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 Was put on sub in 2010 for chronic pain (disc herniations, 6 total legit pain) I have to say… f*ck this sh*t. Tough it out. You KNOW you deserve a little punishment… we ALL know deep down how bad suboxone is. Aren’t you tired of chasing this sh*t all the time? Don’t you want to be free? Please don’t take offense – this is just everything I WISH someone told me, maybe it will help someone else. It’s a mindset. Trust me, I’m not that strong but I’m free… so maybe you should listen.
Well I’m 7 days into my withdrawal from subs. And I feel like crap. My wife has bought me a whole bunch of vitamins and supplements and I have been experiencing the chills anxiety, and worst of all is the insomnia. I was using these pills for about a year and was giving a random drug test at my job and now am unemployed. I’m done with the pills, just want my life back and of course my job. I wish this on no one.
my 2nd time trying to come off suboxone. first time I felt better after 2 months but I had no energy and was depressed. 3 weeks in this time and have been taking lortab to help with W/D. Doctors lied and said the W/D was better with suboxone than lortab so I started the suboxone. They were so wrong, now instead of a couple weeks W/D on lortab, it is months on suboxone. Doctors should be locked up for this!!!
They would rather give suboxone than give you lortab due to the social stigma of lortab. But suboxone may be good for the stronger drugs, not for a lortab addiction. Also I think that it is possible that the blocker in suboxone would also cause W/D or make it worse. I also find that group therapy is nonsense and would only cause someone to want to take drugs just to deal with it.
I was on 12 mg of Suboxone and I took myself off cold turkey. I was only taking it for 4 months. I was feeling like total crap for 7 weeks!! I feel pretty much back to normal now. At least better than I was feeling when it all started. I really wish I never started this shit. I found out I was pregnant, so I stopped. So going through the first trimester if my pregnancies AND having withdrawals?? LOOK OUT!! Haha OMG, I felt tired ALL THE TIME. My mood swings were through the roof and I didn’t feel like doing a thing.
I did though, when I had to that is. I was forced to. It DOES get better, albeit I don’t recommend anybody doing this cold turkey. I had to because I am pregnant. Just hang in there. Even I thought this was gonna last FOREVER. It feels like everyday is just going by as slow as bloody molasses, but one day you’ll wake up feeling pretty good and it will just get better from there. I’m so damn happy I stopped taking this drug. I wish I would’ve just dealt with the withdrawals from “regular” opiates.
I lost 3 days of my takeaway dose of 6mg subbies 2 days ago and was inspired to do some research as I wasn’t feeling too bad but knew it couldn’t be that easy and understood about long half-life business. I’ll be back to the clinic tomorrow and back on but wanted to write to thank those people who keep coming back here to report as they detox off this scary but useful to me at present pain relieving medication. If it weren’t for those of you who stick around to let others know there is an end to the pain and misery of withdrawal so many people would just stay stuck.
I am going to start weaning this week. At least here in Australia we have a public health system that means we are never suddenly withdrawing because of lack of money. Doctors (not all but many) are cost free. After growing up in a country with such a system I am shocked and horrified to read what happens to people like me in a country without it. All best wishes and encouragement to all you brave folk. I promise to come back and share my story when I get off it.
I believe the taper excuse is just that. An excuse to stay on suboxne longer. I been clean 100 days now and by the time I left rehab (30 days impatient) I felt almost 100 percent when I left. I’ve been on suboxone and other opiates for six years. Just suboxone the last four. And I’ve always said the last two years I got to wean down. I came off 10 milligrams a day which everyone says is not doable. A couple years ago I tried coming off less than one milligram and the withdrawals were just as bad. The difference was going to rehab. If I would have detoxed at home like the first time I would have failed. Meetings also help. It’s not a cult. Just a place to vent.
I was addicted to subs for over 4 years. At first I thought it was a miracle drug, but obviously there is no such thing. I used opiates for many years and was so happy to be away from that. I too was told you don’t have withdrawals with subs. What a crock. Almost two months off and still have some anxiety and because I have legitimate pain. I have been trying hard to stay away from the strong stuff and use Tramadol instead even though it does nothing for the pain I have. I actually need surgery, but with no insurance I don’t see that happening anytime soon! Just glad to be off the sub roller coaster!
I’m in the same boat with pain and I’m on day 2 of quitting sub. I started taking this for pain reasons because it worked better than any pain killers…half of a suboxone took away my pain where’d I’d have to take a ton of say lortab 10s to get rid of the pain completely. I’ve dealt with the pain before all the time because before suboxone, I didn’t take pain killers everyday. Because I haven’t been in pain for the past two years, I know it’s gonna be worse, and I work a labor job. The heating pad is my best friend! It’s the only thing that’s not a narcotic that helps.
Omg! I never thought I would ever have made it to day 8 on the suboxone detox. Reading others posts, I am amazed that people jump off suboxone at a high dosage, like 2 mg, without weaning down to a sliver of the film right before your ready to detox. The first 2 days were manageable, with by the night of the 2nd around bedtime the muscles in my arms, back and legs were all spasming, plus my anxiety started to kick in and the withdrawals were full on. All of the rest up until now have been the worst. This has been the hardest thing I ever had to do. But I am still alive, alive but sick as **** but I am determined to get off this sh*t! You have to be strong and know that it will get better.
