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suboxone taper - when to jump?
I'm taking .25 mgs daily. I've asked, posted, and read, but haven't recieved much real life experience from suboxone "jumping" at this low of a dose. ANYONE? Is it still going to be horrid, not so bad, etc???? How long will it last? I know 'everyone's different, I'm just looking for others' real life experiences. My Dr. is ready for me to "jump" but is also being patient. He can't tell me a real life experience of his own and he's probably heard 1 million different stories so........anyone?
I tapered down to .5mg and it was doable, the insomnia and RLS where the biggest issues. I had been on methadone, and can say it was much easier than that. I should have stayed on longer and tapered like you are.
A few months after I detoxed, a friend here was on subs for over 2 years. He tappered down to .25, then skipped a day for two weeks, then skipped two days for two weeks, and jumped. He had restless nights and was edgy for about 3 weeks.
A local friend took 8mgs for about 6 months and jumped. He felt low energy and anxious for about 2 weeks. That amazed me, but it happens.
Another MH friend jumped at 8mgs and had sever withdrawal for 21 days, started sleeping at 30 days, and was doing great at 60 days.
The reason you haven't found a lot of consistant info, is there are no standards. It seems to be all over the charts. I tried to give you a personal and a few other examples. The think that seems to help the most is avoiding anxiety and exercise as much as you can. When I say exercise, I mean walk across the room if that's all you can do. Sitting and waiting seems to be the worst thing to do. To switch from methadone to subs, I couldn't go to meetings, I was far to sick. I was able to taper, jump, and recover from subs and never missed a meeting. It actually gave me something to look forward to and lots of people to call or come and talk in person. I found subs to be very mental, not so much physical, compared to methadone.
You will be okay, rest in that knowledge. You will love "full recovery" I think. It requires me to do things I didn't want to. It's really cool. You start of going through this horrible detox, then it slowly gets better. As the physical symptoms pass, the progress continues. I have been healing my heart, mind, and spirit. I also have been fixing all those things that my drug use effected, slowly. Stay in the moment and don't expect too much to fast. Even trying to understand what is going to happen forms anticipation, you are still trying to predict the future. Surrender to this process, do what you can each day to be a better person, you will feel good again. Know that, even if you can't feel it.
I hope I actually answered what you where looking for. Knowledge and experience with subs is getting better. It's still hard to be specific about them though, they are a very unique opioid that is pretty new to the market. I know this for sure, you will not regret going through this. Congrats on your progress so far, keep the faith.
A few months after I detoxed, a friend here was on subs for over 2 years. He tappered down to .25, then skipped a day for two weeks, then skipped two days for two weeks, and jumped. He had restless nights and was edgy for about 3 weeks.
A local friend took 8mgs for about 6 months and jumped. He felt low energy and anxious for about 2 weeks. That amazed me, but it happens.
Another MH friend jumped at 8mgs and had sever withdrawal for 21 days, started sleeping at 30 days, and was doing great at 60 days.
The reason you haven't found a lot of consistant info, is there are no standards. It seems to be all over the charts. I tried to give you a personal and a few other examples. The think that seems to help the most is avoiding anxiety and exercise as much as you can. When I say exercise, I mean walk across the room if that's all you can do. Sitting and waiting seems to be the worst thing to do. To switch from methadone to subs, I couldn't go to meetings, I was far to sick. I was able to taper, jump, and recover from subs and never missed a meeting. It actually gave me something to look forward to and lots of people to call or come and talk in person. I found subs to be very mental, not so much physical, compared to methadone.
You will be okay, rest in that knowledge. You will love "full recovery" I think. It requires me to do things I didn't want to. It's really cool. You start of going through this horrible detox, then it slowly gets better. As the physical symptoms pass, the progress continues. I have been healing my heart, mind, and spirit. I also have been fixing all those things that my drug use effected, slowly. Stay in the moment and don't expect too much to fast. Even trying to understand what is going to happen forms anticipation, you are still trying to predict the future. Surrender to this process, do what you can each day to be a better person, you will feel good again. Know that, even if you can't feel it.
I hope I actually answered what you where looking for. Knowledge and experience with subs is getting better. It's still hard to be specific about them though, they are a very unique opioid that is pretty new to the market. I know this for sure, you will not regret going through this. Congrats on your progress so far, keep the faith.
FYI: Should have rephrased my question...not looking for 'when to jump' advice - really looking for people with "real life experiences on 'jumping'" at different doses, and what they felt like...REALLY hoping to find someone with a real life experience on 'jumping' from a low dose to find out how bad the wds were... for ALL, STILL LOOKING. Should I repost with different header? I can't wait to experience the full recovery for myself so that I can help others with this question.
i have underlying problem with depression thats why i try my best to keep from using any meds i so want to be normal again. god loves a tryer that what i keep telling myself. good luck all.
Hi everyone,
Please remember that MedHelp does not allow posts that offer specific tapering schedules or specific dosing information. It is impossible for us to know someone's entire medical history, and there may be underlying medical conditions that maybe they aren't even aware of yet that could be made worse when following a schedule that may have worked perfectly well for someone else. In situations like this, it is always advisable to consult with your doctor before making ANY dosing changes.
