8mg
Day 4 - 7mg
Day 5 - 7mg
Day 6 - 7mg
Day 7 - 6mg
Day 8 - 6mg
Day 9 - 6mg
Day10- 5mg
Day11- 5mg
Day12- 4mg
Day13- 4mg
Day14- 3mg
Day15- 3mg
Day16- 2mg
Day17- 1mg
Day18- 1mg
Day19- .5mg
Day20- .5mg
Some of the products I have used in my recovery are Muscle Milk Light protein powder(this is low calorie, low sugar and very high protein) I take Ltyrosine for energy(this is a must to have IMO), I take one 5htp in the evening for seratonin, melatonin for sleep..this stuff works great for me and I have alway's struggled with insomnia, pills or no pills, multivitamin (I am taking One a Day Energy but be careful with this one because it has the guarnara (sp?) in it and caffeine) All of the above has been essential in my recovery.
One last thing, since suboxone is so strong and effects people differently, you might want to add in the amino's slowly because sub at the higher doses will already give you a speedy feeling (here I was withdrawing from lortab and cleaning everything in sight..lol) It is when you are almost off the sub that your energy starts decreasing and that is when the amino's and vitamins are key. I also drink one Rockstar energy drink a day...not sure healthy that is but I like it..lol.
One of the girls on here also told me to try and take my last dose of sub before 3 or 4 in the afternoon so it wouldn't keep me up and she was right so keep that in mind. I did take melatonin from the start for sleep and still take it.
Best of luck, you won't regret getting off those pills. I feel so much better and I have also lost 20 pounds which is an added plus. Take care! Lyn
Well keeping busy is most of the battle. Congrats and thank you for your help. I will be interested in finding out about your progress. I will keep posting. If you ever need an ear...
energy yes, from the 1st dose to now, buryed myself working two jods plus, no time for therapy, work is my therapy. and this forum is all i got
I hear you. I am spending over $1000 a month and I am hardly scraping buy. The cost to start the sub is $400 and after that $50 a visit and $5.00 a pill. That is way less than what I spend already. How do you feel? Do you have energy? Are you sleeping? I think the thing I am most excited about is being able to not obsess about this anymore. My life has been at a stand still and I have kept this a secret from every single person except my boyfriend. Knowing that a Dr is part of my recovery is giving me real piece of mind. One more thing,,,Are you in therapy? Group or otherwise?
if i had it to do over, i woulda started suboxone thousands of dollars before i did, i am currently on 1) 8mg daily, yet i have forgoten to take my dose more than a few times, i gonna try to be done by the end of the month
Thank you. That's great advice. May I ask where you are in terms of your recovery now? If you had a chance to do it all over again (aside from the obvious answer to never have started in the first place) would you take suboxone?
i tell ya this my dr started me on 4) 8 mg pills a day of suboxone and i got down to 1) 8 mg within a month , so you wanna start at the lowest dose possible
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