I can’t believe all the w/d symptoms I’ve heard about only now that I’ve been on sub for over a year. I weaned myself down because the doc I went was more interested in payments than recovery. I brought myself down from 32mg to 2mg then slivers for a week then stopped six or seven days ago things weren’t bad til yesterday…I’ve been throwing up having diarrhea and no energy. My brain got foggy two days ago and that comes and goes! I can’t believe this poison is prescribed the way it is and the docs get away with making us worse then we were.
Update: Day 8. I actually slept last night 6hrs!!! With 2 benadryl, and an Ambien. Back to work and school tomorrow. This has cost me everything in my personal life but I will not look back. The worst is over! Stomach is a little queasy and I’m restless but I’m OK. Very thankful. One word of advice…TAPER.
OK I have made it through and come out the other side, so you can too. I don’t even think about subs anymore. Depression, lack of appetite gone… One thing I cannot do is sleep except around 3 in the afternoon. I have tried trazadone and it is pretty useless after one or two nights. Getting some energy back finally too. If you are just beginning, stick it out. So nice to not be trapped by another drug that isn’t even fun.
Look…I’ve done this many times. This time I used opiates daily for 2 months, it was time to STOP! So, I started taking suboxone only for about the last 6-7 weeks and MINIMAL amounts. One 8mg strip lasts me 4-5 days. I stopped about 48 hours ago. With these minimal amounts I “should” be able to make it through this quite easily. Still have appetite but my sinuses are out of control and I kick the sheets till bout 5 am then I pass out for 3-4 hours.
I gotta think if I am getting sleep 2 days after stopping (again after a taper) this time it’s not gonna be that bad. Here’s some helpful tips: STAY HYDRATED!!! As much as you don’t wanna drink water force yourself, it flushes opiates out of your system faster. Take a multivitamin because your immune system will be grossly compromised. Go to the Dollar Store and buy like 20 boxes of generic Imodium AD. Take like 10-12 tablets after you have diarrhea. There is a Opiate in Imodium so it will stop the diarrhea and also make you more comfortable.
Ask your doctor for 10mg Proprananol, it’s a blood pressure med that will also make you less anxious. Also for Neurontin 200 mg 3 times a day for restless leg and leg pain. Then, also get some benadryl for sleep at night. If you can get ambien or trazodone or both for sleep that’s great too. Also I recommend an antidepressant for the depression that’s definitely coming! Keep your mind busy. Try to get outside for fresh air and STAY BUSY. The more you are focused on something else the less attention you will pay to every little ache you have! -Good Luck & God Bless.
Dear concerned: you can absolutely have those issues 30 days later. Sadly you can have them 90 days later. Subs is maybe the worst drug anyone could ever prescribe. 7 yrs is a long time to take it. You have 2 real options…#1. Gut it out for the next month or two, possibly longer or #2. Go back on the subs. If he was taking it for 7 yrs one would assume either chronic pain or abuse issues. Some people with abuse issues may need to be on subs their entire life in the same way some alcoholics need to take antibuse their whole life. Good luck. Hope this helped a little.
My husband had taken suboxone for about 7 years. He has had a lot of stomach issues while using the suboxone. He has stopped using it for about a month now and is still very nauseous every day. We are trying to determine if the nausea is from the withdraw. Does anyone know if nausea from withdrawal can last this long?
So here’s how I am doing it. I began tapering for the last year plus from 24mg per day. Last September I began a spiritual journey through Tai Chi. I was down to about 6mg at time. I say about because I was really trying to get to 4mg a day but… I finally had the courage to ask my Honey to help me. I knew if I involved her then I had to tow the line. Somehow becoming involved with Tai Chi I was finding some inner courage, I really don’t know how else to explain it.
So I really wasn’t making much progress, finally after Christmas, my Honey helped me get to 2 mg per day. It was a tough drop. I continued to work everyday though, I am a carpenter a pretty physical job. The biggest thing that got me through that is My Tai Chi Master also practices acupuncture. So consider the energy of his chi at the tip of the needles. It was very helpful in minimizing withdrawal. I continued to draw on my inner strength.
My Honey said one morning as was expecting my 2mg dose that she had left it at work and all I had for the next three days was one dose. I was pissed and as you can expect I acted out over it. She held her ground and didn’t give in. Took me a few days and I was able to apologize, and say it wasn’t her fault it was my own. So I was only allowed 2mg every other day. I disagree with anyone who says that withdrawal doesn’t start for three days.
Before the night was over I could feel sick then I had to go a whole day feeling sick. And so on. I found this website and read your comments as you shared your experience strength and hope. I realized that there was probably no perfect place to jump off. So after two weeks of day on day off I had had enough. So I stopped totally 15 days ago. I tell you it’s everything everyone said it was.
I am so happy that I have quit. I’m 63 years old and have dealt with addiction my whole life. The most recent began a few years when I was hit by a truck while riding my bike. Gave me a nice supply of oxys which turned into a raging addition. I thought sub. was the solution. It’s not, it was a big mistake to even begin. A lot of comments that have been shared on this site tell the real horror of this stuff. I would suggest find a spiritual path, ask for help, acupuncture from a real professional can also be a big help.
My story may sound kind of stupid. I’m 23 and my entire life I have watched my mother battle drug addiction. I always said I’d never touch the stuff, I might try it but I could never be addicted. So last summer my daughter’s father came over and talked me into doing a piece of suboxone with him. It was the tiniest piece and it made me sick, but great at the same time. So I ended up taking more and more each day. Compared to all of you, my struggle is probably nothing.
