Suboxone (Buprenorphine) is a medication that is primarily used to help individuals that are struggling with opiate addiction. This substance works as a semi-synthetic opioid agonist on the Mu receptor of the brain. In high doses it works to treat people that are trying to kick their addiction with opiates. In lower doses, it can be prescribed to help with moderate chronic pain. Since it is prescribed to many people trying to overcome their opiate dependency, there are many individuals that have been taking this drug for extended periods of time.
Although most people tend to find that this medication works for its intended purposes, it is more difficult than many think to withdraw from. In fact, some people have gone on to say that their withdrawal from Suboxone was more difficult than from their actual opiates. Theoretically it should be easier to withdraw from Suboxone, but some people get so accustomed to the drug when they come off of it, they cannot cope with life. This is a very powerful medication and a “controlled substance” (Schedule III). Most people notice that when they come off of it, they go through an intense withdrawal period.
Factors that influence Suboxone withdrawal include
There are many factors that have an influence on how quickly the withdrawal symptoms will subside. These include things like time that you took the drug, the amount you took, your personal physiology, as well as whether you plan to taper or come off “cold turkey.”
Another factor that may play a role is whether you still need the substance to treat your opiate addiction. It is not recommended to withdraw from Suboxone until you have your addiction under control and have a stress-free environment. It’s not recommended to come off of this medication unless you are prepared for the withdrawal symptoms that are in store.
1. Time Span
How long were you taking Suboxone? Generally the longer you took the drug, the more difficult the withdrawal process. Someone that has taken it for months will likely have an easier time coming off of it in comparison to someone who has been on it for years. When you are on any drug for an extended period of time, your body becomes more reliant upon it for everyday functioning. With Suboxone your body is getting an opiate-based response which helps lower pain levels. Thus the longer you are on it, the longer it will take your body to build up its ability to naturally fight pain during the withdrawal process.
2. Dosage
This drug can be taken transdermally (e.g. a “film” applied to the skin), orally (e.g. pill form), and with injections. The dose of Suboxone film tends to range from 4 mg/1 mg buprenorphine/naloxone to 24 mg/6 mg buprenorphine/naloxone per day. Most people agree that even fairly low doses can be just as effective as higher doses at treating symptoms. In pill form, the dosage range tends to typically fall between 1 mg and 16 mg.
3. Individual physiology
When coming off of any drug, two people aren’t going to have the same reaction. Some individuals may experience an array of painful symptoms, while others may experience very minimal symptoms. Your individual physiology and nervous system plays a huge role in determining how you react to coming off of the medication.
4. Cold turkey vs. tapering
Suboxone tends to have a pretty long half life (37 hours) – meaning the drug stays in your system for a pretty lengthy amount of time. Despite the longer half life, it is still recommended to not quit this medication “cold turkey.” If you quit without conducting a gradual taper, you are basically leaving your body and mind in a state of chemical chaos.
Your body is used to the drug and if you quit cold turkey from a high dose, you may experience much more pain than necessary. It is recommended to follow a tapering protocol off of Suboxone so that you minimize withdrwal symptoms as much as possible.
Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
For many people withdrawal from Suboxone is just as difficult as the opiate that they were initially addicted to. Some people have attempted to quit this drug multiple times and are unable to cope with Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). Many of the withdrawal symptoms are a result of the body and brain becoming reliant on the medication. Each day you are off of Suboxone, you should realize that your body will be working towards returning to physical and mental homeostasis.
- Anxiety: Many people report severe anxiety and some experience panic when dealing with the withdrawal symptoms. Suboxone tends to have a calming effect on people, so it would make sense that when stopping this medication some people experience significant anxiety.
- Body aches: It is common to report aches and pains throughout the body when quitting this medication. These aches may be somewhat painful, but do your best to cope with what you are feeling. Realize that these should gradually lessen as you make it further through withdrawal.
- Concentration problems: You may feel as if you are unable to focus on any task. Work and/or school may become increasingly difficult. Your brain’s functioning was influenced by Suboxone and now you cut off the supply. It is trying to sort itself out as you withdraw from this medication.
- Confusion: Some people report feeling a general sense of confusion when they quit this medication. Any drug that has an influence on the brain and neurotransmitters can result in a certain degree of confusion when you stop taking it.
- Cravings: Suboxone is a Schedule III drug for a reason – it’s extremely powerful and in some cases addicting. Most people will experience some cravings for Suboxone when they first withdraw. These cravings happen because people have a difficult time dealing with the withdrawal experience – some symptoms can be pretty intense.
- Depersonalization: You may not feel like yourself during the withdrawal, which may cause you to freak out. If you are feeling as though you have become a totally different person. And chemically, you have become a different person – your endorphin and neurotransmitters are different than they were when you started. It will take awhile to feel like your “old self” again.
- Depression: It is very common to experience a general state of dysphoria and depression when you are coming off of Suboxone. It can be difficult to not identify with the depression – especially since it is linked with inadequate levels of neurotransmitters and endorphins. Do your best to realize that this is merely part of the withdrawal process and know that you will get better with time. It has been found that Suboxone helps treatment-resistant depression – therefore it also serves as an “off label” antidepressant. It makes logical sense that coming off of this medication may result in increased depression.
- Diarrhea: Most people experience some sort of diarrhea when they quit Suboxone. This is because narcotics tend to cause constipation – coming off of them produces the opposite effect. An easy solution to this symptom is to buy some Imodium – which is available over-the-counter.
- Discomfort: Most people coming off of this medication describe a sense of overall discomfort or malaise that they experience. If you are feeling especially uncomfortable, this is to be expected.
- Dizziness: You may feel dizzy or experience vertigo when you quit this drug. Although this isn’t as commonly reported as other symptoms, it is still possible that you could feel dizzy – especially if you don’t gradually taper.
- Fatigue: It is very obvious that you are going to experience fatigue when you stop taking Suboxone. This is a result of your body relying on the drug to give you energy throughout the day. Eventually the fatigue will subside and your energy levels will return to normal. Keep in mind that this may take an extended period of time.
- Fear of going crazy: You may fear as if you are about to snap or as though you really cannot put up with these symptoms. Just keep in mind that this is the withdrawal process and your anxiety levels are high during this time.
- Flu-like symptoms: Some people report feeling “sick” when they come off of this drug. Many of the symptoms including aches, pains, nausea, and sweating can feel similar to the flu.
- Headaches: It is common to experience headaches during withdrawal from Suboxone. If they become extreme, you may want to conduct a more gradual taper and/or consider headache relief medication.
- Insomnia: Many people will struggle to get a good night’s sleep when they initially stop taking Suboxone. This is due to the fact that they are no longer receiving the same degree of opioidergic and GABAergic stimulation to facilitate CNS depression. When stopping the drug, some individuals may experience severe insomnia despite feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
- Irritability: Some individuals report feeling highly irritable and grouchy when they first stop taking the drug. This may keep up for an extended period of time until a person re-establishes proper neurotransmitter levels.
- Malaise: Something may not feel right and you may notice that you just feel “off.” This is a general state of feeling ill or as if something is wrong. You should eventually recover from this feeling as time continues to pass.
- Mood swings: Not everyone will experience mood swings, but those who do may find them very difficult to cope with. One minute you may feel as if things are turning a corner for the better, and the next you may feel depressed, discouraged, and angry. Take a step back and realize that it is completely normal to have fluctuations in mood as you heal.
- Muscle tension: Many individuals report feeling especially tense during their withdrawal. Your muscles may feel very rigid and unable to relax. The best way to deal with this symptom is to work on guided relaxation in which you focus on mentally relaxing various parts of your body.
- Nausea: You may feel nauseated throughout the day – in some cases to an extreme. This nausea may lead to vomiting in some cases. Recognize that this may be tough to cope with in the early stages of withdrawal, but will subside.
- Pain: Since Suboxone is used by some people to help with chronic pain, you may feel more intense pain when coming off of it. This is because your body has gotten used to the drug doing most of the work to treat the pain and the natural endorphin production has significantly declined. In most cases it will take a good 30 days before your body’s natural endorphin levels start to rise again. Expect the pain to be more severe than prior to starting Suboxone during the withdrawal process.
- Restlessness: Many individuals report that they experience restlessness when they first come off of this drug. Specifically reported is the fact that people have restless leg or twitching in their legs that is only relieved with movement.
- Runny nose: When withdrawing you may experience an excessively runny nose. This is inevitable and is associated with the withdrawal process. Having a runny nose is not generally a debilitating symptom, but may be annoying in the early stages of withdrawal.
- Sleepiness: For many people, the Suboxone contributed significantly towards everyday functioning and task performance. When you cut off the supply during withdrawal, your body is basically going to be left without any energy. You may experience excessive sleepiness as your body and mind attempt to heal.
Note: The amount of time Suboxone stays in your system following discontinuation is subject to significant variation among users. Due to its long half-life, it can take up to 10 days after complete cessation to fully excrete the drug; this could be why symptoms become most severe 1-2 weeks into withdrawal.
Suboxone withdrawal timeline: How long does it last?
The withdrawal process differs for everyone – I recommend giving it 90 days before re-evaluating symptoms. There are a number of physiological and environmental factors that will play a role in determining your success when coming off of this substance. You should always be working closely with a professional who knows what to expect and can guide you through the symptoms. Some people are able to withdraw within weeks, while for others the process takes months, and/or years for their body and brains to reset to homeostatic functioning.
By waiting 90 days (3 months), you will have likely recovered some, but most people suggest that this is the turning point – things should gradually keep improving from here. There is no set time period that universally applies to everyone for withdrawal. You may feel better by the 90 day marker, or you may still feel pretty crappy – keep in mind that everyone has a unique situation. It may take one person a full year to completely recover from withdrawal symptoms and it may take a different person just a few weeks or months.
During withdrawal from Suboxone it is highly recommended to engage in healthy activities. Take the time to get outside, get sunlight, exercise, stay busy throughout the day, and socialize with good friends and family. It is not going to be easy, but do your best to push yourself out of your comfort zone. For example, even if you feel extremely fatigued, try to go for a walk or go to the gym. Even if you don’t feel like working or talking to anyone, do it anyways. Try to stay as productive and healthy as you can during withdrawal – this will ensure quicker recovery.
I’m a week in and I want to die. Kratum seems to help for a hour or so but I’m not sure if I’m lying to myself. I would much rather be coming off of opioids then this sh#t! Kill me now!
I am commenting again with my update after trip to Ohio. Also in regards to comment by Muff. It was way better to be around people and have lots of interaction. I even helped unload a moving truck with other people and it felt good to get moving a little. I even had a small appetite. I noticed I still had a lot of anxiety and fear in the morning when I was the first one up and alone for a few hours. The anxiety and depression reappeared when I came back to Texas and being alone in my apt. So at t his point I would say that these continue to be my main issues.
Since I already struggled with depression, this may not be a problem for everyone. I hate Texas and am only here because my mom is alone and 84, but she lives in a senior residence and I have my own place. I go visit her a lot and it helps but at the same time one of my fears is getting older and seeing the health problems people can have. I always thought I would stay active and healthy, esp with hot yoga, but right now I am not able to motivate myself and it adds to the anxiety. And I know that I just have to go to yoga and stop thinking about it!
One thing I am worried about is that I have had to continue to use Trazodone to help me get sleep, it often doesn’t work well, but it makes me dizzy when I move in different directions, so I don’t want to keel over in yoga! Another symptom that is lingering is the semi-nauseous feeling that really messes with me. So, once again, moving forward one day at a time,still a little fear that it will never end although I know somewhere inside that it will. As for Muff and the comments that it is in our heads, yes I have wondered the same thing, but it isn’t. Too many people are having the same reactions for it not to be real. You are lucky if it didn’t happen to you, but many of us were on narcotics for a long time prior to suboxone as well.
I’m experiencing this right now. Kind of terrified. Not sure if I should go to a detox. Only on day two so I still feel alright. Just kind of off, and sleepy.
I was on 1/2 strip each day for yrs but sometimes didn’t take quite that much. And I ended up in the hospital for something unrelated. In there, there was no Suboxone nor was there a dr able to prescribe it. I was off it a total of 10 days and was more tired but didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms. I’m not sure why. But maybe because I didn’t have a traditional addiction to opiates. But regardless of opiates, the Suboxone is what people will withdraw from (if they’re on it a certain amount of time) so if your main addiction is now the Sub, you may not have strong withdrawals.
I think a lot of the withdrawal symptoms I think I have when I experience anything are in my head. My bf is a Sub dr and he described a patient who he gave imitation Sub to (they make it for drs to show pts as example) and he gave her some fake mixed with real. So she could taper off and not think she was going into withdrawals because part of the medicine was placebo. So I think a good amount of Sub withdrawals come because I think they’re going to happen. It’s supposedly very easy to taper from so do it.
I’m sitting her in the ER with my wife watching our son go through sub wds. Wow wee, way worse than H. He is about 8 days into cold turkey wd from 8mg subs. This is worse than when he went to detox for H. He was clean for 4 months and went on subs to help with craving as suggested by his rehab councilor. .. we were not really pleased with this decision, however our son is 26. Now only 4 months later, he decided he went on subs for all the wrong reasons and wanted off. He tapered down from 24mg/d to 8mg/d over 3 weeks… then just stopped while we were on vacation.
It didn’t hit H hard until now. He didn’t even realize that the sickness was even from withdrawals…. wow. He was begging the doc for pain meds. Thankfully they didn’t give him any, but at least he is coming to understand that he is having the worst withdrawals ever. We don’t see anything good out of sub use at all. He was so much better off prior to ever trying this, and now he is even hard to reason with. WTF. God help us all.
Hi I’m Ryan 25 years old, been taking and 8th to a quarter of suboxone a day after coming off heroin. I’m on day 8 and I have a bad taste in my mouth weak and can’t sleep but very sleepy nonetheless. I wasn’t prescribed suboxone by a doctor just took it upon myself to go on it due to working third shift sanitation. I feel like hell and don’t know if I can get thru but I know that I can’t give up.