Please remember that MedHelp does not allow posts that offer specific tapering schedules or specific dosing information. It is impossible for us to know someone's entire medical history, and there may be underlying medical conditions that maybe they aren't even aware of yet that could be made worse when following a schedule that may have worked perfectly well for someone else. In situations like this, it is always advisable to consult with your doctor before making ANY dosing changes.
i havnt been clean for years whatever i could get my hand on basically. im 8 days in sub wd and there is no way i could have done this without my family in my corner its so important. good luck all i pray for you all every night.
You're right. When I relapsed this last and only time I was completely ALONE. I had just gone through divorce and lived (still do) thousands of miles from home and had no one in my life who knew my past or that I could talk to. I had no accountability.
This time I at least have a husband who has a past like mine who understands the importance of staying away from all narcotics (he'll barely take an advil) and I have his family close by. I also have a home church with a pastor who knows my past. This is important for me personally. I lost that in my divorce too. My ex basically said, "this is my church, find somewhere else," - not like I would have wanted to see him but... I just didn't find another one soon enough and to me that's a big deal. Other than that I don't have an NA/AA group but between working 40 hours and attending school at night and homework I'm not sure I could find time for one. I do however know a lot of ppl. from my past recovery experience (who are still sober) that I could contact to help add accountability, and I will track my recovery on here. I'm probably begining the most crucial stages now.
This time I at least have a husband who has a past like mine who understands the importance of staying away from all narcotics (he'll barely take an advil) and I have his family close by. I also have a home church with a pastor who knows my past. This is important for me personally. I lost that in my divorce too. My ex basically said, "this is my church, find somewhere else," - not like I would have wanted to see him but... I just didn't find another one soon enough and to me that's a big deal. Other than that I don't have an NA/AA group but between working 40 hours and attending school at night and homework I'm not sure I could find time for one. I do however know a lot of ppl. from my past recovery experience (who are still sober) that I could contact to help add accountability, and I will track my recovery on here. I'm probably begining the most crucial stages now.
Sounds like you have an awesome attitude and plan! Good for you. Don't feel like you're complaining to your hubby. Support is vital...build yourself a big support system that includes him, other friends and/or family, people from NA/AA (including a sponsor, that's a great resource!)...and of course places like this.
The more people involved in your recovery, the more accountable you have to be, and the more support you will get, which makes the difference between success and relapse SO many times.
The more people involved in your recovery, the more accountable you have to be, and the more support you will get, which makes the difference between success and relapse SO many times.
Grrr. Just lost a long reply (I'm out of town and have spotty service).
I agree with Weaver's post completely. ALL of his points!
To be honest, at the low dose you're on, your w/d symptoms shouldn't get too much worse when you jump all together than what they are now. They also won't last for months at a time. While everyone is different...those kinds of horror stories are not the norm when a person does a sub taper properly.
I've seen plenty of people taper off sub successfully. I've also seen people have a rough time, but to be honest, usually the people who had a rough time tried to jump off at doses that were WAY too high. They set themselves up to fail. When a person takes their time, allows for a stabilization period, AND reduces down to a low dose (not trying to jump at 2mg+), then they usually do pretty well.
I also couldn't agree more about the mental part. People psych themselves out because of their fear of w/ds, and because of the bad reputation sub has gotten generally, due to bad info out there. Sub tapers definitely aren't discomfort free, but they don't have as bad as people will say.
Think about it...think about how many medications out there require a taper to discontinue. A non-addict wouldn't bat an eye most times, even if they have some w/d symptoms...that's because they're very accepting of the process, where an addict fears the w/ds, usually has experienced it in some way before (on top of mental cravings which compounds the situation)...plus they catastrophize the w/d process way ahead of time. They fight it every step of the way. So, that definitely adds some challenges.
Have you been participating in any aftercare planning? Any addiction therapy, NA/AA meetings, that kind of thing? That's CRUCIAL. You'll be able to get off the sub, but you want to set yourself up to STAY off opiates. That's the harder part for most everyone.
Keep posting...we're here to support you and help in any way we can! If you want to start a new thread to document your progress, look for the orange "post a question" button on the top right. I think that would be great. It would be super if we had your experience as a resource for people to see that it IS possible to taper off Sub and not be in a nightmare.
Best to you!
(Feel free to shoot me a PM anytime! You can find your mailbox either on your profile page, or if you hover your cursor over the "my medhelp" tab on the top right, you will see a drop down menu appear. You will see the "Inbox" right above the "Communities" list)
I agree with Weaver's post completely. ALL of his points!
To be honest, at the low dose you're on, your w/d symptoms shouldn't get too much worse when you jump all together than what they are now. They also won't last for months at a time. While everyone is different...those kinds of horror stories are not the norm when a person does a sub taper properly.