I’ve only been on it for about 9 months and I can take about a whole pill a day (I’m not even sure what MG it is). Today is day three without anything and I’m depressed, I’m on the verge of crying right now, my body aches, I’ve got a heating pad around my aching muscles. I am breaking out in cold sweats and hot flashes, I’m irritable and I want to die. I had NO idea what was happening to me until I read this webpage and everything that’s happening to me is right here.
What makes it worse, I am completely alone. My mother would snap if she found out, so I have to keep it a secret. Nobody knows I was on it, and nobody knows that I’m suffering right now. It is SO hard going through this and trying to hide it too. I’m hoping that since I was on a low dose and not even on it a year that my WD symptoms will be gone very soon. Oh and the first day I noticed feeling different was yesterday. I am a college student and I couldn’t sit in my classroom for more than ten minutes at a time without jumping up and leaving.
I just couldn’t concentrate and I couldn’t stand the pain from sitting still. I had to move. I hate myself for getting into this, I hate everything at the moment. I just cannot believe, ME of all people, is going through this secretly and since its a secret, I can’t get anymore so I am stopping cold turkey. I feel so sorry for all of you that have been dealing with struggle. I can’t imagine being addicted for years and then stopping. I just hope in a few days when I am around suboxone again that I won’t cave in and go through this sh*t again. Best of luck to all of you.
I have to agree that buprenorphine (suboxone,subtex) is the hardest opiate medicine to come off and possibly the most difficult drug I’ve ever come off period. This is my second attempt. The first time I made it 8 months but had a back injury 30 days in and ended up going back on a low dose (less that .5mg since last December). The disk injury was somewhat severe and I had nerve damage to where I couldn’t lift my left leg. I made it 8 months.
However, I still had symptoms of what I presume to be PAWS with extremely low energy, muscle wasting, and hormonal disruption up until I chose to go back on and that was 8 months in. I don’t have a thyroid so perhaps that fact had something to do with the hormonal issues. I am a long term user of Subutex and was placed on a “maintenance dose” in 2008 for opiate addiction. The settled dose was 8mg and I was on between 8-6 for about 5 years. When I decided to come off, I did the research and tapered slowly over a year.
I got down to less than 1 mg and jumped. I did this on my own as my doctor stated that I should just stay on it the rest of my life. The first 30 days are the worst as far as classical opiate withdrawal. Expect the real crappy days to begin around day 5 or 6 and last through around 16. For me, those days were very difficult. I many times needed to lay on a cold floor while my heart raced violently. Don’t expect to sleep much. After 30 days, the nausea, sleep, sneezing, diarrhea, hot/cold swings, mood swings, irritability will have passed for the most part.
It will come in waves. One minute you will feel “ok” and the next you will feel like hell. If you are one of the unlucky individuals that experience PAWS well then your journey has just started at a month. I had all kinds of issues. I will say however, mentally I felt better than I had in years. I was laughing, crying, experiencing joy. These are things I could not do while on Subutex. On this second attempt I started back on a super small dose to begin with. .5mg to .25mg works wonderfully for pain and I realized through this process just how powerful this medication is.
Remember it is 20 times stronger than morphine. I stayed on that dose for about a year, skipping days and playing with lower doses over a long period of time. I am day 6 and am ok. I hope that by tapering even slower and down to an amount I can’t quantify that I will spare the PAWS. If you are a long term user, my advice is to taper very very slowly. I read about people who can’t taper because they can’t control titrating down.
I don’t have that problem. Less is more with buprenorphine. It’s very difficult to find information of anyone who has been off suboxone or derivative over a year after having used it long term. I hope this helps those coming off or wishing to come off. Buprenorphine is an emotion killer and a b*tch of a drug to come off. Be patient and don’t rush if you don’t have to.
HERE IS THE CURE FOR SUBOXONE WITHDRAWAL…KRATOM!! Do a Kratom taper, 90 days of you must Kratom is a natural leaf that is a very mild opiate. It will not get you high, but will completely eliminate ALL of your Suboxone withdrawal symptoms. Kratom can be addictive, however the withdrawal from Kratom is practically nothing. It has a very short half life and you will barley have any symptoms. You just have to take a lot of it. I’m 8 days off subs and I take 5 grams of Kratom every 6 hours…I have had NO withdrawals.
On Saturday, I will taper down to 4 grams at a time every 6 hours. Basically every two weeks I will lower the Kratom dose. It works. It works on any opiate withdrawal actually. You will have energy, you won’t feel depressed or anxious, no aches, no diarrhea, no chills, nothing. Make sure you get the Kratom from a reputable vendor…I get mine from online Kratom. Some will accuse you of trading one drug for another but the Kratom doesn’t get me high at all and its 1000 times easier to kick than subs. God bless and good luck.
Today is Day 51 off Subs. I am starting to feel better. Finally started working out again. Running, weights and yoga. Hadn’t been able to do this for WEEKS. I definitely have more motivation and energy on the days I get a good work out in. Endorphins? Maybe. But the w/d symptoms have lasted way too long. I read that you should give yourself 90 days to feel “normal.” I’m beginning to think that I fall into that category. But, I am doing everything I can to feel better faster. I can now sleep through the night. The aches are gone, the RLS and hot/cold flashes are gone. What I’ve been left with is lethargy and lack of motivation. Suboxone is absolutely horrendous. It’s a b—- to come off of.