It’s sad to see so many people my age going through this and no one hardly saying they are feeling better makes me want to go find half a mg just to feel comfy again. My girlfriend is also going through this with me although she doesn’t want to be clean. All I know is SUBOXONE AND ITS TWINS SHOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF MARKET! It doesn’t do any good if you don’t have it.
Hopefully I don’t have to experience this for much longer because god knows how I feel about being normal and healthy again. If the taste in my mouth would go away, I would be much better. I hope all get though this as I need to. God bless all.
I am currently coming off of methadone and was given a four day wean in detox. First 2 days was a half a strip every 4 hours and second 2 days a half a strip every 6 hours then I stopped taking it. I stopped taking Methadone on October 7th and had to wait 72 hours to start my wean and then stopped the wean on the 15th. I have been completely clean since then, however I feel like sh#t. So my question is, its only been 11 days, so do I feel this way because of the meds even though I only took it for four days?
Hi guys, I’m about to start a taper from Zubsolv. Suboxone’s evil twin. I actually did cold turkey from Suboxone last year from 4 mg a day and it wasn’t all that terrible. It wasn’t fun, but definitely bearable. I had been on 4 mg a day for almost a year. I recommend Loperamide / Immodium. About 10 tablets every 12 hours took 90% of my withdrawals away. It really, REALLY worked. Just mild discomfort left. I’m not even nervous about this taper, because I know I have my friend, Loperamide. Google it for withdrawals. It’ll change your entire outlook. Good luck, guys. It’ll work out.
You are all such strong people… I think suboxone is one of the worst drugs out there. Like a lot of you said, this is supposed to be used to ween people off of other drugs and turns out an even worse habit to kick in the long run. I am personally not a user. However, my boyfriend had been taking it when we first got together 5 yrs ago.
I left him once for his abuse of the drug because I could see the changes in him, serious mood swings, violence, a desire to do more drugs or drinking, drinking on top of it made it worse. He cut back on them or quit, I’m not sure which, but we got back together and I would like some advice on what to do about my current situation. I believe he is back on them because I know they’re in the house, and he’s afraid to tell me the truth when I confront him.
I believe he’s taking low doses due to his financial situation, but it seems to make him extremely hyper (given he’s already pretty ADHD), almost seems like he feels invincible, he’s moody to the point that he scares me, he can go from 0-100 in seconds, he treats the people that love him bad because he can’t control his need for the sub. Last week I know he couldn’t get any and he looked like he was so miserable trying to hide the withdrawals. He looked in severe pain, complained of chest pains, slept ALOT, ate very very little, MOODY, and completely lost his very high sex drive and stamina.
He lost his job because he had no desire to work or get out of bed. After that week he went back to trying to be normal and I knew he had some in his system. Can anyone relate or please give me some advice or help me understand this drug and how to help him? He told me years ago how bad withdrawals were and how bad he wanted to stop. This drug has caused him some serious setbacks in his life, it has destroyed him. I just want to help him save himself.
I am currently on Day 2 of my second Suboxone withdrawal. The first attempt was six months ago, and I lasted eight days. Your boyfriend is reacting EXACTLY like I do. It speeds me up and and makes me euphoric. When I don’t have it, I lose sex drive and appetite. I sleep a lot the first day or two, then can’t sleep at all. Without it I have zero drive or motivation. I don’t know how to help you, but I can relate.
I’ve been taking 8mg a day. I tried to take one 5 mg a day to help with the symptoms but I stopped and don’t recommend doing so. Then you end up hooked on both… not pretty. I’m about to taper down. I tried cold turkey and I seriously thought I was going to die. I’m no stranger to this and have went off hydrocodone and was great in about 2 weeks. Make sure you stay hydrated with electrolytes, get over the counter medication for diarrhea.
Going off suboxone is so much worse than any opiate (my opinion). Drinking Ensure is good if you don’t want solid food. Dr’s get people who already addicted and then they give you something even worse. Anyway, I’m beginning my path down this long dark tunnel hoping for a light at the end. Wish me luck and I wish you the same. I’m hoping I can be back to myself in 3 months. I’ll try posting through my process. Hope is your best weapon and knowing it can’t go on forever.
It’s me again. I am losing track of the time I have been off of sub because it took awhile after I stopped for symptoms began. It feels like a long long time. I am able to get out and do some things each day but I don’t feel strong enough to stay out for a long time. I am watching way too much TV and lying on the couch, and in the evenings it’s pretty depressing. I would say my worst symptoms that continue are lack of energy, no appetite at all, and trouble sleeping.
Of course I always had trouble sleeping and the trazadone did not help for more than a few nights and I am now going off of it. It makes me really dizzy all day and I think contributes to lack of energy. I am lucky that I don’t have to work because I don’t know how anyone could work feeling like this. I don’t know anything about disability but maybe the people who make the decisions about who gets it should read this whole thing about people coming off of suboxone. It’s no joke!
I am curious why this is affecting my appetite. It seems like the trigger to be hungry is just gone. I have to force myself to eat, and although food tastes alright, or even good, I do not get hungry. The good part is that I have lost weight, which I wanted to do anyway. Still having mild nausea type feelings a lot. So Thursday I go on my trip, doing a part of the preparation each day because I can’t get it all together in one day. This is tedious… not getting any worse however.
I have been on subs for two and a half years. I had got myself down to 4mg then my doc insisted I go back to 8 last month and like a dummy I did. Now he’s just been suspended from medical practice and I’m one of many who are going to go into withdrawal unless we can find a new doc. Trouble is so many want cash and don’t take insurance. I’m thinking of trying to quit but I really can’t taper down as I have a quarter of one 8 left and three 8 mg strips a friend gave me.
Don’t know how far down I can go … it’ll be fast…I heard the lower the slower as you taper but it’s going to be a bit of a jumping off. I’m nervous as I just finally got on a med to help with my depression after four months of hell and a leave of absence from work that has put me in the dog house. Not sure what’s going to happen, wondering if I can use short term disability while I go through withdrawal. I have Sedgewick as a disability company and they suck. They use every trick in the book to not have to pay. They paid me for the first month I was out for my depression, then nothing so I had to return to work in the middle of another med change. Anyone ever use disability at work for withdrawal?
I’m checking in once again Karen I love your comment I found that vitamins and B12 do help a little. After two months I have some pretty good days and then a few bad days so a little bit of improvement. Guys the main thing is that we went from pills to Suboxone. Suboxone has no high but makes you feel normal, but guess what? When you come off of it, bad crashes. I love this website it is so true, and so many ways with all of you let’s keep the good work going.
I’m on day three, I have only been on 8mg. A day, for a year, but was on 20mg. For three years before that, my program doesn’t want me to stop cold turkey, but I don’t want to be on them the rest of my life like they want… I’m on my own but I know I can do it!!!!
I am doing a new update. I know that nothing is worse but still have no appetite or energy. Trazadone is seeming to not work anymore. I am seeing my doc tomorrow and I plan to ask him if the trazadone is contributing to no energy. Depression might be slightly better but once again, it wears on the mind and seems endless.
I hadn’t realized that Sub helped with depression also (not very well). I go to NA meetings mainly to get out and be around people, it helps. One interesting thing is I have lost my cravings for sugar. I will be taking a trip in about 2 weeks and I expect it to be a good chance to get away and be around people including my son! And they have watched the whole pill struggle so are familiar with this mess.
I hope to start walking since they have 2 dogs and also an exercise machine. I truly believe the exercise aspect is important and I have to push that more. Also when I come home I want to start hot yoga again as they claim it sweats out toxins. If nothing else it will build up my core because I can barely sit up straight for long. So in conclusion, I’m a little better..one day at a time!
I have been off of suboxone for one year. I had been taking 16 mg daily for 10 years. Still suffering physical symptoms including mild RLS, allergy-like issues, occasional itching burning skin, extreme redness of the face (not blood pressure), and at times very mild withdrawal smell. Mentally feel much better, no depression but agitation under stressful situations. Some days feel great,than other days it comes back.
All symptoms are improving though,so it do appear to take some time.I am abstaining from all substances except tobacco (and I suspect that the same is prolonging). I recently decided to try acupuncture detox. Soon after my first visit I felt great, then the following day, and next 2 days felt much worse. I have now completed 8 visits and always feel worse for next three days. This may be from detoxing remaining subs.
After 2 months off subs I had complete labs done and showed impaired kidney function, extremely elevated liver enzymes, high blood sugar, and cholesterol. I have had lab work done regularly while on subs including one month before stopping same, but never any indication of problems. I have had three lab workups since and all are completely normal again. It appears that many people are different while getting off subs, so I can only speak of my experience.
I am living proof that some have more difficulty getting sub out of system. I could go on and tell of all the problems while on suboxone, but I’m sure some others have suffered the same. All those issues are totally gone now. I still get a laugh at the alleged experts that to this day claim that it takes only seven days off and then clean. Within the 10 years on subs I refrained from use seven times and each time did not begin withdrawals until after 9 or 10 days. So for this expert it is truly taking time, but surely feeling better than on subs.
What is acupuncture detox? My friend has those sessions to help with pain from an accident. Perhaps your technician should include some acupuncture pain techniques into your sessions to assist with any pain you feel throughout subsequent days?
Started taking Suboxone to replace “more addictive” pain meds in November of 2009. Tapered off from February to June of 2014. Reason was cost since I’m disabled from a drunk hitting me at what the police chasing her police termed as “a high rate of speed” years ago. Of course Geico insurance settled, promised to provide health care cost coverage and promptly told me they changed their mind and tried to sue us again after I settled. Thieves!
So I could no longer afford it and had to stop, and man it is not easy at all. At times I wish I just stayed on opiates since Suboxone is a much harder, and so much more long lasting, withdrawal. I see a class action coming where Mass Tort A##holes make a fortune and the masses like me don’t get a dime.
But I pray and ask for prayer. I’m in the beginning of the fourth month and I am struggling. But I will get past this. Wish I never heard of it!
On our prayer list, my husband and I pray every morning. We have a precious loved one off oxy for about a week using 1 dose of suboxone a day and considering more than the 1 dose. Can you comment?
Detoxing from Suboxone is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’m not pretending it was my preference. I took it for alcoholism & treatment resistant depression. I was kicked out and red-flagged by my clinic for a false positive for benzos (Benadryl, I think). Anyway, I never took my full dose, so I tapered down with my extras. I ran out at 1/32 58 days ago & I expected zero withdrawals. WRONG!
Day 4-the usual opiate WD, diarrhea, sleeplessness, irritability, aches & pains-been there, done that. But, I’m just not quite right. I literally thought I was losing my mind. OK: series of crazy stuff happens & I have to get drunk & go into withdrawal before the psych hospital will admit me. But…the psych hospital gives everyone, but me, Suboxone. I’m flagged there too, it appears. I’m getting weirder & crazier by the minute & I’m in a psych hospital, being ignored or snapped at!
Everyone agrees my continued presence is wasting everyone’s time, I’m discharged. At no time was PAWS mentioned & the lovely Buprenorphine expert didn’t even send me home with blood pressure medication, which I really could have used! Because things got real bad, real quick. My blood pressure and heart rate were so elevated, I thought I was going to have a stroke or heart attack. My anxiety & panic were so overwhelming all I could do was breathing exercises. I had NO energy; I didn’t change clothes for 4 days.
I’m sooooo glad I came online & read other people’s experiences. I hate it that I have PAWS, but I’m glad I know I’m not exactly crazy! I feel a little better every day. Some things are even pre-sub better: food, sleep. My opinion of Suboxone has changed drastically. I thought it was a miracle drug, now I think it’s just another way these giant multinational corporations have invented to control the masses. Reckitt Benckiser made 1.5 billion last year. I’m glad now to be off of Suboxone. I feel free.
I have been off suboxone now for 12 days and I still feel really fatigued and have a lot of anxiety. I was put in jail and was taking only 8mg every other day for about a month. You would think that cause I was taking it for such a short period of time that it would only take a few days. Like all of you I just want to be normal again, but it feels like its never going to come.
I tell myself every night… another day down… another day closer to freedom. AS long as we are willing to stay clean and actually want it, we can overcome this terrible struggle. I have been through this before and I can promise you that after about a month or so you will start to feel like your old self. STAY STRONG. WE DESERVE A CLEAN AND SOBER LIFE!!
Well, the most frustrating part of this all , is that NONE of us want to be junkies. We all want to feel normal…that’s all, not high, just normal. You think that would not be too much to ask for wouldn’t you? But alas, apparently it is lol… having said that though. It does get better, and you have to keep telling yourself that… out loud if you have to.
I would stand in front of the mirror and repeat this over and over, then I would make insane faces but that was due to me from the withdrawal lol. Suboxone is like any other drug to a junkie, which is bad news. We’re addicts people, in order for us to get well we need to be DRUG free. It’s that simple, what’s not simple is getting there.
The ONLY thing that works is time and for many addicts patience is not something we have a great deal of. It does get better… I promise and life becomes magical once again :) Hang in there!!
BINGO!!! Addicts need to be DRUG FREE not replace one drug for another that is where the Doctors are making huge mistakes in prescribing this, 30 days is the most a TRUE addict should be on this drug, not years, that makes it another addiction…!!!! I have to say if I knew then what I know now I would have just quit the opiates cold turkey and handled it, I know some may disagree with me but we are all different, but I hate what suboxone did to me, my mind, my body, my spirit, is that a cure to anything, because that is what they call it, a cure to addiction, um…nope it is not…..just another drug that causes addiction & that is a disease not a cure!!!
Anyways, well said Annabelle, life without any drugs in your system really is magical, I was on opiates for a long time thinking those are what made me feel magical, all I did was build up tolerance & then there was no magical anything anymore, just panic about running out, running low, withdrawal if I ran out, Gosh I hate those memories, I am loving this new feeling with new memories in the making… drug free!!!