I've seen plenty of people taper off sub successfully. I've also seen people have a rough time, but to be honest, usually the people who had a rough time tried to jump off at doses that were WAY too high. They set themselves up to fail. When a person takes their time, allows for a stabilization period, AND reduces down to a low dose (not trying to jump at 2mg+), then they usually do pretty well.
I also couldn't agree more about the mental part. People psych themselves out because of their fear of w/ds, and because of the bad reputation sub has gotten generally, due to bad info out there. Sub tapers definitely aren't discomfort free, but they don't have as bad as people will say.
Think about it...think about how many medications out there require a taper to discontinue. A non-addict wouldn't bat an eye most times, even if they have some w/d symptoms...that's because they're very accepting of the process, where an addict fears the w/ds, usually has experienced it in some way before (on top of mental cravings which compounds the situation)...plus they catastrophize the w/d process way ahead of time. They fight it every step of the way. So, that definitely adds some challenges.
Have you been participating in any aftercare planning? Any addiction therapy, NA/AA meetings, that kind of thing? That's CRUCIAL. You'll be able to get off the sub, but you want to set yourself up to STAY off opiates. That's the harder part for most everyone.
Keep posting...we're here to support you and help in any way we can! If you want to start a new thread to document your progress, look for the orange "post a question" button on the top right. I think that would be great. It would be super if we had your experience as a resource for people to see that it IS possible to taper off Sub and not be in a nightmare.
Best to you!
(Feel free to shoot me a PM anytime! You can find your mailbox either on your profile page, or if you hover your cursor over the "my medhelp" tab on the top right, you will see a drop down menu appear. You will see the "Inbox" right above the "Communities" list)
Thanx Everyone.... Though I've enjoyed the idea of not rushing the process I know it's drawing to an end, and I am ready to have control back over my own life. I've done it before from a 7 year high age 15-22 and was sober for over 5 years age 22-27. It should be easier this time - only aproximately 2 yrs. TOTAL of opiate & suboxone use compared to the 7 before and I've HAD real sober time under my belt. Before it was like having to catch up on coping skills etc. that I should have developed during those years of age 14-22... important years of finding yourself. At least this time I already know who I am, who I can be, and what I need to do. I also have alot more to look fwd. to, to hopefully motivate and keep me going - I'm back in college and ALMOST done, and already have a job in the field of my studies (accounting), recently married, and would love a bby before I'm too old. I'm ready. I just have to find a way/remember to stay positive and remind myself of these motivators when I really just want to go home and lay in bed. My husband knows what's going on with me and is totally supportive, but at the same time I don't want to mope around because he does look at it as though I got myself in this situation so he's not going to feel too sorry for me (he was also a srgnt. in the army so his way of supporting is often 'different' lol) but this keeps me from verbally complaining too much which is good. He's also been there and done that so he does know what I'm going through-he has around 7 years clean.
Melany, be careful I had 6 months of PAWS from methadone. How high of dose and how long where you on methadone when you detoxed from it. Methadone was the only thing worse than subs for me. Methadone detox is like sub detox with more and worse symptoms. Also, I've seen people try to ct subs over and over, until they tapered and quit. I tapered. It's different for everyone, and lots of people get off subs, even after years. Just wanted to be clear that you are sharing your experience, that is not universal truth. I first came here looking for help, and many opinions where stated as fact. My brain was in no shape to sort it out I just ask that we be careful sharing opinions and advice. Anyone on any drug for any amount of time CAN quit. Hope is a better motivated than fear, lots of us are scared already. Anyway, just looking out for those who are suffering looking for help.
My Dr. did just prescribe me some neurontin/gabapentin for the rls, though I haven't tried it yet. I just got down to the .25mgs so I'm going to see what the next few days bring before taking that. Lastnight I took Ibuprofren and some pm medicine which seemed to help. I slept virtually all night. I'm hurting now, but my little .125mg dose hasn't kicked in yet. I take it twice daily = .25mgs. How should I start a thread with my progress?
Also, regarding the latest comment from Melany443 - I'm aware of the long half life but I would think that jumping at a higher dose would only have the lesser w/ds at first...then longer, and eventually worse. I've been on methadone before, but not from a dr. - mostly recreational use, but then controlled use via friend. I would hope suboxone is NOT the lesser of the two evils, but I'm guessing you haven't come off methadone yet... don't get me wrong, I LOVED methadone - but for the wrong reasons...I'm hoping your wrong because I have been on sub for about a year.
Also, regarding the latest comment from Melany443 - I'm aware of the long half life but I would think that jumping at a higher dose would only have the lesser w/ds at first...then longer, and eventually worse. I've been on methadone before, but not from a dr. - mostly recreational use, but then controlled use via friend. I would hope suboxone is NOT the lesser of the two evils, but I'm guessing you haven't come off methadone yet... don't get me wrong, I LOVED methadone - but for the wrong reasons...I'm hoping your wrong because I have been on sub for about a year.
ok i didnt notice the decimal point. though he meant 25 i nearly had a heart attack. well done for getting that low. stay safe and good luck.
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