Hey, I wanted to join the thread. I’m on day 6 from the subs, been on it for 18 months. The catch 22 factor is that I started pain meds legitimately for chronic pain due to some bad car accidents and it got out of hand. Long story short, I got on subs to avoid trying to get sh*t on the streets and god forbid any more arrests due to drugs. Was on the here to help program and it ran out. I refuse to be locked up again. On subs it helped but eventually I could not afford it anymore, It was more expensive to see the doctor and get the subs than my rent (LOL).
I just took a 4 hour nap. (Day sweats) I was up for 2 whole days. I’m glad I am not alone. I went to the store earlier and bought multivitamins and benadryl for sleeping. I had tried benadryl but it didn’t work for sleep so far, it almost seem to do the opposite. I heard about a legal herb called kratom helps. I was thinking about ordering it. Being that it is illegal in Australia, I am surprised it is not illegal in the U.S. Anyway, tired of being in bondage sounds like you guys are too. Thanks for letting me share and read your comments.
Day 36 off suboxone. I am 44 and I have been on subs about 5 years. My Dr. Prescribed 24mg daily. I never took the full 24. I would take 8mg daily and bank the rest. So after a few months I would have almost a years worth. Saved me from paying a Dr. Every month. About 2 years ago I found a Dr. that took insurance. So I stopped banking. 3 months ago my Dr. said he will no longer be prescribing subs. So we decided this may be a good time to get off. Getting down to 2mg a day was not that hard. Going from 2mg to 1 is where is got hard. Mostly tired.
My last trip to the Dr. I told him I was on 1mg daily. He told me that was a very low dose. That I should cut that in half now. All I heard was very low dose. So I jumped at 1mg. I wish I read up on jumping before I did. I started to read about it on day 8 or 9. But at that point I was committed. I would have tapered much more. Day 2 through 20 were horrible. It felt like my head was in a vise. Dizzy, no energy, no sleep. Lost 15 lbs. Day 21 I felt a little better. However feeling a little better still sucks when you feel the same for the next 12 days.
So today is day 36. For the past 3 days I feel a little better again. Still no energy, not much sleep, sneezing 3 times for the most part. Again feeling a little better is still not all better. I have been very dizzy for 3 days. Clonidine helps a lot if you can get them. Helps with the anxiety and if your lucky 2 hours of sleep. Hot showers, exercise if can force yourself. Eat what ever you can again even if you force it. Stay away from sugar and caffeine. They make me feel like I was in the first two weeks.
I missed 3 days of work this whole time. I had no option. I dread sunrises. It is starting to get dark now and that is making me anxious. Tomorrow is Monday and it looks like it is going to be 5 more days of hell until i get a break. One place I read said within 40 to 50 days you feel better. Others say 60. If this dizziness would just subside I think I could handle it much better. We made our beds. I leave with never again do I or will I go through this. Good luck all.
Thank you for publishing this. My pain doctor says it is in my imagination and has never suggested this method. I am desperate.
I’m going through it now. Day #5… horrible chills during dead of winter too. Not eating not sleeping. Night sweats. Restless legs and arms. I’m crippled so I cant walk much. I want to be clean. Doctor lied said easy to come off… just stepped down slowly, and I did as instructed. F this suboxone. Horrific drug. No more! I will fight!
Hello again. A quick update. My last dose was 12 days ago & I feel significantly better than I did even 4 or 5 days ago. For the record I think that Mike’s comments (just a couple above this) are spot on! As crazy as it may sound you gotta get up off the couch & move!! Trust me…I know that goes against every reasonable thought you might have, but I am beginning to believe that the more you do…the more you can do!
For me personally I noticed a slight improvement on day 10 so I started trying to live again & there was no doubt that the more I did the better I felt. I know that I am by no means out of the woods but I believe it was Churchill who said ” this is not the beginning. It’s not even the beginning of the end, but it may well be the end of the beginning.” I take solace in that. Keep up the good fight!
Joe- I am always up for words of encouragement. And love to hear from those that are ahead of me in days off subs. I am on Day 43. It’s been a struggle. I feel like I am never going to feel quite normal. Some days are good, others I don’t feel like doing anything. That is the most frustrating. Trying to eat well, exercise and taking B vitamins. I am sleeping well, but still wake up and feel drained. the thought of going back on subs has crossed my mind more than once. But I know where I’d be relatively soon. I’ve made it this far and don’t ever want to go through withdrawals again. Hopefully this will get better soon. Fingers crossed!
Okay I have done extensive research on this. From what I know is tapering is best!! Once your done with the taper the first 7 days you sweat out the remainder (I suggest either steam room or sauna). Eat healthy, take vitamins, talk about what’s bothering you and have at least one person who knows and had been there for you to talk too. You can do this I know it!
To fully heal it does in fact take between 30-90 days but the process can be rapidly increased with large water intakes, exercise, and eating as healthy as you can. Don’t sit in the couch and mope get out go for a walk and the energy will come back trust me. You’re not debilitated for life you’re just getting back to being you the real you not the fake drug using you that secretly hates yourself. Be strong fight this sh*t outta you!!!
Just finished reading all the comments. Why didn’t I read this b4 I decided to quit? I’m in my 50’s & became opiate dependent about 10 yrs ago. When the various doc’s I was seeing all seemed to simultaneously decide it was time for me to be cut off I panicked. Found a subs doc quick & thought all was well & in theory could have been but I made some bad choices & now for the past 3 yrs I have been on an opiate & subs roller-coaster. I decided to quit everything several months ago & tapered to 4/1 MG subs for 6 weeks b4 quitting.