I have been clean from subs for 30 days. I am def suffering from paws. One day I feel 100% the next day I fee like crap! I have taken 8 mg sub once a day for close to 3 years. How long can I expect this crap to stay in me. I have absolutely no desire to take pain meds. Just want to feel normal.
I like Lilli’s comment that is pretty much how it is you guys. I’m checking in again a couple weeks later a month and a half now off Suboxone small signs of improvement less sneezing less runny nose a little better sleep. The main thing we were all duped on Suboxone. The reality is we should’ve only been on it about 30 days maximum, what a shame… good luck to all of you.
I’m seeing many comments about getting discouraged by the idea that suboxone withdrawal will go on for 3-12 months. DONT GET DISCOURAGED!! The pain you’re in now, in the first few days of your detox won’t go on forever, or even for 3 months. The severity of the withdrawal symptoms will start to subside around the end of the second week. I’m not going to lie, the detox sucks. It’s uncomfortable, painful, and it feels like you’ll never feel like a normal person again; that you’re doomed. This is FALSE!!
Bottom line, your brain has a chemical imbalance from all the opiates/suboxone your body has taken in. This chemical imbalance causes the body’s pain, discomfort, rls, etc. and the only thing that can fix this imbalance is time. And every day that goes by brings you closer to that “normal” feeling we all were aiming for when we sacked the subs. There is no exact time line for when this sh#t-storm will be over, but the insomnia, rls, and general body pains will be significantly improved after 2 weeks.
When I detoxed subs cold turkey (about 3mgs daily), I didn’t sleep one minute of the first week. My legs and arms kicked violently, as I’m sure most other detoxers are experiencing. This sh#t does end, I promise. I want to say I started to feel better every day after the 12th or 13th day. And I didn’t feel any of this pain after the 3rd week. The thing that takes the most time is getting your energy back. I’m 2.5 months off subs and my energy level came around towards the middle – end of my 2nd month clean.
Stay strong and keep your head up! It’s an amazing feeling to wake up feeling good all on your own, and you’ll get there too! You just have to make it through each day, one day at a time.
I am doing my own hopeful update, esp since there are people saying this can go on for 3 months, a year. I started taking B6, B12, ginseng with royal jelly, Trazodone to help with sleep although I would like to stop that eventually. I also had taken myself off of anti depressants cold turkey about a month before and I knew I shouldn’t have done that, so also restarting those slowly – today was the first time I took a whole pill.
Energy is a little better but I feel generally fatigued and not healthy, still sad and anxious because it seems to go on forever and I thought I was done with this four years ago when I got off the painkillers. Also drinking green vegetable juice, gatorade,trying to eat a little even when I don’t feel like it which is most of the time. So I am telling myself that at this point it can only get better, it won’t get worse, and I am making it – one day at a time.
Next I need to start at least walking, I tried a little yoga, but I do think that it makes sense that exercise will move some of the residual toxins out. Also trying to see a holistic doctor who is highly recommended.
I am on about week two of tapered off suboxone, I know I didn’t taper it long enough. The withdrawals are getting worse although i can get through the day, it’s just really awful. Depression, no appetite, anxiety, runny nose, fear! I was on it for 4 years because I was having trouble not relapsing after quitting Lortab 60 a week. So I thought the suboxone would give me time to get over the cravings etc and yes, if I could not have the withdrawals, thank you.
So now I find that here are the withdrawals after-all and I would only guess that it is karmic retribution.There is no easier softer way although I don’t think I could have quit the pills otherwise, then I’d be killing my liver. What scares me most is reading that these symptoms can last 3 months or a year! That is alarming. Anyone have any hopeful news?
I am 65 days clean almost all bad symptoms are totally gone, just some minor annoying things like fatigue (energy shots help with the really low energy days) & focusing is hard sometimes but I will take these over what I had the first 4 weeks, holy crap, that sucked so bad, IMO suboxone was not the answer for me, it may help some at lower doses, but I truly believe the problem lies in the Dr’s not knowing enough, dosing too high & not tapering off their patients once it is no longer needed.
It is only supposed to be used to help us kick opiates and not crave them anymore so this is not a drug needed for years, just enough to kick the opiates. I think all of us on here know that once on suboxone you don’t want to be off, it is just another addiction, we have replaced one bad drug for an even worse drug! I know you said 3 months to a year scares you but after 2 months you will feel so much better & then you can sit back & say OMG I got this & then think why would you want to ever do it again ( meaning relapse) only to repeat the cycle & ruin all your hard work to get off suboxone. GOOD LUCK!
To sum it all up ~ I’ve been drinking beers too much – it doesn’t help but if that’s what you gotta do, that’s what you do? I have a good support system but if you don’t just call the “Addiction Center” This is tuff to kick. I’m over a month & half in, mind you ~ I still have some and I wont touch these again. I wish everyone here hope & justice but you all knew the consequences. There is no wonder drug out there! Sorry but I’m miserable about this, I got screwed on “recovery”!
This is a tuff road! I started taking suboxone for pain, it seemed better than opiates… Been on them for 5 or 6 years only because everytime I tried to stop taking them I felt horrible. I decided enuff is enuff! I’m a strong willed person, So now I’m @ a month and a half off them cold turkey… I won’t lie, there were a few (4) days I had to take a little bit only because I had things that needed to get done.
I haven’t been able to do anything otherwise, luckily I have people that are supporting me while I sit around miserable not being able to move, go to work or stop throwing up some days! I still feel like I’m kicking dope everyday, muscle tremors ! I could be wrong with the names but there are a few non narcotic pain killers that may help a little if your Dr. will prescribe them for you.
Gabapentin works for the restless leg tremors, Tramadol is good, Lyrica works… if you can get prescribed Ativan, its a life saver. I drink a lot of herbal teas that help. But keep in mind don’t trade one drug for another. IDK I’m still working on it just thought I’d share ~ don’t give up, only the strong survive!
I’ve never posted on the net, but here goes… I’ve been fighting junk for 50 years, many detoxes, rehabs, nut houses, jail and sh*t like that, even tried suicide 3 times. Detoxing was a bitch. Sometimes it was days or weeks. But this sh*t is in a class of its own. Been on it now for 4 years, now detoxing. Just want to thank you ALL for posts. I honestly believe there is tiny bit of hope to live a normal life. Hang in there folks. Thanks for sharing your hopes.
I would just like to say it sounds like we all have the same thing in common. Complete fatigue no matter how little or how much of the Suboxone we’ve taken. I’ve been off the Suboxone now for a month and I’m still pretty damn fatigued. I hope there is an end because there is a life out there.
One more thing I forgot to mention. Make sure you plan your withdrawal. I know I said TAPER TAPER TAPER which is critical, but also plan on dealing with the effects of withdrawal. I’m not saying that it is easy, but I am saying that when done properly it is MUCH easier than coming off other things. One thing that will help tremendously with stomach issues is Imodium (Loperamide) which is actually the only over the counter opiate medication available in the States. There are many arguments over if Imodium crosses the blood-brain barrier (it does) and I am NOT advocating how to get high. My only point is that at times Imodium was a life saver in the first few days of really intense withdrawal. It targets the u-opiod receptors in your gastrointestinal tract and helps with the diarrhea, calms your stomach and some addicts even report that it calms the withdrawal symptoms.
For aches and pains take ibuprofen. Hot showers are almost orgasmic when going through withdrawals. Like the site says, recognize that your body is going through massive changes and that is to be expected. It does get better.
I wanted to throw in my 2 cents on this topic. I appreciate the website and it has a lot of great information, but speaking from someone who has been through withdrawal on both high doses of everything I could get to withdrawal from suboxone, saying 90 days may scare some people. Suboxone saved my life. My withdrawal from other things was absolute hell- weeks of my skin crawling and vomiting and no sleep. What many people fail to recognize is that suboxone withdrawal can many times be done while at work (i did and I know many other people who did).
No way in HELL i could have done that from the other substances (opiates but not going to get too specific). The key thing with suboxone is that most people (and many doctors) don’t realize how powerful suboxone is – they start people WAAAY too high. I think the reason they do this is because suboxone has a ceiling effect – after about 24mg taking more basically does nothing. Most people shouldn’t start at higher than 8mg and that is for a high abuse habit. The key to suboxone withdrawal is TAPER TAPER TAPER. This drug as everyone knows has a very long half-life. Don’t jump from anything higher than 1mg.
I wish they sold the drug in doses lower than 2mg but they don’t, so you will have to cut the strip (or pill) in half or double half. The last few weeks I was taking about .5mg a day, then going to every other day. After 9 days I felt almost 100% better. I know every will have a different experience, but personally if I was right in the middle of withdrawal and read that it would be 90 days before I felt better I would have given up. I understand that you want to be honest and some people may take 90 days, but the majority of the REALLY bad withdrawal is usually done in 2 weeks.
You will still have lingering side effects but who ever really feels 100% every day? Good luck to everyone, life is SO much better sober. I laugh again, I am myself again, I cry again, and I love again. It’s amazing how much this drug takes from you. GET CLEAN and live your life.
I started on suboxone therapy in November 2012 after being addicted to opiates off and on for years. My compassionate doctor started me on 4mg and I very slowly tapered over two years until I was down to 0.4mg. There was no lower dose to go to and I was in a really good head space (just as I had been for the two years I’d not been taking opiates/narcs), and I had an end date – my birthday which was New Year’s Eve.
I stopped on the 23rd December and two days later had world’s worst restless legs. I went to see my GP who prescribed a short course of valium, and now I am down to half a tablet with the aim of being completely off it in a few days. I have taken the valium as directed and have had no cravings for drugs in the two years I’ve been off them. As well as the valium (it’s not a panacea), I’ve been having epsom salts (magnesium) baths, a dissolvable magnesium supplement in the evening and Indian tonic water for the quinine which has also worked wonders.
Also – no alcohol and lots of water. I’ve never had so much energy and my body clock seems to have done a complete 180… I’m waking up very early in the morning and am feeling quite energized (still a little tired because my body is recalibrating from the two years I spent on subs). Suboxone therapy was the best thing I ever did. Like you say Brooks, living clean is the best feeling in the world and YOU CAN DO IT, PEOPLE.
I think having patience with my über slow taper, as well as my 100% commitment to being clean had a lot to do with it, as well as pure iron will. I’ve done cold turkey a couple of times which is hell on earth, but I had no other choice. Right now, I couldn’t think of anything worse than being back on the gear, and while I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s worth it. Best of luck, everyone :)
Thank you for the positive story Brooks. The 90 day thing freaked me out too.
I’ve been a opana 40mg user roxys u name it I’ve done it and I hit rock bottom and was tired of spending thousands and ruining my life I started seeing a sub Dr and I thought I was doing something great until I realized I just replaced one habit with another and now I’m ready to be off but like everyone else wd sucks and I make 1 8mg strip last about 15 days I’m tired of being dependant on something to feel normal I miss being normal I look around and I see people and say to my self they wake up and have no thoughts about what if I run out or what if I don’t take it. I’m ready to quit and I’m tired of being dependant. Non users don’t understand what it feels like so it easy for them to say just quit we no it’s not that easy. I’m gonna take my last piece Tomm and go from there. Wish me luck
You’re going to get very sick for a very long time (I tapered nearly exactly as you did then discontinued) … suboxone is harder to kick than any other opioid (unless you taper from where you were down to .25 for months then to little pieces for a while) due to the duration of WD … they can last for months … try to get a script for chlordiazepoxide q.i.d. 25mg but take exactly as prescribed and if you can’t then have a trusted friend or family member dispense them to you.
I’m on week two with benzo treatment OP … I sleep an hour or less per night, can’t stop moving my legs and I cry all day off and on ….I also get incredibly agitated and feel like Dennis Hopper as Frank Boothe in Blue Velvet … avoid alcohol it will make you incredibly sick too …. if you must and cannot stop vomiting try some thc but this can cause akathisia (restless legs) during withdrawal and increase your heart rate which would cause just more agitation and pain in the long run ….
I will pray for you just please say one for me cause I don’t know how much more I can take before I hit the streets and if I do that it’s the end of me … I have a lot of thoughts of death and just how I no longer want to be in pain physically or emotionally …. you are not alone though —this process is so isolating though – no one gets it …. late at night I try to call old friends from days of recovery but they don’t bother nor do they care at all about me … f#ck em’ I’ll go it alone and just experience this hellish dream
How are you doing? I hope you have stuck this out? Im thinking of you and hoping you found some peace. Please let me know if it got better.
Good luck to you ♡ you got this :)
I finally decided that i was ready to kick subs despite being completely freaked out about the unknown.. I had been reading about other peoples experience with it on a number of message boards and really thought it was going to be a very long and miserable experience. I started off with lorecet, which ended up being a 20+ a day habit and moved on to oxy which I was swallowing 1 80mg, snorting another and chasing it with liquid oxy-dose..
I was a monster!! :( I was on 24mg of suboxone and snorting subutex all day along with it for close to 3 yrs. Now I am right at 2 weeks with nothing and i feel like a million bucks.. I went completely cold turkey.. I moved from my old place and went to stay with my sister for awhile because it’s a very stable/drug free environment. I know everyone cant drop everything and move, but I’m very convinced it’s all mindset.. I was severely depressed for the first few days.. Once that was done I felt so good mentally I didn’t really give a shit about the hot flashes, goosebumps and burning the toilet up.
