suboxone withdrawal

[Nuts1982]

I've been on suboxone for a year and my doctor and I decided that it's time to come off. I did a slow taper down to .5 grams per day. I'm on day 5 and can't stand the inability to sleep.Any advice on this and how long this is going to last? I'm super frustrated. Thanks for any feedback.

[Nuts1982]

Hi. I jumped at .5. My Dr. said I should just stop so I did but on day 3 I went nuts with the restlessness. So I gave my hubby the strips and said give me 1/4 and nothing more. I'm now 6 days in. Biggest complaint is how everything takes so much energy..... feel like walking in a lead suit. And the not sleeping was awful but I got more sleep last night. I took a muscle relaxed before bed with my ibuprofen. Maybe that's what did the trick. Good luck to you and keep in touch.

[KLB84]

Just wanted to let you know I understand. I'm almost rt. there with you. Are you on .5mgs currently or did you just jump from that amount?? I have tapered down to .25 and have stabilized on that amount. Feel free to go to my page and look for my "Question" which is really just a "Post" about my experience tapering from suboxone. It's called "Tracking the road to recovery - tapering from suboxone" or something like that. I haven't jumped YET, but know I will be soon. I'm currently just trying to increase the hours between doses. If the insomnia is caused by RLS I highly recommend you talk to your dr. about Neurontin (gapapentin). I know everyone is different but it has really helped me. I will send you a friend request. Sounds like we're close to being in the same position.

[Nuts1982]

Hey thanks. I found last night listening to some relaxing "spa like" music really helped. You're so right about stressing about it. It just made it worse.  Thanks again for your help.

[ariley13]

Hi there! I don't have any experience with subs, but I do know the withdrawls are more spread out and usually last longer than other opiates due to their long half life. It's really slow around here right now, but hopefully someone who has some experience with them comes around soon. As far as the sleep goes, that can be one of the most frustrating parts of detox. It also is one of the last things to return to normal. I can tell you that the less you stress about it, the better off you are. If you stress and psyche yourself out about it, it just raises your anxiety level and makes you less likely to get any rest. There are a few supplements you can try for sleep. Good old Melatonin is a good starting point. It helps a lot of folks. If that doesn't work you could try either Valerian Root or Passion Flower. They both promote restful sleep and help some with anxiety. The Valerian Root can be hard on your liver so, be careful with it. These may give you a little relief, but there is really no magic cure. (Very unfortunate! You are talking to a chronic insomniac!) Just hang in there and try to go with the flow. Just when you think you can't take another second of it, it will let up and start getting better. Good luck to you. I hope that sleep finds you soon!