Last dose was 7 days ago & now I just wanna die. It’s all I can do not to start bawling as I pen this…& I’m a retired marine who doesn’t have much experience with active sobbing. God I’m soon sad. I want to kick this & never do it again but even after dealing with difficult & sometimes almost impossible situations for 24 yrs I feel bested by this orange strip that melts under my tongue. Doesn’t seem fair. At any rate…I wanted to share. Some of the previous posts have been inspiring.
Hey my name is Joe and I came off this medication on December 21st. It took me 6 months to wean myself down from 24mg/6 to 2 mg and it wasn’t easy. I’m aware today that I need help. I found my help in the rooms of a “fellowship” where I found some of my best positive friends. After 2 weeks I started being able to sleep again and the anxiety and depression left me. My mind is clearing up and I was hit with a wave of beutiful emotions. Life is great and I am free from the clutches of this devil medication.
My only lasting withdrawal s at this point is that my feet are cold and I sneeze like a mad man. For anyone considering getting off this medication it is so so worth it. You just have to wean yourself down and make sure you have support. And I’m not talking about the Dr who has prescribed you the medicine. They want you to stay on it so they can continue to line their pockets while you stay a zombie cut off from your god given emotions.
Life is beautiful today and I believe there is a special place in hell for these Dr’s who prescribe this medication for years verses the month it’s intended for. Feel free to email me if you need to talk. Someone was there to help me, and if I can help you, I will. Just remember the pain you are going through is worth the freedom that comes from being at peace of mind. I was a zombie for 3 1/2 years. Good luck -Joe
Long story short, I’ve been on Subutex (8 mg 2x per day) for 4 months now. Half of monthly script was stolen, so I’m out. 2 weeks until next doc visit. It’s been 4 full days without it. Withdrawals are tolerable at this point. Tired. Unmotivated. Depressed. Muscle aches. Today, I’m plain angry (and I’m not an angry person). Severe mood swings. Lashing out at everybody. Contemplating suicide just to bring me peace. My question: Am I in the early stages of w/d? Will it get worse (like when coming off of opiates)? And is the anger/mood swings normal? -Ty
Ty-What you are feeling is normal for wd’s. Suboxone has a long half-life, 37 hrs. so it stays around for a long time. You might not start to feel severe wd’s until after Day 4. That was my experience. They were horrendous until Day 14. After that, things started to improve slowly. I’m on Day 41 now. Still having fatigue and no motivation. If you are truly suicidal seek help.
And know that your symptoms will subside. Surround yourself with family or friends, get outside if you can, talk to a doctor that won’t put you back on the subs. Maybe an antidepressant to help with the depletion of neurotransmitters. Suboxone also acts as an off-label antidepressant. So your lethargy, depression, etc. is completely normal. Hang in there. You can do this. It is worth the pain.
I truly want everyone to have a better reaction to the withdrawals. Treating the withdrawals like a cold or flu is the best way to deal with it. Taking alka Seltzer night time, liquid or pills help with the withdrawal and you barley even feel the withdrawals, you get good sleep and eat, and have enough energy to get you through the day. Also exercising, eating fruit and getting a herb called “happy go lucky” helps to enhance the endorphins causing less depression. Please post this because you will be helping a lot of people, its been tried and it truly works. Thanks and God bless.
I have been off of Subs for 38 days. Never could get past Day 9 without going back on them. This time I was determined. The wd’s were horrible for 14 days. I then could see a gradual improvement each day. Now the only WD symptom I have is fatigue. I am sleeping well, but still feel drained by midday. My life is so much better off of this drug. I actually can “feel” again. No longer am I numb to everything life had to offer. It feels great. Hang in there. It does get better. Listen to your body and take care of YOURSELF! Something I never had done in the past. I’m taking a B complex vitamin and drinking protein shakes. Seems to help. If I can do this, anyone can. I was terrified of the wd’s. Wish I had done this sooner. Good luck! It can be done!!!!
Hey everyone, I have been the original on and off pain pills only guy for 12 years. The last 2 years has been only subutex. Started with 12mg a day the eventually went down to 8mg. I made the decision to get my last script and took half a day for a week, then half every other day for about 3 weeks, then down to a qtr every 3 days for 2 weeks. Was a fast drop, but I’m on day 20 and feel better. Still have occasional goose bumps and bad twitches in bed. But overall, I’d say motivation and pain was my biggest issue. But I got BAD migraines on the stuff. Ever since I stopped, not a single headache. Telling people about it will make you feel better mentally. Just know that you are being stronger than most of your inner circle. So talk to them. Because it helps to tell someone how miserable you feel sometimes. Thanks
Hello all…I wanted to share my story as I thought if it could help just one person, it would be worth it! I have DD disease and SI joint pain due to one leg being shorter than the other. With that caused a lot of pain. I was prescribed Percocet for the pain from my pcp. Oh what a relief that drug gave me, but in the long run was the worst treatment I’ve ever received. After a year and a half I started to realize my “pain” getting worse and I would run out of my meds early. Towards the end I ran out a week and half early, not knowing the withdrawal that drug caused. Long story short, I checked into a treatment facility to detox. They did give me the relief I needed, but it came with a price. Suboxone!