I live in Louisiana and did this 90 degree weather on a shrimpboat pretty much everyday for a week.. I wish everyone who want’s to get off sub much luck, it’s more than possible. I would advise not to lay around, doing nothing and convincing yourself your gonna feel like turds.. Cause’ i’m guessing you will if you do. I know everyone is different, but you can do it and you’ll feel great when you do
Been on Vicodin a few years needed to stop. Found a doc that would help using Suboxone. Been on that stuff for 1.5 yrs. decided enuff. Was taking 16mg dose a day. Tapered down to about 4mg and went cold turkey. It’s been tough. I’m now into week 5 (33rd day). Still can’t sleep, headaches, it’s like a cloud is hanging over my head, still have dull pains through my body blurry vision and still lethargic. I’m tired and just be done with it already. But, can’t give up. Prayer don’t work. And just angry. Though it’s the longest I’ve gone without, don’t think I can last much longer without some improvement. This crap sucks, and I did it to myself as usual. I hope change comes soon
I Have been on three opiates for a botch surgery , 8 years . Tried subs for 24 days starting at 4 cut 8 in half down to 1/8 mg last 4 days buggin I am going get through the with the grace of God . I pray for all of you here.
Just want to be normal again.
Thank u all for ur help. I am now nervous but ready… I was a junkie for 10 years, methadone for 3 years, now suboxone going on three years 16mg a day. my doc made a mistake and did not give me enough of my scripts I tried to call her but she is on vacation, so now I have 8 milligrams srip left to last me the next 14 days.. I need your prayers.. as you are all in mine
I am a former Vicodin addict. 9, 10mg pills per day for 10 years. I am what is referred to as a am a successful, functioning, addict that finally had to retire early due to the adverse reactions to the sub that I was taking (4 mg per day). Of course I did not admit that to anyone including my wife (I think she knew anyway and is very supportive) that Subs were the reason for my early retirement.
The main reason I didn’t tell anyone is no one, except my wife, ever knew I was using Subs. Everyone thought I was a wonder boy (man) for going through a successful Vicodin rehab 10 years ago and I did not have the nerve to tell anyone differently. Anyway, let me get to my point. After reading many of your posts, no one has questioned the obvious fact here. WHY did the pain doctors prescribe Sub to all of us addicts knowing that Sub rehab is much harder than most of the drugs we were originally addicted to that caused us to seek out help in the first place.
They could have just as easily given us the very drugs they are prescribing me now to help me off a much more difficult drug than Vicodin to withdraw from, Sub. Answer, we’ve all been had by the Doctors who see us every 30 to 60 days to refill our scripts and by the DRUG COMPANIES, that produce this poison and seem untouchable taking any responsibly or the lack of info given to all of us when it was initially prescribed to me. Remember, all of us have a common thread, we are addicts and don’t fool yourself, the doctors and drug companies know this and how vulnerable we were to a drug that is legally prescribed that gave us the high we liked. What a scam!!! !
I find this appalling and it should be illegal, but of course the drug companies run the economy and are seemingly untouchable! I will say it again, fellow Sub addicts, we’ve been had!!! I am now on day 5 of withdrawal from my 4mg per day dose of Suboxone. Started sub with 12 mg per day for 3 years and tapered to 4 mg dose for the last 4 years, then quit 5 days ago. Toughest thing I have ever had to do! Besides the total body fatigue, i’m just not comfortable with the depression and numbness in my brain. Anyway, after reading many of your posts I had to ask the obvious, why were we taken advantage of. We all know the answer big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Good luck to all. See ya. -John
My doctor put me on Suboxone 4mg 3 times a day in about 2006 for chronic pain. By March 2013 he had slowly increased my dose to 8mg 3 times a day. I was also on several other meds too. I never realized how badly it was affecting me until I started weaning myself down. By September of that year I was down to 16mg a day and hadn’t felt any true withdrawal symptoms at that point.
I decided to go into rehab and spent 5 weeks there, the extra week just because my symptoms were so bad. They were only able to get me down to 2mg a day while I was there. I have spent the past year slowly weaning down to what can only be described as the smallest amount possible, crumbs really, of what I have left. My crumbs may last another 4 days. Even with as slowly and carefully that I have decreased, the withdrawals the last 3-4 weeks have been horrendous. If the symptom is listed above, I seem to have it.
My current doctors think its because I was on such a high dose for so long. And yes, I feel like I am going literally crazy. The emotional turmoil, the insomnia, and the rigid muscles are over the top. My husband is trying to be understanding, but how can he? The only “blessing” is that I am on permanent disability and don’t have to work. I know I need to stay distracted and active, but sometimes it just feels like to much and not worth trying. I am hoping for some small improvement soon. This drug is an absolute nightmare. Good luck to everyone who is fighting this horrible battle…
What is wrong with you people, buprenorphine is easy to come off. I had a habit for 15 years, I used subs to come off several times. Every time I did it was easy. Start off with initial high dosage but tapered it off in the NEXT FEW DAYS. Get to 1mg then stopped and had zero or minimal side affects. I understand that it may be harder if you have taken them for years but surely my years of chronic heroin usage is similar. My only problems have been psychological. I have only been successful by addressing this. Seek counselling.
no your heroin detox was nothing compared to long term bupe use i spent 6 years as a heavy opiate user then another 3 on bupe, you say it was easy because you used it properly and only exposed to it over the course of a few days. do that a few years? the come off is brutal. I’m just getting through my 2nd detox apparently my 40 day stay at destination hope didn’t teach me anything and I needed to experiment more day 6 (this time off low dose 1mg day) and i’m still going through it I’ve resorted to eating a single slice of dry wheat bread in the a.m. for breakfast and soup broth during the day as my gut can’t handle anything else.
here’s to hoping I turn the corner in a day or two this last run lasted 90 days so 2 to 3 weeks I should be doing good again, took 25 days of hardcore dope sickness while I was in florida coming off hard from 24mg for 3 straight years. I think this drug needs investigated and shouldn’t ever be used for “maintenance ” it’s a cash cow for the prescribing drug dealer (Dr.) but it’s a friggin nightmare for the end user. I would say regular opiate detox has a higher initial intensity that quickly tapers over 7 to 14 days. but bupe….if you’ve been on it for years and are abruptly stopping….get a medical leave from work, your gonna need it.
I was on subs for 3-4 years can’t remember exactly when I started, but started out on Percocet, Vicodin, Opana (40s), Cocaine, molly (mdma).. pretty much everything besides benzos. I am on day 39 and still feel horrible when I wake up (never really did a taper. Started out at 2 a day. I was doing a quarter to a half of subutex a day towards the end before I jumped, mostly a half… 4mg)… mostly the damn chills/sweats and stomach problems.
I was thinking this crap would only take like 2 weeks at the most! I’ve been going to work everyday too. And the day I quit was my first day of 12 hour day shifts (working with MRDD patients) after being on 14 hour midnights for 5 years, so on top of just working and dealing with withdrawals I had to change my whole sleep schedule around and start waking up at 4:30 in the morning. Also the day I jumped off/started day shift, someone decided they’d brick my windshield (almost positive it was my boss’s crazy wife).
I would also recommend taking a medical leave from work IF you get paid for it or can afford to miss the days you need to miss, but I didn’t have that option, unfortunately. I feel the thing that works the best is being in the sun. When I’m working in the sun I almost feel like I’m not going through withdrawals at all. Can’t wait to be done with this crap and feeling normal!!
I will agree with you here. Every time I start using again I make sure to get a sub from someone. I don’t have insurance so I can only afford one. I got a 12mg one a few days ago as I started back on the H a few weeks ago. I usually take 2 mgs when I first feel wds, then take 1 mg when I feel them again. I continue this method of taking half my last dose until I get to a small sliver, about a week or so in. I feel a little W/D but I take Xanax and some clonidine and I am A-OK.
These doctors are damn crooks. I have been on 24 mgs a day of subs before when I had insurance and would always go back to pain pills as the withdraws were much easier to manage than being on subs. It’s easy as hell to detox off subs if you have only been on them less than a month. I feel sympathy and pray for y’all who have been on them longer. Hard as hell to get off them after they change your damn brain chemistry. Hate this damn med!
I had been on suboxone for 2 years. I was on great program that reqiured group meetings as well as one on ones with doctors and counselors. I started out on one 8 mg strip a day. Went to a half…no problem. 1/4 ok not bad at all. I finally got down to .0625 of a mg and that was when I experienced mild withdrawal symptoms. I had a headache. Nothing Tylenol couldn’t handle.
I did have anxiety but didn’t think it was anything major or out of the ordinary ( I have 4 small kids…stress is normal). No major stomach issues just tired and low on energy. I worked full time and took care of my family not realizing that this was the withdrawal. I found a website that calculates the last 10 days of dosages and tells you your daily level. At that point I had not been taking enough suboxone to have any effect on my body. I thought I was on day 2 but in reality was on day 6…the worst was over.
I made it. I was so scared by the posts that I have been reading. Not very many of them are positive. Suboxone does work with counseling and yes, even I thought it was dumb at the time, group sessions. They helped me realize I was addicted and not just dependant. The doctors were great. I think that the doctors don’t realize just how low you have to taper before you jump off completely.
A large amount of it is psychological but I found it hard to convince myself that I was not withdrawing when I knew I was. If you got anything out of this post please let it be that….the key to minimal withdrawal is to taper very low and yes suboxone does work. My best to all of you and please I cannot stress enough taper, taper taper. Good luck!
Anon, don’t EVER say “what is wrong with you?” to sub people. That is VERY wrong. Everyone is different coming off this drug. Don’t know why but it is true. I am an ex-heroin user and haven’t used in over 10 years. I got fooled into taking subs for arthritic pain and the first time I quit them, no problem. Then I went back to subs because it was so easy to get off and stayed on it for 3 years. I went down to 2 mgs/day and then got off.
It was as bad as H if not worse, and it wasn’t over in 5 days. It is over 30 days after and I still have awful pain in my legs and chills. But I will make it through, it is manageable now, and I will never go back again to subs. TO EVERY READER – withdrawal from subs is different for each person. Use the suggestions here, they are good, and timelines here provide a good rule of the thumb, but it is not as exact as it is getting off H or alcohol. Don’t let that freak you out.
The first 7 days is the worst, but for many it is not over. Don’t let the long withdrawal defeat you. Hang in there, taper long, use a Perc once in a while for a break or Ultram is good for me, but don’t get trapped on those, and you will eventually make it through. Vitamins, MUCH water to flush, and exercise – do not underrate them, they DO make a difference – ask any good ex-addict! Thirty days and counting.
Thank you for your comment, my thoughts exactly, everyone goes through WD differently, the longer you’ve been on subs the harder it gets, I’ve been taking for 7 years, 2 Weeks off now, in a lot of pain now but I’ll fight through it.
GINNY- i know what you mean with RLS pain, i had it bad BUT i put a bar of irish spring soap under my sheets next to my feet and within 1 minute the pain was gonna and i havnt had it since….TRY IT!!!! loads of magnesium in those bars and the vapor under the sheets somehow goes into your skin and heals you good luck!! :)
I have been on suboxone 4 years and my doctor starting the tapering process and actually took me from 16mg a day to 8mg in one month then he was going to 1/2. I didn’t go back. So I am going on day 6 of and I feel like I could cut my legs off. This is horrible. I am on Gabapentin and honestly it has helped with the anxiety and I take a sleeping med so I hot that covered but I can’t handle the pain another second. Please help should I go to the ER or just stick it out. I am just scared they will admit me or something and I don’t want that.
Try to find a compassionate doctor to treat you with 100 – 125 mg librium per day for a month … this will give you back your appetite for short periods but you will still experience wd’s but they willl be reduced in intensity… I’m on week 2 but I absolutely cannot sleep and still experience lack of concentration on anything at all. I’ve detoxed off methadone and it was cake compared to this mainly due to the duration and continued intensity of sickness of suboxone… ER doc’s know nothing about this which is a massive problem… nor will insurance companies cover buprenorphine detox because it’s supposed to be the cure … It’s a terrrible lie and it makes me wanna die or try to find a way to sue my original prescribing psychiatrist
I agree so much with what you said it is a terrible lie, suboxone is now the number one drug abused & can be more addicting than any other drug I ever used!! I am 65 days clean & I will never relapse, I had trouble sleeping in the beginning now I drink a sleepy herbal tea before bed & that is it, RLS lasted far longer than I thought it would, & focusing is hard some days but I would rather have some MINOR annoying things to deal with than to ever be on any opiate again, it is ruthless & shows no mercy for years once addicted..sigh…so glad the worse is over! It’s not the cure suboxone is it’s own disease… sorry its my own experience that led me to that conclusion! I hope your progressing I truly do, good luck!
Merryann. How long did insomnia related to WDs last? Also how long were you on suboxone? I’m trying to use your story as inspiration because it seems to be only one on here that is positive. Everybody else’s story on here scares sh-t out of me.
On my first day of tapering. Been on subs for 2yrs. Trying to get off all drug s. Thanks for all information.
This is my experience with going off Suboxone but first here is a bit of history~~~!I was on opiates for 12 years & just decided to stop, well that didn’t work out so good, that withdrawal of course was HELL! I went to my Dr who said try methadone so I did & stayed on that for awhile until she decided to pull the plug due to our new laws in FL so I freaked & with no sympathy from her at all, she said you will have SOME discomfort! I was in hell trying to come off that, serious horrible issues!
My husband went back with me this time and said to he… be her Dr & help her with this, she says we can do suboxone for her, well it sounded okay until I realized this drug is just as potent for me but I stayed on it fearing the all mighty “withdrawl” until I woke up one day & said to myself I will be 50 this year so do I really want to be dependent on some sort of drug that causes this many issues for the rest of my life, will I be 90 still trying to get suboxone??? It really made me stop and think!
SO I had a 30 day supply of the strips I cut the strips & started taking less each day, then went down to every other day, then every 5th day, until down to once a week, until done, meaning ran out! Everybody is different so this is how it is for me right now, I am on day 16 without any!!! I have slight nausea, muscle aches, & my sinuses are all messed up with runny nose, dry cough, and sneezing! I don’t sleep more than 4 hours a night, and the restless leg thing is so annoying you really will want to club your legs, mild irritability, diarrhea, all the ones mentioned….BUT….This all has subsided & is getting less and less the past 4 days, so happy to see it easing up, not gone by any means but tolerable!
