Question about suboxone, getting off it, relapse and methadone

[dbiv]

I have been on suboxone for 3 years or so. At first I was on a low dose and was happy, about 1 mg morning 1 mg at night. Then I tapered down to .5 morn, .5 evening and quit cold turkey. It was horrible, the first week was sick cold hot, wanted to kill myself. I took two weeks off work. After I went back I was super weak and depressed and tired but remember thinking it's not as bad as it was. Then I went to a party got drunk and relapsed on h. I got back on suboxone and have worked my way back up to 8 mg a day. Slowly but surely the subs have stopped working like they used to. And now I have a horrible time sleeping and paralyzing anxiety. I'm afraid to do things I would normally like doing. My hands and feel are always cold, and all I wanna do is sleep, and chew tobacco, hah I chew. I almost relapsed 2 days ago, but instead I upped my dose 2 mg. It was a close call. So now I'm on 2 mg morn, 8 evening. I need to save money for my bills so I can go to detox, and using won't help. Was thinking of Goin on methadone for only a little while long enough to save some money and go to detox. I would prefer to go cold turkey right now and get a naltrexone implant, but don't have money saved for rehab or my bills. What should I do? Will being on methadone make it harder it get off it in detox. Will it make it better to get on methadone for 4 months the go to detox? I've heard Goin off subs after years of being on it is really hard. I want a drug free life! But I don't want to relapse either. Suboxone kinda makes me anti social, and slowly but surely I have stopped hanging out with some of my friends.(most of them just go to bars and drink anyway) but I just want my life back. Sleeping normally(without having a chew to make me tired), happy (not depressed all the time) some hope. Will methadone help in that sense for now until I can save money for my bills and rehab? I feel like it will. Dysphoria all the time *****.

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

Most people find it difficult to come off of both methadone and Suboxone. One of the patients in our clinic, who we had to detox from Suboxone, was so addicted, that no matter how far down she titrated this drug she could not get off. At one point she was literally just licking the 1 mg strip, but she could not give it up. I find that most Suboxone prescribers tend to leave their patients on this drug as a form of maintenance and are either unwilling or unable to taper them off. The same story goes for the methadone clinics. It is a very long acting drug and is extremely hard to taper, so you would be switching one devil for another.
In case you are curious, it takes us about three to four days to get a patient off of any opiate including Suboxone, and feeling well. You are more than welcome to look at my clinic's website by clicking on my name and then under the clinic's logo. Give us a call anytime if you have questions.
In the meantime see if a  doctor can write you a prescription for some Requip for restlessness, Neurontin for anxiety and malaise, some Flexeril or Soma for a few weeks for muscle spasms and maybe some Seroquel low dose, for sleep and Klonopin which will be helpful for sleeplessness and anxiety. It will make withdrawals easier.  Valerian and Magnesium is sometimes helpful remedies over the counter.
The residual symptoms of insomnia and depression can last another few months. Thus, it is not easy, but it gets better and better over time and you can look forward to a drug free healthy energetic self in the future. When one takes opiates for a long time like you have, the body's physiology has been altered. The central nervous system has created a multitude of opioid receptors that all are screaming for endorphins (opiates) to fill them, but one's body has now forgotten how to make them by itself.  It will take time - two to four weeks at least, for your receptors to down-regulate (for the brain begin to heal) and to start making its own endorphins. Brain heals pretty slowly, so it may take as long as a couple of months to get rid of feelings of sluggishness, restlessness and depression. The best thing to do is take good care of oneself, eat healthy food, stay hydrated, keep active and busy. Stay away from sugar, soda, and simple carbs. Do not consume caffeine at least 6 hours prior to bedtime.
Take a look at my blogs about options for detox and recovery. You may also take a look at my clinic website where I also have my blogs and a lot of other info about drug addiction and recovery. Look especially into the blog and the info on Naltrexone therapy after getting clean. It really improves your chances of staying clean for good by cutting down your physical cravings. Look into my clinic website as well. All this can be done by clicking on my name in blue.  Good luck.

[lozzient]

In regards to your question about swapping to methadone... seriously as someone that has struggled with addiction for most of my life, I can tell u that methadone is worse than heroin in so many ways! And so much harder to get off than suboxone! It sounds to me you're not on the right dose of suboxone- either too high or too low! I've been on both, methadone I was stuck on for 8yrs and suboxone I've been on & off a few times... I promise its not anywhere as bad as coming off methadone.  If u wean off subby slowly under ur doctors watch u can do it with little to no side effects.
Just be strong and know with time it gets easier. Also I dont think its the subby not letting u have ur life back, its the issues you've picked up along the way with ur addiction. .. maybe an anti depressant and some counselling will help u fet to where u want to be