The medical director was a big advocate for Suboxone. Yes, it helps people. However, not everyone is a canadite for that medication. Do your homework! Also remember, the majority of the Suboxone docs have a vested interest keeping patients on that drug. That doc gets to ring that cash register every month due to DEA guidelines. Meaning he/she has to see you every 30 days. A Suboxone patient is no different than a prescribed Percocet, Vicodin, patient. I know I’m rambling. Sorry! The point of my story is do your research before committing to another serious narcotic because you will have the same withdrawal if you choose to get off that med as well.
My Suboxone withdrawal experience (currently day 4) was not as hard as all the blogs and message boards suggest. I think its important to tell you that I’m 6’3″, 205lbs male that started on 12mg daily 8 months ago to .5 mg last Friday(last dose). I know now that if I didn’t self wean myself, my doctor would still have me on a high dose. IF YOU TRULY WANT TO GET OFF SUBOXONE, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR WEAN AND BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE. I felt every time I stepped into my doctors office I was just a check and the longer I saw that doc the more money he made off my “addiction.” That was my motivation! I urge you to find yours :).
Within the last 4 days, I have experienced some restless legs, body aches, fatigue, anxiety, and low motivation. Number one reason I feel I have sped up my detox was keeping a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. I mentally prepared myself that yes, it wasn’t going to be easy, but is anything easy? Good quote, “if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” To physically help with my withdrawals I ate a banana every 1 or 2 hrs, exercised, hot epsom salt baths (my go-to for body aches), drank a lot of Gatorade, and took clonidine.
Clonidine started today (day 4) and I really felt a difference with my anxiety and restlessness. Could just be because it’s end of day 4 and finally starting to turn the corner as well. Again, keep a positive attitude! In addition, force yourself to do the things that came easy while using Suboxone or pain killers. Meet up with friends, clean your house, take a long walk, just get out of your house and do something! The faster you can do this the better! In closing, don’t sike yourself out with the negative posts on these message boards! Prepare your mind that this will be the best decision you ever made!
I don’t know about you all, but when a doctor sees you’re on Suboxone, their wall goes up! I don’t like being judged just like every other human being! In addition, getting different treatment plans based on my association with that medication. Let’s all take charge of our own destiny and not let doctors determine how we feel! Good luck!
Been taking 16 mg of subutex a day for 4 years I started cutting my pills in half & only taking 8 mg for 2 months then I cut them into quarters taking 4 mg a day for 2 months now it’s been 6 days without taking any subutex at all & the WD haven’t started at all yet!!??? I’ll check back in a week & give everyone a update. All I can say is I hope the WD are not as bad as I have read it the comments above! Wish me luck!!
I’m a professional therapist that trains throughout the country – substance abuse and mental health agencies. I admire your courage and commitment to make difficult choices to quit. Your willingness to share and be honest and is a help to others. Stay at it and if knocked down get back up. Continue to seek support, we all need help in whatever struggles we face. Persevere even when the motivation or feeling is lacking.
So I’m on day 21 and still withdrawing off suboxone. I was on 1 8 mg strip a day for about a year. This is the worst withdrawal I’ve ever been through and I’ve been an opiate addict off and on for 14 years. I was just wondering if anyone has a clue how long these headaches and restless legs are going to last. Or if there are any non-narcotic medications I can take that aren’t going to cause me more problems.
I went to a rehab in West Palm Beach and I left after 14 days because I was so irritable I was being such a bitch and I think if I stayed their I might eventually want to rip somebody’s head off and I have never felt this way before. I go see my doctor tomorrow and was wondering if anyone can give me a few suggestion on what has helped them. I would appreciate any comments regarding suboxone withdrawals. Thanks.
Hey Cassandra, I’m on day 9 and to be honest it’s not any better for me than days 1-8. I’ve also been super irritable and moody, totally out of character for me. The worst for me is the no energy whatsoever and inability to sleep. I’ve been making myself workout a lot, the 2 hrs afterwards are pretty much the only time of relief I’ve had. I’ve also gone to some AA meetings, lots of people there can relate and are incredibly supportive. For sleep, I’ve tried everything, benadryl worked a little bit, not too much though. Good luck, keep fighting.
Hi all, just wanted to post my experience. 6 yrs heavy opiate user/6 yrs on suboxone. Over the past 2 weeks I tapered down from 16 mg/day to 4/2/1 mg/day. Sunday morning was my final 1mg dose so I’m right at 72 hrs with nothing in my system. I thought there would be no way I’d be able to make it, but I’m doing it. It’s not easy but it’s absolutely doable if you have the right mindset and willpower. Getting through the days are hard and the nights even harder (for me).
What’s helped me a lot is working out before and after I go to work, drinking lots and lots of water and taking advil pm at night. I’m still battling hard and I only sleep in 45 min stretches through the night but I’m making it through and I’m determined to keep making it through day by day…But positive mindset, plenty of fluids, exercise and keeping yourself busy will make this experience not nearly as bad as you might anticipate. Good luck to all in the same boat.
Hi everyone. I have been on subs for about a year and two months. I started at with a 8ml strip, got really sick and was told by a friend to cut them in pieces. Well after all the tapering I end at cutting a 2ml strip into four pieces. This is my 2nd day off and I feel like crap, but not totally dead like most of you. I’m at this point scared that I haven’t even began to feel the real WD. The thing that sucks is I have to be upbeat and happy guy all day because of my job. So now I just wondering if my doc is filling me full of sh*t or not. My doc has me on this high blood pressure meds and I’m taking my 20ml adderall pills to help with the no energy. What I’m most terrified about right is my doc promised me the withdrawal would only be for a few days. What should I think about that and am I going to start feeling worst before better?