I would force myself to do everyday things as hard as it was & for me hot showers, and short walks in the fresh air helped but were hard in the beginning due to fatigue! I will never ever take this drug again, or any that causes this much discomfort, it is just not worth it, I would rather withdraw from an opiate pain pill any day then try to come off methadone or suboxone but I am going to be happy the rest of my life not being on anything! I do take natural supplements to help me just from Walgreens like Valerian root, melatoin, & a sleep aide called Averil, HELPS so much! I wish anyone who read this good luck with whatever your facing and just know IT DOES END & IT DOES GET EASIER!!!!
Just takes time & although I am easing up with the symptoms I am no way feeling my old self or normal, I realistically know this will take months maybe a year, not to be in withdrawal it really gets better by the 2nd week but just to be back to normal physically & mentally! Just hang in there don’t give up give up, if your already into being off of it just tell yourself Okay one more day, then before you know it you will be saying okay another day down, and then another, and so on, and so on!!!! You got this & it can be done!!!!!! Peace & blessings!!!
Wow Merryann I never reply but you are so right. this is the worst drug ever. I was on opiates for about 5 years then went on saboxone for 4 and half years. I started on 24 mg a day which is ridiculous, but I took it for 4 years like that. Then my plan was to quit for the new year but I still had 60 film left. So I changed it to quitting on my birthday and tapering off.
When my birthday came I still wasn’t out but I was down to .25 a day for 2 months and finally ran out on August 3rd 2014. I had already stocked up on vitamins and I decided that I would eat healthy, walk, drink tons of water, because I was going to beat this. I’m 3 years from being 50 and I kept saying I WANT MY OLD SELF BACK!!!! I was very scared and stressed myself out more than needed. Tapering off does work.
I felt moody and a little depressed the first week. Never got RLS or body aches, and I sleep. My get up and go and positive thoughts are returning and I’m so proud of myself. NO CRAVINGS!!! So if you are going through this, hang in there because it will get better. Exercise as much as you can to get the toxins out of your system. Day 32 for me clean and so happy
Was using opiates for 30 years. Got on suboxone 24 mg 2 & 1/4 years ago. After a while, my doctor began a very slow taper that lasted over two years. My last suboxone was three days ago. (0.5 mg). I definitely feel low. I have no energy, a bit depressed, sneezing, yawning, sweating. But I know it will get better. I pray this is my last bout with opiates ever. But as they say, one day at a time. Thanks for your support. I think I can handle this!!
I had to cover my boss and work at 5am and the clinic doesn’t open til 6. For Three days I missed my dose and let me tell you I wish I was dead. It’s nothing like pills or dope this crap here is serious stuff. I find getting in a tub of hot water while the fan blows on your face. Baby sip everything…no gingerale the foam sucks. And nothing that taste like bupe because you will really throw up. I did that and took some xanax and I’m getting better.
Lol… not for long you won’t. It is temporary relief but later you will need help getting better but doesn’t matter!
Its been five days since I took subs. I’ve only take a fourth of a 8 mil strip per day. Been doing this for a little over a year. I’m eating Xanax to help me sleep. I don’t care for any symptoms but rls…..its to the point I want to bash my legs with golf clubs. How much more of this rls do I have left. If someone tells me 30 days I’m going to lose it.
I have had restless legs for 15 days but it is easing up, meaning less & less each night, now I will still find myself kind of shaking my legs & feet back & forth while watching TV or resting, but nothing like the first week, it truly is better! Hang in there, if I can do it anyone can do it, I have been on some type of opiates for 15 years, and now I am not! Tired but drug free! You have this!!!!
I’ve been on suboxone for 6 years and had my last dose on Wednesday night. I was on a tapering schedule but I didn’t stick to it because I liked the feel of the suboxone & feared withdrawal. Now that I’m almost 5 days without it I feel like sh#t. I want to go back on it just so I can live normally again. The fall semester starts tomorrow and I’m afraid I will struggle because of my withdrawal. I am scared that it can last up to a year
I was scared of the same things as everyone else is on here! Like you I liked the way it made me feel!!! I have been off suboxone for 16 days straight! Read one of my posts on here about how I stopped, & hopefully it may help you! If you stick to tapering the right way like I did the withdrawal is still going to happen but it is much less than just stopping or starting & then stopping again!
It stays in your system for quite awhile so tapering can be tricky, but I found my own routine for tapering and it was awesome (for me) I still am having some mild withdrawal but it is so much better and I am coming around! There are supplements that can help at least for me they did, melatonin, valerian root, B12 for energy or even a 5 hour energy shot once in awhile if you need it, a wonderful sleep aide if needed is Alteril, I get these at CVS or Walgreeens and they help! I wanted to go back on like you to live “normal” again but I had to say enough is enough if this drug causes an addiction so strong and withdrawal with symptoms just as strong is this normal????
I can’t do this to myself the rest of my life it just isn’t worth it to me, imo! This drug to me is not a cure, it is simply going off one thing and into another! It will not last a year, not the withdrawal, it is already easing up for me, it might take months to feel whole again, like yourself but don’t let withdrawal scare you so bad you give up…. before you even realize it you will be through the hard part & you will be happy you stayed with it, trust me, I am sooooo happy! :) Good luck I am rooting for you all the way!!!! YOU GOT THIS!!!! Peace!!!
My name is charlie. I’ve been on subs for 2 years and I cut my self down to a quarter a day. Now I’m going on day two without anything, I feel alittle different but not much. Is the wds as bad when you dosed down to hardly nothing can somebody let me no thanks
I cut down also but it needs to be for a long time, skipping days for weeks etc. I was on 4 years so it might be worse. Also, I wish you luck, but the wd for me started about a week later each time I tried to stop. But I’m getting through it so you can too!
I just came off 1mlg suboxone after being on and off opiates for 5 years .. Been to detox a few times and have been on my subs but would use when my money was up and finally I decided to quit spending thousands of dollars on pills, doctors and detox when I’m only 23 and just got into a nursing program so I took the summer off to taper off subs.. Got down to 1 mlg which I NEVER thought I could and have felt minimal pain. It’s been 4 days and I have worked out while taping off subs , ate healthy, drank mad water and Gatorade and prepared for the worse but feel good. So taper down as much as possible .. Drink water.. I take vitamin .. B-6.. B12 L-Tyss and from detox have trazidone and non narcotic shit for restless legs … Be prepared mentally n taper and trust me it will be manageable !
I am going through suboxone withdrawl as we speak. I have been on subs for over 5 years I am a 29 year old female. 6mg was the last dose I took 48hours ago I could not taper down any less. I am going cold turkey and will keep you all posted on my prognosis. Please pray for me
Best of luck Anna! Already said a prayer for you! Going thru sub wds as well right now and its tough. Having gone thru this before I can tell its no where near as bad as H or Oxy wds but it tends to last much longer, unfortunately. I was able to taper down t0 1 mg sub/day when i stopped this time and its not too bad! Getting sleep wont be easy and the restless legs and arms are the worst of it. But those will slowly go away. I just want to encourage you to keep strong and continue to trust in God and pray often!! And just know that I’ll be thinking about you and praying for you. Just remember, it does get better. It probably doesnt seem like it right now, but you’ll get there
FYI: PARAFON FORTE 500mgs 2 every 4 hours gets rids of the restless leg syndrom. Small trick my excellent doctor taught me. Oh and for the hot/cold/hot/cold/hot/cold flashes try clonodine. If you are an addict try seraquil for sleep. Im not an addict I used SUB for pain control after a very nasty series of botched surgeries. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!!! You are all such STRONG people. I’m about 5 days cold turkey from 2mgs of Suboxone and I feel like hell. Constant sneezing. My bones hurt.
Frankly I feel like a little old lady going through menopause with bad hot flashes. I figured one week and I could be off this stuff cause I have a vacation in ten days!!! But it took ALL I had to get out of bed and go get two hour deep tissue massage….ooohhh ad am I glad I did! Was the first time i slept in days! Personally I think massages help flush the toxins out of the muscles. It was great till I almost sh*t my pants on car ride home and the whole massage I was freezing (PAWS not the spa).
One more thing… 2 Benadryl work great to get rid of the runny noise and rapid fire sneezing attacks.
Emergen-C packets mixed with some water will give you some energy.
Hope some of that helps!
I was also taking subs for chronic pain, doctor switched me to 10mg oxycodone, not helping at all. 2 weeks now still feeling achy, sneezing like crazy, my body hurts everywhere, feels like the flu :/. God Bless you all ♡ Stay strong.
Being on suboxone for more than 5years starting at 24mg. I finally stopped taking 6mg subs on august 4th. I could not taper down bc I am an addict and it wasn’t working out , I went cold turkey starting August 4th for two weeks using Motrin 400mg ,valerian root , soma tabs, clonodine. The rls was bad and my arms were killing me. Cold sweats, weakness, sneezing like crazy, cigarettes taste disgusting right now, back pain blah blah blah… I started methadone 5mg on August 19th I taper down every other day. I couldn’t stand the pain so my dr prescribed me the methadone. Today is August 23rd I feel like okay. I’m on 2.5mg methadone today. Hopefully by next week I’ll be clean. I don’t know what else to do. The 3rd week seemed to be the worst.
I wish I would have quit cold turkey from the blues and Percs I was taking. The withdrawl sucks from pills but it’s much easier and faster than this suboxone withdrawl. I didn’t know this information 6 years ago I’m only 29years old. But I am focused and going to keep fighting until I am back to myself again
I was taking 12 mg per day and took my last 6mg two weeks ago then stopped cold turkey as I could not afford it anymore. The first week was the worst and has been getting steadily better everyday after day 8. But I still have extreme fatigue and depression which I never had before. Best of luck to you and just take it one day at a time.
Oh, how I just prayed my heart out for you! I understand…
I will I’m thirty on day five and this is rough I’m strong though ex semi pro football player. I don’t want to touch another strip ever! Was on sub for six years. Please pray for me
I’ve been on 30mg methodone for almost 3 years. Started with 10mg of suboxone for a week and then tapered off. Probable 14 8 mg subs total. In 3 weeks. I’m on day two without subs. Does anyone know how long til ill feel better? I’m really not sure if my wd’s are from subs or methodone. I just want to be done with it all. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your comments!
Lydia. I quit subs cold turkey from 12 mg per day. It’s been two weeks and most of the withdraw symptoms are gone. But I still have absolutely no energy and have read that it can take a long time to come back. Good luck I wish the best for you. Also depression was and is still pretty bad for me which Disturbs me cause I’ve never had a problem with that before.
I, too have quit cold turkey. I don’t even know how much I was averaging. I took 6 mg yesterday and 2 today. I started on 24 mg almost two years ago and have taken that, if not more almost everyday. I’m ready to be done with these! I hate subs. I have two children who so desperately need me, a 13 year old and 5 year old girls. No husband, no BF, no family. Subs have taken my life away from my girls and me.
How did you do it? 2 weeks and you are starting to feel better? I want that. I don’t want to flip out, cry, be angry. I just want to live without all this horrible shit. At this point I feel homicidal. Guess it’s better than suicidal. Thank you and good luck. Out of all this sadness, your post caught my eye.
I don’t know when you posted this but I came off of methadone about three yrs now I was up to 205 mil a day. Tapered rather quickly thought I was fine took about 6 months to taper to 1 mil a day when I left that place I was one a high for about a week then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Took me 2 months to get 100% and it was the worst thing anyone can experience. I pray you are well and would like to hear your story.
Lydia I am not an expert. I have been on methadone several times in my forty years of using heroin. That drug takes a while to come off. But you can do it. I promise you that you can. I did it hang in there.
Hi everyone ,thanx to you all . iv been sitting here reading comments for a couple of hours . i used heroin for 20 years pretty hard call . iv been on suboxone for 8 years now i started on 16 mg for a few years ,then tried reducing over the last couple of years iv been very diciplined and havnt used alot od other drugs in this time not perfect though . im a bit fucking scattered at the moment . iv tapered down to about 3mg for a couple of weeks then cuting bits of my film over a few weeks and having the small bit god only no s how much , not much i dont think i then had three days with nil . first day ok second day well far out man third day ok but that night last night was so hard core shit , at three am i had to have about 1.5 mg i was in so much pain it was intense my chest legs arms were reacting crazzy it actualy hurt . iv got through the day ok . i dont want to take any tonight i gota be strong do any of you no if using a small amount during that intense period takes you back far with w/d ?? im a bit anxious and very tied bless you guys thanx from Australia werever you arer xxx
My doc prescribes 20mg of suboxone a day. I think that’s a crazy amount (too much). I used opiates for a year with heroin for 6 months. I’m only 21 years old and live so close to Detroit (where it’s so cheap). Regardless, my doc says I’m on 20mg for a good six months. I’m trying to come off it myself. I haven’t had anything in 24 hours and I feel a bit off. and my heart keeps beating rapidly. But I have an EXTREME urge to use. Man this wasn’t worth it at all.
That doctor is f*cking STUPID. You need to start a taper and get off that sh*t NOW. I was a heavy H user for almost 3 years. I did only a 5 day detox on Suboxone. Started with 8mg, than 4mgx a day, than 2mgx…so on. And a month later I STILL get a sweat and a chill here and there. That doctor is a corrupt f*ck who is using your addiction to get paid. There is absolutely NO reason you, or most people, should be taking that much when you’ve only been using for a year. No way. The less of that sh*t you take the better. You should only take it when you detox off the H and then stop.
I agree! It’s crazy to read about these people whose doctors have prescribed subs for 4 years, 8 years, 10 years! It’s not meant to be used like that! My doc had me on it for 4 years & every time I asked to start to taper & work to get off of them, he’d up my dosage. He got an easy paycheck for my maintenance and subsequent “new” addiction. I started subs four years ago at 24mg/day (three 8mg/strips a day) after an 8 month vike addiction.
