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methadone to suboxone how does this work

Ok I have a few important ?s... Ok so I was on methadone for about 10 n a half mos. Starting jan 1st I detoxed 5mg per week til I got to 15 then I checked myself into detox... There I was given 8mg of suboxen 1st day then again 2nd day but it was broken up and than 6 mg third day broken up (2mg morn 2mgafternoon 2mg night) then I was discharged fourth day early morn. When I was in detox the sub worked its miracle on me but jus 3 days seemed 2 good 2 b tru!! Sure enough by day 5 6 7 I was experiencing w/d... So my ?s are 1 does substituting sub for meth jus prolong meth (opiates) w/d or like jus put it on hold til the sub wears off ... 2 did I need 2 b on sub longer tto get through comfortably... N if so how much longer ... And is it possible for the meth 2 come out of ur body while u put suboxone in ( essentially jus another form of opiate) 3 how much longer will these w/d symptoms last if I don't continue taking suboxone... My concern is am I jus substituting 1 opiate for another and is there a way for me in my situation to get through this comfortably without having to stay on a substance for too long... Please help I have an infant at home to care for my goal is to be substance free but not to suffer things like peeing out my butt (I kno yuck) and staying clean... HELP!!
Thank u 4 ur answer ... Actually I feel much better thanks 2 clonidine n benadryl especially the benadryl... I am an RN n my recovery is absolutely #1 priority in my life right now... I have 2 much 2 lose with relapse n so much 2 gain by being clean n completely substance free... Goin thru a week or two of pain is so worth the rest of my life... I am so grateful to god 4 giving me strength n guidance this time around I have no reservations about remaining clean and embracing recovery...thank u GOD!!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Some of your questions are more complicated than I can fully address here, but I'll make a few points that may be helpful.
From all that I've seen, there is no way to escape the misery that comes when lowering one's tolerance to opioids-- which is what a person essentially is doing when tapering down. You can have a shorter period of severe misery, or a longer period of less-severe misery, but I think that for the most part, the total amount of misery is about the same. I don't think that taking the Suboxone longer or differently would make a big difference.
It is hard to know for sure, though, whether I am correct, or whether buprenorphine (the active part of Suboxone) lessens the total misery to some extent. We don't know how bad off you would be if you had not take Suboxone. The general belief of the treatment industry seems to be that buprenorphine does lessen the severity of withdrawal, but I am not convinced that it does that.
I am an advocate of using buprenorphine for longer periods of time than for simple detox. My reason for that stance is that the vast majority of those who use it short-term end up using agonists again-- usually fairly rapidly. People get stuck in the cycle of using, eventually becoming desperate enough to pay for detox, then using again. The only time I would recommend using Suboxone or buprenorphine for detox is for people who are entering a long-term residential treatment center, because at least then there is a chance-- albeit a small one-- for sustained sobriety.
I do not see buprenorphine as a 'replacement.' I will leave you to search out my articles scattered all over the web, describing why in great detail. But the general essence is this: buprenorphine has unique pharmacologic properties, including a 'ceiling effect' and a mixture of blocking and activating actions at the receptor. These properties allow high doses of buprenorphine (8-16 mg per day) to virtually eliminate cravings for opioids in a way that is not possible with agonists like methadone. To my way of thinking, the problem with 'addiction' is not the daily use of a substance; there are many medications that people take daily, without considering them to be part of an 'addiction'. The problem with addiction is the obsession for opioids. That obsession crowds out every other part of the addict's life. Buprenorphine, taken properly, removes the obsession-- which I see as placing addiction into 'remission.'
A person on Suboxone or buprenorphine is physically dependent on opioids, and continues to have a tolerance to opioids. If that person even stops buprenorphine, the tolerance must be dealt with-- by going through the withdrawal that was avoided when the buprenorphine was started.
From all that I've seen, there is no way to escape the misery that comes when lowering one's tolerance to opioids-- which is what a person essentially is doing when tapering down. You can have a shorter period of severe misery, or a longer period of less-severe misery, but I think that for the most part, the total amount of misery is about the same. I don't think that taking the Suboxone longer or differently would make a big difference.
It is hard to know for sure, though, whether I am correct, or whether buprenorphine (the active part of Suboxone) lessens the total misery to some extent. We don't know how bad off you would be if you had not take Suboxone. The general belief of the treatment industry seems to be that buprenorphine does lessen the severity of withdrawal, but I am not convinced that it does that.
I am an advocate of using buprenorphine for longer periods of time than for simple detox. My reason for that stance is that the vast majority of those who use it short-term end up using agonists again-- usually fairly rapidly. People get stuck in the cycle of using, eventually becoming desperate enough to pay for detox, then using again. The only time I would recommend using Suboxone or buprenorphine for detox is for people who are entering a long-term residential treatment center, because at least then there is a chance-- albeit a small one-- for sustained sobriety.
I do not see buprenorphine as a 'replacement.' I will leave you to search out my articles scattered all over the web, describing why in great detail. But the general essence is this: buprenorphine has unique pharmacologic properties, including a 'ceiling effect' and a mixture of blocking and activating actions at the receptor. These properties allow high doses of buprenorphine (8-16 mg per day) to virtually eliminate cravings for opioids in a way that is not possible with agonists like methadone. To my way of thinking, the problem with 'addiction' is not the daily use of a substance; there are many medications that people take daily, without considering them to be part of an 'addiction'. The problem with addiction is the obsession for opioids. That obsession crowds out every other part of the addict's life. Buprenorphine, taken properly, removes the obsession-- which I see as placing addiction into 'remission.'
A person on Suboxone or buprenorphine is physically dependent on opioids, and continues to have a tolerance to opioids. If that person even stops buprenorphine, the tolerance must be dealt with-- by going through the withdrawal that was avoided when the buprenorphine was started.
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