Wow, I seriously thought a week or two after weaning off I would feel better, but I am going through every single one of those symptoms…the restlessness is the worst, and I can’t sleep. This stuff got me off the opiates but it’s almost as bad now.
Wow. These awful stories about the withdrawal off of suboxone are terrifying. I’ve been on the sublingual film almost 3 years. Prior to, I was heavily addicted to narcos for over 5 years, taking them as if they were Candy. But I have decided to TRY and get off the subox & spoke with my Dr, she said there’s no easy way to detox off of it, I will feel the effects no matter which attempt I try, tapering or cold turkey which makes sense. The past 2 days I went without subox. The 2nd day I had to take at least a quarter because my anxiety and my regular dosage time, I would feel as if I had to have it. I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared. I don’t feel like I’m strong enough mentally to go through with the whole ordeal. I pray things get easier in my life as well as everyone else.
Lindsey, I’m in a very similar situation as you and I’m just as terrified. I came to theses boards for encouragement and advice (and there’s plenty of that from a lot of good people here) but I ended up being way more nervous after reading a lot of the posts…it’s cliche, but truly focus on getting through the next day, hour, minute. It helps not thinking about how bad you might feel in a day or a week. So much of getting through this is mindset…you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have…good luck Lindsey!
Thanks Tim. I am on day 13 of my Subox detox and although everyday is getting easier, I still crave suboxone. I had a few restless nights. Now it’s all mental, and that’s the hardest part. I was prescribed comfort meds like gabapentin & methoxycarbonyl which didn’t help much. Anyway. It can be done with strong willpower. Every day gets better.
Day 8 suboxone wd. Age 27-Family of 6. Never used much but small amounts. Like 1-10th of a film. I’ve been on this self medicating journey for almost 4 years with different opiates starting with percocets which was giving to me after giving birth. I thought they were a godsend since i suffered with anxiety and depression to begin with. Never took a whole lot, but did them consecutively. They made me feel normal.
The anxiety, depression and overwhelming feelings of doom are unbearable. I wake up everyday with the worst of all the feelings. I feel like this will never end and my family is suffering having a shitty mother. My niece whom is 15 has lived with me for 8 years helps me with everything around the house and with the kids. My husband who is 55 also helps a lot and works a hard laborous job.
Lots of stress around here. (3 young hyper, temperamental and rambunctious boys). I’m prescribed ativan and have taken it for 6 years. Also now prescribed adderall. Still don’t feel well. It doesn’t always help much. Thank you for your informative and beneficial info. I am alone in support with all of this so I do appreciate everything I’m reading. When will I be okay? When will I feel part of this world again?
Yes, you will get through it and feel ok again. I have been meaning to write again on here to let people know that you can make it through because I did. It isn’t easy but each day after a certain point it does get better. Give yourself about 3 months with things evening out after about 2. I know that it is probably more difficult with young children, if there is anyone to help you that would be nice, if not, do your best. I will be 60 on Jan 6th and this is my birthday present to myself!!!
I took subutex for over 6 years tapered to less than 1mg then stopped totally. It is now day 8 and I still feel fatigued, sweats, have trouble sleeping through the night, upset stomach, and depression. I am getting so frustrated! I am a single mom and I chose to stop because I want to set a better example for my children, but this is tough. It is impossible to physically do what you need to do as a parent much less work with out pushing yourself. I think I actually made myself physically sick with a stomach virus and the flu (diagnosed by a doctor) which made it even worse I think. I hope I start an upswing soon. This is why I hadn’t quit before!
Hello I am a single mother too and been on suboxone for almost 5 years. I’ve been to the point lately where I want to get off this crap so I can stop depending on it to function everyday and give my son a life he deserves. Yes I love him and take care of him but I’m an addict and my mind gets the best of me. I want him to grow up seeing me happy and completely sober (no suboxone) but I haven’t found the strength to start tapering because I’m scared of how long withdrawals are. Have things been improving for you? I hope so and best wishes to you!!!
Day 5 is when it starts. And then you better hold to your hat because thas when it really kicks in to the point of going freaking crazy you just want to die!!! All I can say is that it is the worst feeling a person cold ever had. I’ve tried to come off of bup 4 times now and I always go back on it, Good Luck!!!
Hello I wanted to reply to your comment because it’s sounds a lot similar to how I feel. I’ve been on suboxone for 4 & 1/2 years now 16mg a day and I’m to the point where I’m exhausted from having to depend on it everyday. I have a son who I love dearly and with this crap I can’t be the best mom I am wanting to be for him.
I’ve been thinking of getting off suboxone since I found out I was pregnant but I was told staying on it is better for the baby because withdrawals could harm him. I’m stuck in the place where I want to be done with this stuff but have so much fear of being weak and not sticking it out which will lead me to back track. How are you doing now? I’m just curious.
I was injecting pills and heroin for years. Got on suboxone for about a year, taking 3 strips a day for whatever reason. Lost a job, couldn’t afford to go back to the doc. Ended up almost losing my mind I felt so bad. Ended up going to a psych ward and a 30 day rehab. Was clean for almost 2 years. It was relatively easy getting clean there. Sleep meds, anxiety meds etc.
I let my addiction get the best of me again. Went on a bender the past 8 months. Got a few subs and did a rapid taper. I’ve been off of them for about 4 days and it’s been pretty mild for the most part. I keep going through phases where I feel better, then feel like crap again. I’m done though. I can’t do it anymore. Being clean is way better than constantly wondering how and where you’re going to get something. Or going days or two withdrawing and then getting high and starting the whole cycle over again.