Four years later, I worked with my family doctor to help me wean down on my subs. I went down from 28 to 16, then 8 and felt fine (I don’t think I ever needed such a high dosage to begin with). Eventually I was down to a 2mg strip a day. My doctor had me alternate, 2mg one day & 1mg the next day. I did that for two weeks and then went down to 1mg a day and alternated between 1mg & 1/2 mg until I was down to 1/2mg a day for two weeks.
I took my last 1/2 mg sub 6 days ago & I still feel pretty shitty. Mostly my muscles ache. I find it hard to walk, go up the stairs, or move much at all. My body feels as though someone has filled it with lead. Hot baths helped me through most of the chills and at this point I haven’t had them for a couple of days but don’t trust they won’t come back. It’s torturous & I blame my doctor’s irresponsibility for my pain and withdrawals. Docs who prescribe this stuff irresponsibly should be reported to the medical board!
Agreed!! No one should take more than 8 mg a day, and that should be for heavy H users. Doctors are ruining people’s lives with these super high, prolonged doses! I quit s 5 year pill and heroin habit using 8 mg and tapering 25% every 4 days. No one should be on subs for more than 6 weeks or so, max.
I was prescribed 16 mg a day of subs for taking 6 vicodin a day for years for pain. I ran out of my vicodin early and was put on 16 mg of sub. I could never take more than 4 mg a day of subs because it would make me very ill. I decided to quit cold turkey two months ago. I had taken the subs every day for two and a half years. The withdrawal was pretty terrible for the first month. I have never sweated more in my life. I slept very little.
I did do a ton of research on subs and have found out that the company that makes it has not been honest with the doctors who prescribe it. First of all, subs have a very long half life. Subs also have a stacking effect in your body. Here is the real kicker, this pissed me off so much. Suboxone has a ceiling effect of 4 mg. This means that 4 mg of subs in your body covers all of your receptors in your brain. It makes no sense to take any more than this. The staking effect and long half life mean that if you take 1 mg a day for a week, you will have a constant level of about 4 mg of subs in your system at all times.
4 mg a day should be the maximum dose. Patients with chronic pain are given Bupe in a pain patch of .25 mg a day. If this tiny amount works for major pain, this is a very potent drug. So much excess opiates in the body cause your brain to create new receptor sites for all the excess opiates. This is why the brain and body go haywire when stopping opiates. Suboxone changes the chemistry of your body. It is such a terrible drug and I still do not feel right after 2 months off it.
I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. The confusion, depression, anxiety, mood swings, anger, lack of motivation, etc. – it sucks. We have all been taken advantage of to line the pockets of big pharma. The only good advice I’ve heard is to switch back to a short acting opiate such as vicodin or percocet for a few months and then stop those. They wont get you high after subs and it will be much easier on the body and mind. A pharmacist told me this. Good luck to all!
I just wanted to say that that is what I’m doing (your last comment). I’ve been taking Percocet and Vicodin for 21 days now so I won’t go through the Suboxone withdrawal. I took Subs for 2 1/2 years, at 6 mg/day (but the doc prescribed 24 mg/day – they don’t give a sh#t about their patients). But I’m planning on today or tomorrow being my last day of pain pills, and I will take Suboxone for three days to stop the pain pill withdrawal, and then be done for good. I really hope three weeks of no Suboxone will be enough. But reading these comments is really scaring me.
Kevin I started my withdrawals 9 days ago. I am better, but not much. First day I had diarrhea and vomiting but now I have extremely bad leg pain. But it might take a little longer then 3 days for you to completely withdraw. I am with you – these darn docs don’t know what they are talking about. My son is a nurse and he told me to call a pharmacist that they are the only ones that know the truth and tell you how long it might take you to withdraw. Please let me know how you are doing maybe we can get through this together.
Its easier to quit pills then subs. Trust me. Don’t take subs… Never especially if you never have. It’s very hard. Been off the for 6 days. And just now getting over the uncomfortableness. It’s straight poison…
You’re amazing. Thanks for this. The cumulative effect of subs and longgg half life is something people don’t get, then they suffer from withdrawing from it. You really have to do some math on your personal taper schedule. I’m 48 days clean, with my last .15th mg dose today. Now I’m done. My withdrawal symptoms are minimal. Good luck to all.
Hi, David. I’m in Australia too. I have been tapering down fairly quickly from 28mg sub film. I had been on this high dose for a couple of years and it is killing me! I wondered how you are going now? I’m down to about 4mg a day and have self tapered (I know, I know) over the past couple of months. In Victoria. Hope you’re managing. :)
I’m on day 6 of 2mg sub wd I took it for one year. I’m starting to feel a little better just some mild depression and discomfort. I took a month off of work to recover. If your just starting to wd DO NOT psych yourself out, yes the first few days are tough but everyone is different so just because one person suffers for 90 days does not mean you will the most important thing is to take great care of yourself which for drug addicts like our selves is a new concept lol. Drink lots of water, take a multi vitamin, glucosamine for joint pain, B complex vitamin for your nervous system and energy, and most importantly get outside and walk. No one should have to be a prisoner to Suboxone it’s not impossible to overcome. I’m not out of the woods yet but I do know no matter how tough PAWS might be in the upcoming weeks I will never give up the fight to be completely clean and sober.
Thanks for sharing your experience and advice Justin. I totally agree that it is important to avoid psyching yourself out (e.g. being a hypochondriac over the symptoms). It’s good to have a general idea of what to expect, but don’t assume worst case scenario – everyone will have a different experience. Good luck with your withdrawal.
I was on opiates for 12 years. Took 12 mg suboxone film for 18 months now. Have done great. I never needed “extra” subs to do the same job like opiate pills. I moved from OK to OR. Just found a Dr. for my subs but have been without for 3 weeks now. The first 5 days I was FINE. I thought I was home free and didnt need it any more. Boy was I wrong. I think I feel worse every day. WHEN DOES IT END…HELP!!!!!
I was on methadone from 1999 to 2005, then switched to suboxone. I slowly tapered and stopped taking them in October 2015. It’s February 2016 and I still have withdrawal symptoms. Diarrhea, extreme fatigue, trouble staying asleep, and restless arms/legs.
Seriously, when does this stop? I keep saying just one more day but I’m losing the tiny amount of strength I have left to keep going any more days. I’m scared I’m doomed to jump the flaming hoops of treatment forever! I just want to feel a little bit better.
You hit the nail on the head. Care for your body. Take supplements. And fight for your sobriety! We must learn to live with discomfort at times without falling back on drugs to mask it. Sometimes it sucks, but that’s life, and my view is, 90 days will pass anyway. A year will pass anyway. If I can muddle through, I’m still winning. You’re awesome Justin. :-)
I was on subs 16 mg daily for ten years,my last dose after taper was 1mg on 10-05-13. As of today i am still feeling paws,or mild wd. I can tell you that on the very few occassions that i had taken anything during this period(neurontin,clonidine,or even chantix) it does surely prolong wd ,or paws from subs.That,s me though,may not be with someone else.It is a long road to get of sub,but feeling much better off same,no doubt about it.
I took 5 30mg percs for 2 months str8 and then jumped on H for a couple weeks where I realized I had to stop b4 it got worse .. Had two days of pain coming off the H and then jumped on just 2mg for a week of subs and then the passed week just 1 mg and then I skipped a day and took .25mg now it’s been about 50 hours since my last dose of .25mg… Thought out this process of subs I’ve been feeling slight mood swings , fatigue and RSL . Last night I had trouble sleeping until I took half a Xanax … What am I expecting now? May someone please help me and answer these ?s .. THANK YOU
Hi Giovanni, I took my last suboxone a week ago. I cut an 8 mg strip into about 10 pieces. I still feel a little bad, but taking Super B Complex, Valerian root and taking Tylenol for the back ache is really helping. Also drinking some sleepy time tea (Bigelow’s sleepy time tea). It does not take away all the symptoms but helps dramatically. Also drink a lot of water not soda or coffee. This will help flush out your system. If you have diarrhea get some Imodium. Just try to treat each symptom… your pharmacist can help with what to get. Just hang in there.
The first week seems the easiest. You think, “this is not so bad”. About day 7 or 8 you start to lose all energy, moods turn very ugly (depressed, irritable). I am on day 9 and feel worse that any previous day. My regiment was 3years of oxy – Norco in large amounts following neck reconstruction surgery, very painful. Oct started on sub 30mg across 24H and tapered every week – ten days by about 1/5.
The taper from 1mg to 0.25mg took a month or more. Then I took the leap 8 days ago. Last night I was up from 2- 4 with bad RLS and had planned to return to work today but did not. Mornings are starting to feel better but as day progresses I fade and nights are worst. Hang in there all and whatever you do do not give in to the temp to take little slices of sub to feel better as you will simply extend your ultimate misery.
I’ve been on sub. for 15 months now. Getting off 3 years of prescription addiction (oxys, morphine, fentanyl, oxymorphcotin) just any kind of pain med I could get my hands on. Started with 8mgs/day of sub. Now I’m down to 0.5mg day so I figured, I can stop now; no problem. The first 5 days were fine, very mild withdrawals, headache, diarrhea, irritability.
Then on day 6 WHAM it all hit me at once! WTF! I thought withdrawals get better with time, not worse. It’s so hard to try and keep sane. I work and can’t call in sick so it’s even that much more difficult trying to cope. I don’t think I can do a year before getting back to my old self… I really don’t.
You should NOT take xanax. Coming off of a benzo is way worse than suboxone and dangerous. Just saying. I would know. I’ve been there. I took oxys and xanax. You should never cover up a withdrawal with another controlled substance.
I’m not advocating use of benzos by any means, but maybe your experience was unique to you. I know multiple people who have completely tapered off xanax. Only know 1 other person who’s gotten off subs.
90 days?! Wtf?!?! I’m only on day twelve and I feel like it’s getting worse instead of better! Is there any hope of feeling good? Ever???
This is just a general rule of thumb Colleen. You may improve quicker than 90 days depending on how gradually you tapered and how sensitive you are to withdrawals. Best of luck.
Colleen, you’re too far to turn back now. I’m on day 22 and today felt like day four, but yesterday I felt fine. It’s a month of hell, but it starts getting easier for you in about five more days.
Hang in there. 90 days is an extreme! I regret to say that I have come off of subs 3 times now over the last 12 years (2 times under supervision of a doc) I tapered each time but this is the first time doing it with my Dr. First 2 times I just cut it down myself (QUICKLY) this time cold turkey.
I’m on day 3 and yes I am going through severe w/d however; by using remedies like the ones people mention (especially Kratom) I have been able to feel much better and even function at work. The worst thing you can do is look at someone else’s extreme case and apply it to your own. That is mentally setting yourself up for failure. Anyhow just my advise because it pains me to know that ANYONE else is suffering this fate.
I will be praying for all of us.
Man this is the toughest thing to go threw period. I’m about 3 weeks into it and I feel like hurting myself. I have been threw a lot of stuff in my life but this takes the cake.
Hang in there James. Hope you are staying strong and have experienced some improvement.
Hey James hang in there & everyone going through this experience. I was on suboxone for 10 yrs…age 21 to 31. Seriously felt like hell I don’t know how I had the strength to get through. I was convinced I had damaged myself for life and that was my new existence. It finally let up today, and I cleaned my entire apartment…something I couldn’t think about during the post acute. The Wd’s were hardcore for the first 30 days, but it’s the madness that ensues over the following 2 months that no one talks about. It can be done I’m off it. Please stick with it. I had to get a job go through a training course while WD’ing, you’re gonna feel shitty, mind over matter. You’ll survive.
Thank you for that comment. I was on it for 3 years and am struggling to get off. I tapered off 3 months ago but have recently been taking a little here and there. I’m debating whether or not to just get back on it. I’ve been very irritable, depressed and tired. Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy!
OMG, you have gone 3 months and are considering going back on it? That is crazy! Why would you even entertain that idea. DO NOT GIVE UP! You have gotten through the hardest part. You can do this! You are not going crazy. It’s a normal withdrawal symptom and will pass as they all will eventually.
Hi I’ve been struggling with this lifeless existence now for 10 years also and feel like my life is shot and I have no hope. Doctors won’t help. I’ve been to 4 different ones begging for help getting off. I don’t know anyone who has gotten off this after so long or even who has been on it this long. How did you do it? How did you get off? I hope you see this and please reply I’m so desperate!
Find the right doctor.
Sherrie, I’ve been off of suboxone for 50 days today. I was on 32 mg for 3 years. I was desperate and was going to do the rapid detox for $8000. My doctor wouldn’t help me, so I did it on my own with support from people at church. Go to helpmegetoffdrugs[dot]com/taper (buprenorphine taper schedule). You put in your dose and it’ll calculate a taper schedule for you. I went down to a 64th of an 8mg strip or 0.13mg.
It shows you how to cut it. I had a plan to take off of work and I made it. I prayed a lot and others prayed for me. I was not all that sick to be honest. I’m getting energy back and sleeping well. Only by the grace of God did I do this.
Hello, I have been on it for 14 years and it saved my life. I was in debt $60,000 dollars 8 months late on rent and alone. I went to sub doctor and after that it slowly got better. I am married have a son and (not kidding) own three homes all to family rental income and run an internet business. I travel often and love life. I started on 16mg.
Recently I started a tapper and down to 1.5mg. I feel good and hope to get off complete in next month. I dont understand why you call it lifeless existence? It saved me and now look forward to being drug free after building life on it. It taught me how to live and not surround myself with people places and things. they are all gone. Oh I also went back to college and finished my 4 years degree at Kean university.
I had gone two years when younger but my drug habit stopped me. I have since graduated in 2013 with management science degree. I did not need my degree for work. (I am self employed) I did it for myself. Just wanted to show you it does not have to be lifeless. You may have other things going on you need to tend to? Just saying. Hope I helped.
Wean yourself off. Even to a sixteenth at a time… Most doctors want you on it to get your money. Mine told me not to quit but I am. And can’t go back… Never.
Hey Taylor – And I thought I was on a super low dose!! I’ve tapered only once prior and then started climbing again during grad school and internships… super busy and productive times… but today, I’m over 24 hrs without my .25 of 1mg OF a full 8mg strip!
I’m in the midst of opening a business and kicking myself for not following through sooner. I feel “ok” for most part… some aches and pains, restlessness, irritable, low energy low motivation and it’s giving me a bit of anxiousness!! I pray this process goes smoothly as I truly believe it will!
I have never, in my almost 3 years on, taken more than a full 8mg strip in one day… so my question is, do you think my WDs will be less severe? I’m praying, this is not the time for me to be sick!!
I recently found out my husband has been on suboxone for years and he’s just now deciding to quit. Can you give me tips on how to be supportive and helpful during this time?
I’ve been on sub for a couple of months and I was taking only one 8 mg a day, but now I ran out. I’m trying to stop, but I feel like crap. How long will this last after only being on it for a couple months? I’ve been off for about 24 hours now and the symptoms are peaking and started to not peak anymore. Is that a good sign? Need advice for the mental side of this. Please!!!!
Hey Joseph, My advice is taper. 8mg is way to high a dose to quit. I was on subs for about 6 or 7 years, I did no research on it just needed help quitting vics. Doctor did not know or did not care how addictive they are, anyway finally I tapered down to .25 mg per day until I decided to try to skip a day and after I made it I decided to try another day.
(I still had 30 2 mg strips) which I would recommend that you have extras when You quit. It helped me mentally. This is day 13. I’m still not sleeping and motivation is very low, but every day gets a little better. From what I have read it will take a month for your brain to start to recover. You can do this!
Since I got so low this time, the PAWS have not been as bad, but it’s still hard to get comfortable. Good luck. If You can Taper down and if You can’t, it WILL get better in time.
I was on it for 3 years and started tapering 5 months ago and my last day was Monday. Today, I feel much better. You have not been on it long, but you need to taper off this drug, so contact your doctor for a taper supply. Don’t use any other DRUGS!!! Good luck My Sub brother.
Hey joe, Just wanted to share with you this. I was on subs for 7 years and painkillers for 6 years prior, and finally had enough so I jumped off subs @ 8 mg cold turkey. The first week of WD’s are the worst. Week two is pretty rough too. Week 3&4 the physical symptoms slowly get better every day…
I personally am at just over 5 weeks off and the PAWS or total lack of energy and joy and the not wanting to do much of anything are my only symptoms I have left. It’s extremely frustrating most days, but at least I’m alive and on my way to getting healthy. I haven’t given up and I’m not going to go back. No matter what!!
You just have to make it through one day at a time no matter how bad you feel today. Just keep pushing on till tomorrow. Tell yourself that everyday. If you can kick opioids (lifesuckers!!) YOU can do anything!!
I know how hard this can be. I am four days in. I have a pharmacist who treats me with bias over the meication. Actually after years on methadone, heroin, used properly. It’s been a game changer for me. It’s the, expense, stigma and hoops one most go through. I have used opiates or so long. I’m afraid of my body’s natural ability to rebuild the necessary amount?
I’m not sure what you mean when you say you “ran out”. Why doesn’t your doctor refill your script for you each month? That is usually how it works, unless you got it from someone else, in which case you just need to find a doctor in your area that prescribes Suboxone. He will wean you off gradually, which is whole lot less painful and intense than going cold turkey like I’m doing. The only reason I didn’t taper is because I disliked and distrusted my doctor. Feel free to email me for any reason if you like. Stay Strong! Stay Alive!
A year? Or even 90 days of this crap seems impossible right now. I will say that’s the main reason I keep going back to it because I can’t function without kids /job. No time to lay around being sick my world may feel like it’s ending but everyone else keeps going so I think there needs to be some option to rapid detox or something. Wasting my life on this sh#t… wished I never took it.
I completely agree! I feel like sh#t and I can’t move!
Its been two weeks and I feel like hell!
When did you start feeling better?
I’ve tapered to taking 1/16 of an 8mg pill. So ½mg a day. Now I’ve found out I’m pregnant. I know the standard is to stay on it while pregnant, but i can never be sure when I’m sick from this crap or when there’s something else wrong with me. I thought maximum- this detox would be 2 weeks. I’m only 48 hours in from taking none. The thing is- I’ve felt sick for over 2 weeks – which probably is the detox from 2mg to .5mg still happening.
I was only in it 6 months. I’ve give in subs like 6 times in my life though. I don’t know when the worst part is supposed to happen. I thought it’d be 3rd day. Is this not the case? I’m really scared after reading all this. I dunno what to do. My legs are killing me – I can’t take benzo’s cuz of the baby. WTF?! Anyone have any feedback on this?
You can do this! You’re so lucky to not have been on subs long. Just keep tapering. Take 1/16th (so half of 1 mg sliver) a day, then skip a day, then take it again, and skip…. Keep tapering. For me, I tapered that dose, the every other day part for 6 days, then started skipping 2 days between 1/16 doses. I swear it’s still enough to make you feel it…
I have achey legs and a piercing runny nose, chills, etc and I can feel the taper even just using .5 mg of it. I just in the last 2 days have tried .25 mg crumbs and tapered those too… Today is my last dose and I feel a little bit crappy, but nothing in comparison to how I felt the first days of withdrawal from heroin even with subs. Perspective is key.
You’ll never feel as bad as you did when you first started. I am 48 days clean today, and I started using 8 mg the first day I got clean, and tapered 25% every 4 days. Sometimes I used a mg more if I felt horrible in the early weeks but I kept reminding myself that the first night of pure hell (withdrawing before I could start subs) was the apex of the pain and it all gets better from here.
Just stick with it. Use crumbs, literally, crumbs of subs to stop your symptoms but use the tiniest amount possible. And reduce your total mg % every 4-5 days. It’s imperative to not use subs for more than 40-60 days, tops, or then you have a different addiction to deal with. I also suggest an antidepressant if your Dr will allow one during pregnancy. Wellbutrin ups dopamine which helps TONS.
I’m so with you! I’m going insane!! I started suboxone 11/2012. Started at 2 mg four times a day. I suffer from anxiety, eating disorders & depression and have been on 80 mg Prozac and 20 mg Valium a day for 8 years. Suboxone increased my depression, I lack motivation, I was nauseous non stop, I gained weight. Only good side effect is I couldn’t drink alcohol because it made me sick for days. I lost all motivation and love for life. November 1, 2014 was my first day of no suboxone.
I had chosen to wean down to 2 mgs every couple days for months. I was miserable and exhausted. I didn’t hit the peak of withdrawal symptoms until day 9. It’s December 11. I’m suicidal. I haven’t been out of bed. I need to get it together for my kids and husband. I’m a disgusting pathetic burden. I’m desperate to feel a reason to live. I’m now supplementing my days with cocaine to just keep up. Not to “party”, but to wake up and face the same sh*t and feel worthless while keeping a smile on my face to not damage the innocent I am indebted, bonded and culpable for. I will wait until the holidays and commit my self to a inpatient rehab / loony bin. I’m not sure where I belong.
I have no faith in 12 step cult meetings. I need serious behavior modification. Obviously, I cannot run a home and kids and do this alone. I feel like I was robbed of life and lied to by the drs I trusted. I believe I was experimented on. I received more information in suboxone via Google than my ignorant drs. I’m an accidental addict, I’m a mentally sick person who was diagnosed with “fibromyalgia” and my cure were opiates.
13 years later I was accused of being a drug addict and was taken off all my pain MEDS and sent home to feel the wrath of physical addiction, a hell I was ignorant about. I thought I was dying. I cannot function without chemicals. I hope I can make it out half the person I once was. My family deserves better than me… I need patience.
Just want to get through this, as do you. I was touched by your thoughts. I pray for all of us. Stress, anxiety, ice water through veins, chills. I am staying with my daughter. Her family is trying to help me. But God just just made the sun shine after a gloomy day.
My husband is coming off suboxone. How can I help? I don’t even know the same man that he used to be. This is so horrible for me to watch and deal with… His mood swings are out of control and he is nothing like he used to be. Please help me understand so I don’t walk away from 15 years with the man I love.
emh – I’m in your husbands position now, though my SO and I were only together for 10 yrs. I hid my opiate problem from her for a few years until things got out of hand and I confessed to her that I was dependent… still not sure if that was a good choice. She flipped out and involved all of my family and friends without consulting me, and then her dad decided to step in and start dictating terms… without my knowledge or input.
I was totally for treatment, but nobody could seem to figure out how to find a doctor or clinic for methadone or suboxone, which is what I really needed to get through. So she and her dad searched the house with me in tow, demanding I turn over any drugs. That was humiliating. I had no choice but cold turkey after they forbade me from any medication that would help.
So day five I was still writhing in bed in complete agony… I begged her to let me buy some opiates that she could dispense to me for a taper regimen. Nope. I couldn’t even get up to shower let alone find a clinic, so I went and bought some prescription opiates from my guy while she was working. Two vicodin and I was up and moving again, clean, showered, and scoured the area for clinics.
I found a methadone clinic and went on that drug legitimately. I had committed myself to a policy of truth, so I told her what I did. When she got home she informed me that she met with her dad and they decided to kick me out of our house. She left me shortly after. I was devastated, miserable, angry, felt betrayed and tossed out like trash.
Listen to him and include him in decisions, and don’t give ultimatums based on Yahoo Answers like my father in law did. Help him manage a suboxone taper down if you can, and be understanding that he might mess up–just try to make sure that he is moving forward. If his withdrawals have him bedridden you can help keep him cool or warm with plenty of space to move around. Spooning was awful for me… if you’ve ever experienced claustrophobia it is a lot like opiate withdrawals, so loose sheets and blankets and room to stretch.
Ice water, vitamins, hot showers, and if you have ativan or similar benzos for anxiety they are good for that crazy claustrophobic restlessness (just make sure not to overdo it, benzos are addictive). Good luck!
P.S. I know what you mean by him being a totally different man. It took me until I got to a low suboxone dose to start to look back at how shitty of a person I became while enslaved to opiates. He might still be in there somewhere, but that will take him seeing how he’s changed over the years and him wanting to change back to that human being you fell in love with. Patience.
Maybe shouldn’t judge NA meetings, since they are currently doing better than you by NOT using drugs to cope. Just a thought. I used oxycodone and then subs for years. Those cult meetings are saving my life.
Rehab did wonders for me, it’s not a loony bin it sounds like it’s where you belong. I just got out of a great one in FL and a ton of people were there for suboxone dependency. They had me on suboxone for a month for my heroin addiction but I’m getting off here soon. I don’t believe suboxone should be used the way doctors use it. I think it’s great for a 5 day detox and then it’s time to stop.
I know this post was 3 years ago, but I stumbled upon this site due to wanting to get off suboxone. I have had 15 hand surgeries (I almost cut off my pinkie and ring finger in my dominate right hand) and was on Percocet for 2 years, until I started noticing myself take more than I needed and expressed my concern to my doctor, he lowered it to Vicodin, not knowing I experienced withdrawal symptoms but thought the Vicodin was just making me sick, so my doctor put me on 10mg norcos for 7 years (15 surgeries in 6 years, do the math)…
Then one day his nurse called my name for my biweekly appointment and explained she would not prescribe me anymore norcos because she felt the length I was on them, I was addicted and referred me to “pain management”. I’m in nursing school and can not have that on my record, so I told her that wasn’t necessary and I’m not addicted (even tho I got 90 every two weeks and still bought norcos off the street due to my tolerance). I continued to but norcos for about a year after (total of 8 years now on pain killers), when I heard of suboxone.
I was hesitant at first because I was scared it wouldn’t work (or I didn’t want to believe it would), so I started buying suboxone on the street ($10 for a 8mg strip), I have now been buying suboxone on the street for 3 years (total of 11 years combined with pain killers). I only take about 1mg a day but I’ve tried stopping and it’s unbearable! Reading your story tho has made me want to try again! I hope you realize you’re not alone in this and myself and I know many of others feel and think the same as you!
Please don’t give up! It’s the drug. You say you suffer from depression and other factors, so the situation is different, but know you’re not alone and this isn’t your fault! I’ve never written on a forum but I’m hoping you somehow read this message and I hope you’ve beat this demon of an addiction! Thank you to not only you but everyone that has shared on here! It’s given me hope! The withdrawals may last a very long time, but once they are over life and time truly begins!
To me that’s worth the wait and pain. The pain should remind us all of what we’ve overcome and hopefully can make a difference in others! My step dad is a pharmacist and I told him about what the pills and subs do and he truly had no idea and now practices in a totally different way and listens to his patients without judgment and with confidentiality! Many doctors and pharmacists truly don’t know the damage they’re causing (sound naive but it’s the sad truth)!
I promise I will finish nursing school and then my PhD and I will make a difference in every one of my patients and stop their addiction before it starts! Good luck everyone!
I’ve been on suboxone for 4 years after a 4 year oxycodone addiction. I have been on 5 to 7 mg a day for the 4 years. Today I am beginning a 7 day taper. Starting from 4 mg per day going down to 1 mg per day. I hope this will work to alleviate some of the severity. Please do let me know if you have any input on this I am nervous, thank you!!
I’m pretty sure that doesn’t even count as a taper. Seriously, everything after 2mg is the worst. I’ve quit cold turkey before and I tried the raise this time. I spent 4 weeks going from 2mg to ½mg. I’ve felt horrible every day since I dropped to the ½mg. I have a low tolerance to pain – and I’d never discourage coming off of it, but if you’ve been on this for a significant amount of time – dropping even 1/2mg per day is rapid.
This is for Josh… I did a 2 1/2 MONTHS taper as was afraid to do it too quickly, and took last dose 12/10/15. And still today, I am living a “HELL”… sorry to say, but it’s the truth. Hope you are having better luck than me. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And I am a 61 y.o. woman who has “kicked a lot of habits”.
The fatigue, malaise, sleeplessness, the mania, wanting to kill everybody and everything in my path… it’s been a nightmare. I NEVER imagined after almost 3 weeks I’d feel like this. Absolutely the WORST and most horrible way I’ve felt. I’ve been doing B-12 shots, taking Clonidine for w/d and elevated B/P (just since this w/d) and Lomotil because Imodium was useless!! Good luck man!
Hi Josh, I know your comment is old but I wanted to see how things went for you and your 7 day taper and where you are currently with that? I am in the same exact situation as you were with the same amount of time and have been thinking about doing the taper as well. Hope everything worked out for you and hope you hear your journey of how it went. Thanks.
That’s WAY too fast. Tapering must be no faster than 25% reduction every 4 days. Tweak that to your body and you’ll be able to taper,and function. Too fast and you’ll suffer, and perhaps have PAWS. Post acute withdrawal symptoms… That last a long time. I’ve tapered from 8 mg to .25 mg in 48 days and I’m doing ok. Last dose is today…. I still can feel the withdrawal symptoms but they’re small in severity and tolerable. Good luck. I say this from reading others taper scheduled and my own current experience. Tomorrow I’ll be opiate free.
Your words echo my experience… to a T.
This is so right on the money!! When it comes to parents, especially single parents like myself…you don’t get to just detox, lay down, take baths, etc. – I have to be able to function and take care of my children and home!! I JUST started taking subutex, and was wondering how long I should take the suboxone next…sounds like it’s not something I want to take a long period of time, less then a month, if I take it at all!!! I don’t want to trade one addiction for another!!
Sorry to say but subutex and suboxone are practically and well, literally identical physiologically. The naloxone in the suboxone is a complete sham meant to deter people from injecting it or whatever they cooked up to grant the FDA’s approval. Naloxone does not have a high enough binding affinity to knock buprenorphine off your receptors, particularly at a 1:4 ratio regardless of route of administration.
It’s the bupe that puts people into precipitated WD because it’s a partial agonist. It’s sticky, lasts forever in your system and you keep telling yourself it’s the worst withdrawal ever, but come on… Be honest with yourself, you remember the WORST, and this is just longer. The only advice I could give to anyone is if you are on over 8mg a day you can very easily reduce that to around 8mg a day within a week and feel very little discomfort.
Wean 1mg a month and get down to 0.5 and go until you cant take it anymore, be honest with yourself, literally just can’t take it anymore, and then take 0.25mg, yeah 1/32 of a 8mg strip. Do that “unbearable” routine until you force yourself to skip a day, then if you must go back 0.25, skip another day then force yourself to skip 2. This is by far the easiest way. And by that I mean you still are going to think it’s the worst thing ever after day 4, but none of this waiting 15 days for it to peak stuff.
You’ll turn around after about 7-10 days and gradually return to life in the following months. I know way more than I would ever care to admit publicly about this stuff and have spent countless hours researching and studying experiences while feeling sick like most of us are. And that’s what I’ve learned over hundreds of hours. Go lookup robert_325 and all those posts, I forget what website it was, but that is about as much help as you are going to get online without live chat with an expert or something. Good luck.
Thank you – all of you, especially Joe0123. I feel much more sane after seeing so many of you fighting this battle that I am so weary of! I went into treatment Nov 25, 2015 after being prescribed oxycodone for chronic neuropathy for over a year. (Turns out my neuropathy was chronic withdrawals all along!). Forty-eight hours after the oxycodone was stopped I developed fulminant withdrawals.
I was prescribed Suboxone 8 mg initially then 4 mg twice a day. I am now on 0.06 mg (1/16th of a 2mg buprenorphine/0.5 naloxone film) once a day. About 2 weeks ago I stopped taking it and was very disappointed as I spent 72 hours awake feeling like Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. My whole body felt like it was burning and the sensation moved around in intensity.
On the last day, my grand baby was born and I decided to start taking the micro dose of Suboxone again. I plan to stop it again in a month when the baby excitement and activity has slowed down. I was dumbfounded that I had such intense withdrawal symptoms from such a tiny dose of the buprenorphine. Just FYI – To treat the other symptoms of withdrawal, I am on: Mirapex for RLS, Clonidine for sweating, hot flashes and elevated blood pressure, buspirone for anxiety, Cymbalta for depression, melatonin at bedtime for sleep.
These are all working quite well. I am blown away with how long and difficult the Suboxone withdrawal is and has been. I am under the care of an addictionologist and it seems they have little or no information about how to get off of Suboxone. Such a crazy situation that there is no data on and into which these is NO research.
Quite the “black eye” for a field that is supposed to be helping people recover from drug use problems and they have no idea that this “treatment” is nigh on impossible to escape. I am so encouraged that each of you are strong and enduring this misery to get yourself off of this one last drug. God speed!
Joe0123 I could not agree with you more! Tapering was the only way I could quit.
I to agree with 0123, which I’ve done before also. Or hate to say it, start back on low doses of opiates for 2-3 months, then go back on subs for 3-5 days, taking no more than a quarter of a strip 2 times a day for first 2 days. Then cut a quarter of a strip in half and do that for 2-3 days then stop like a normal detox. I’ve been on subs 10 years on and off. Worked for me.
Just inquiring. Does insomnia last 2-3 months coming of suboxone Joe?
I’ve been playing with heroin off and on the last forty plus years. In the last year I’ve been doing heroin for four to six days a week. Then take sub for four or five days. I’m on my third day with nothing and my legs are killing me. Just like a heroin withdrawal. Need help!!!
Amen… I wish I never took it either.
Oh my goodness. Try Kratom. It works. I am on day 5 of my withdrawal. I jumped off at 1mg and I have been using a natural plant called kratom. I have been able to take care of my family and go to work. Worst symptoms I have had is restless legs which Benadryl helps and insomnia which Benadryl also helps.
Kratom will take away the runs, aches, anxiety and depression. It lowers blood pressure. It can give you energy in low doses and help to relax in higher doses. It’s a miracle plant for anyone stopping opiates especially subs or methadone/heroin. As long as you control your intake, you won’t become addicted to the herb.
It works like suboxone. The alkaloids in the herb bind to the mu-receptors in the brain. Anyway I am 5 days clean off sub and feel great. It’s also a mood booster so you will feel optimistic about quitting opiates.
ChristIsKing very curious how you did using kratom to quit? I am six years on sub, mostly at 2mgs a day and on July 14 I took about 1.5 mgs. After about 48 hours I took kratom around 11 pm and did not sleep much but was comfortable. I’ve taken a dose each of the last two days. It seems stepping off cold turkey from 2mgs was unwise. My withdrawal symptoms have increased daily and I expect they will continue to do so for about another week.
They have not been unbearable. I simply must decline to fear the longer term issues that I recognize must come. I am tired of this netherworld existence on sub, though it did allow me to stabilize my life, saving my marriage and family. I am convinced I will never realize my dreams unless I end my dependence on drugs like sub.
I am curious as to whether using kratom worked. I am afraid to use it more than three or four days in a row for fear of becoming addicted or dependent upon it. This means that tomorrow I will have to survive without it, and so be it. It appears to alleviate WD symptoms for about 12 hours.
A last comment is that I have read some of the anger people have expressed at the medical community for allowing addicts like ourselves to stay on sub for years without good knowledge about how to get off of it. I don’t think this is well taken. We put ourselves in these situations, and the doctors are just doing the best they can with a problem that only God truly has power over.
At 4 days I’m barely getting on this journey but I decided not to go in for an appointment to get more this morning so I am going to at least learn more about what it takes. I will not stop trying until I succeed in freeing myself from this slavery and can truly be there for the ones I love.
HopingforLife, I too used Kratom to get through Suboxone W/D. My wife and I were on suboxone for 5 years, 16mg/day. We both tapered down, to approx 1-2mg a day or every other day before quitting. I had NO idea how bad this was going to be. Two weeks after stopping, I started a new job. I made it to my first day but my anxiety and tiredness were overwhelming.
My wife read about Kratom and I immediately went to find Kratom that evening. 2nd day on the job after taking Kratom I can honestly say I felt like a new man. I did overuse Kratom and stayed on it daily for about 6 months after stopping suboxone. When I decided to Kratom, I had one day with very mild W/D symptoms, second day of being a little tired, day 3 I was totally fine.
Again, I didn’t start Kratom until 2 weeks into my W/D. I wish I had known about it before. It saved my marriage and my job. Most importantly, it got me totally off suboxone. Good luck, I hope you are doing well.
What if you had Cancer? This is no different. The best thing you can do for your children is take care of their mother. Living on Suboxone isn’t living. If money is not a problem, there is a rapid detox that runs $8000 or so. Google it. I wish you luck?
Dude…My doc won’t refill my prescription. So I am sitting here, restless, irritable, mood swings, feeling like I am going to f*****g snap!!! Horrible. The worst thing for me right now is, trying to sleep. Trying to sleep with these horrific leg twitches, the constant “having” to move. It all sucks man, I wish I had some PM meds… something.
For those suffering the restless legs… Walmart sells an over the counter medication just for restless legs, and it really works! Only a couple of hours at a time but that’s 100% better than the overnight battles I have had with RLS and it doesn’t ‘drug’ you! Just put 2 under your tongue and let them dissolve and if you wake in the night with twitching, put 2 more under your tongue, I go right back to sleep with the pills still under my tongue most times. “Hyland’s Restful Legs”
I have been taking that as well as the restful legs PM. And yeah, it doesn’t work.
The Hyland’s restless legs doesn’t work at all. I took it for a week with no relief.
Imodium AD 5 pills 6 times a day, 75 mg Benadryl, ibuprofen. TV. Those helped me a bit. Cut down slowly on Imodium – 4 pills 5 x day week three- or you will be constipated horribly. Imodium somehow helps with WD syptoms and tummy issues. Benzos help
So then you just get addicted to benzos and then go through symptoms of that. I can promise you, coming off of benzos is WAY worse than coming off suboxone. Been there, done that. You should never encourage an addict to take benzos.
Try asking your doctor for Clonidine for the RLS symptoms, an anxiety med if your taper dose of sub is low enough to not have an adverse interaction with a benzo, and try 10mg melatonin for sleep – it’s a natural, non-habit forming sleep aid that works great!!! Withdrawals are the absolute worst feeling I’ve ever had, it’s so hard to stick with it, but if you do you will be so grateful that you did!!! Good luck!
Bro bottom line, for all of us. You’re going to suffer coming off. Taper or no taper you going to suffer. It’s not as bad as heroin or methadone, acute pain and all that but it’s still bad. You going to feel the same exact sh-t but maybe a little bearable, maybe. You’ll need a solid month of down time. You wont be able to look at the sun without your eyes and sinuses shrieking at you to stop.
You’re going to feel like an open wound after the first 15 days of kickin and rollin in the bed, for a while. Weak painful legs, your back and body going to feel raw. Pains everywhere, adrenal fatigue all that good sh-t. But guess what? You have temporary brain damage so its okay. And it gets better and you will be ur old self again! If were forced to, or make up our minds to stop takin this sh-t, then let’s not be wussies.
To those who haven’t the luxury of takin down time, taper, slowly. And final advice would be, don’t frustrate urself with symptoms or symptom duration and sh-t like that. Just breathe, stay alive, beat your meat, sneeze, sweat, embrace the clamminess, the blurred vision, embrace it all, for it is not you or what you’ve become, it’s temporary, and let ur brain do its thing.
You’ll get well and thank god you will, not many can say that. Peace to all. Once you’ve gone thru benzo brain damage all this becomes simple, the brain and body are an unbelievable healing machine wen not burdened with disease. Its just a matter of time. And congrats to those who decided “eff” this I’m going to do it – and did. Much respect. And much more that did with no down time or support.
Hang in there. Every hour you make it through is an hour you’ll never have to go through again. Please don’t hurt yourself. It may not seem that way right now, but it will get better. Someday you will look back and know the adversity you faced and conquered to beat this drug. And hopefully have the chance to pay it forward by lending your support and experience to someone going through the same Hell you did.
James – My name is Chris I just noticed this was in 2014. I hope you’re still with us fighting the good fight.
Hang in there. Thoughts are with you. No two people are alike, ergo… This withdrawal is a beast of epic proportions. Did you taper or jump? Stay on path, you will meet the YOU that used to feel good without these nightmare drugs, the YOU that can smile and wake up happy. I’m currently battling week 2 and yes, this is a whole new demon.
Hi James, Are you tapering or are you cold turkeying? I hope you feel better super soon.
I am around 4 months and still sneeze and ache.
I’m on day 21 and the worst thing is no sleep for me… little aches and pains here and there especially in the knees at night. I find a hot bath to help a lot a couple hrs before trying to go to sleep. Sneezing is continously but only after 3 PM weird. During the day stay as busy as possible I know that it may feel like you have no energy, but if you fight through it, I promise it will help you forget and even take your mind off your circumstances… and most of all give yourself a pat on the back. The hardest part is done. You’ve made it 3 weeks… time to reap the benefits of your struggles. #staygood
I’m at about the same mark and I’m feeling the same way! This is the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with!
I’m gonna put this mildly… I’m in day 8 of no subs. My lovely doc wrote them for me for SEVEN…. YES 7 YEARS. I’M IN FULL BLOWN HELL!! Any advice?!! I’m just now feeling like this. No one understands around me. They think I can just shake it off. Well I CAN’T. PLEASE someone give me a rope!!
Hang in there James. I’m on 50 days and I’m feeling 90% it’s a mental thing. Everyday is going to get better trust me. The only thing left in my way is a little fatigue here and there and some pain in my joints. Mostly legs. But I feel better and I know my family has seen a difference. It will all be worth it.
Just remember the second stage is the hardest which I believe you are in if you are 3 weeks in. Depression, anxiety and so on. It makes you feel like there has to be more to life then feeling like this. But it only keeps getting better. You can do it! It’s not easy but think about the outcome! God bless.