Here is what I recently discovered about withdrawal or paws from subs. It has taken a year off suboxone after 10 years on subs to discover what is prolonging PAWS… and without a doubt it is two substances: (sugar and/or caffeine). I can feel fine and almost totally normal, but shortly after any sweets or caffeine, on comes the mild withdrawal smell, agitation, and that damn red face. As long as I stay away from these, everything is fine. Trust and hear this people, as it has taken me 1 year to discover. You can feel normal again after suboxone.
I was on Subs for 3 years. Tapered from 4mg sublingual to .25mg (little sliver done with razor blade). At .25mg, I stopped. First 1 few days were not enjoyable. Felt very much like a mild heroin withdrawal, all symptoms felt about 1/4 to 1/2 of what being dopesick was like. I definitely felt better when I ate and I took vitamins everyday. As I kept up this regime, I continued to improve mentally and physically. I kept hydrated.
I used a treadmill while watching WWII movies and documentaries endlessly. I felt great on the treadmill or expending energy. It also made it easier to sleep(maybe 4 hours, but much better than none). Eating and expending energy seemed to do the trick for me. Bananas help with the restless legs I think. Potassium probably…? I even helped chop up a tree stump!! A few minutes after stopping, I’d feel like crap again, so I’d go until I couldn’t go anymore and the I think exhaustion just set in and took it’s toll.
I think once you can motivate yourself to get moving, you will find that you feel much better than just sitting there and letting it take its hold of you mentally and physically. I know people who’ve had to kick subs in jail and dealt with all the drama there on top of being in withdrawals. Be glad you are not in that predicament)although it’s easier from a mental aspect there, from what I’ve heard). Understand, ultimately, that withdrawal eventually will end and if you own it, embrace it and make it your last experience in that hell, you will be more powerful than you can possibly imagine and nothing in the world can stop you.
I allow myself to enjoy life as I am in control(of me). The burden lifted is a high in itself to this day. If you are of sound mind and body, you are still able to enjoy the fruits of what this world has to offer. Those fruits are not enjoyable to those who constantly have to worry about being dope-sick or worrying if they will come up positive on a drug screen and cut off by their Dr. or their dealer gets busted.
I’m on about day 20 of w/d and it has been hard. I still feel weak and irritable and I feel bad cause I don’t have the patience and energy to deal with my son who just wants to play. I jumped off cold turkey from 4mg because i ran out and my doctor is in CT and I moved to FL. I’m 22 years old and married and I could say suboxone just suppressed who I was, even my libido was gone from this crap.
Everyday I feel a little better though. Sometimes I wish they would just stop and I dwell on finding some but all it does it set you back another 3 days after each time and it adds to feeling negative. Your mind has A LOT to do with the severity of the withdrawals so just stay strong. The worst part for me is the restless leg and not sleeping well. I feel like I’m going to snap sometimes.
Hello to all of you it’s Mark again as all of you know we absolutely were duped into taking Suboxone we had no idea the withdrawal from subs would be this bad. I’m almost at 3 months without subs the only symptoms I have left are the sneezing and some drowsiness. I have certainly improved so to all of you hang in there.
Hi all, I was an opiate user for about 6 years and went to inpatient rehab to get off if once in for all….after day 2 I was in a living hell and then they gave me my first dose of suboxone (I had never heard of it up until then). I thought it was a miracle drug, oblivious to the fact that there would be withdrawal from subs. I’ve been on 16mg/ day for 6 yrs now.
Today my Dr. told me he was cutting me off b/c I’ve had Valium in my system (I started getting horrible panic attacks shortly after taking the sub’s). He gave me one last prescription for 30 sub’s of 2 mg. From reading all the posts, that doesn’t seem like enough to properly taper. I’m absolutely terrified of what lies ahead. The opiate withdrawal was absolutely horrific, I can’t even imagine a worse/much longer withdrawal to deal with. I’m scared to death but appreciate all the posts and support on here.
I have just hit the 72 day marker with no opiates. I got hooked on suboxone 2 1/2 years ago. I have never done pills or heroin. I bought suboxone 8mg strips. One strip lasted me 2-3 days. I’m doing good and have not had bad withdrawals, but the depression sucks. But I refuse to go back to that stuff. I want my old life back. All that stuff did was make me enjoy being alone. This is hard, but going through life depending on something is worse. I challenge anybody using to get help and realize that being normal is a better time.
So true buprenorphine and opiates make mundane loneliness endurable. How much more gratifying to actually deal with the physical and psycho-social issues that brought us here in the first place.
My situation is the same. I’ve been using Suboxone for around 2 1/2 to 3 yrs now with the last 3 months using tiny amounts from one 8mg strip. I hate thinking about it now TBH especially since I wanted to finally relieve myself of that substance that I honestly figured I’d be able to take for the rest of my life. It’s been 5 days since I’ve taken any, and like most, my symptoms didn’t start until day 3.
Yesterday, day 4, was a weird one for me mainly because I felt much better the majority of the day and thought it was due to my consistent exercising, mostly cardio. I thought that all of my sweating lately from working out would be a tremendous help. I haven’t noticed any major changes but I figure there definitely has been some change and it’s for the better. Reading all of the comments it doesn’t seem like anyone else if affected by the cold/sweats? That’s my biggest fear, that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with that crazy amount of sweat on the back of my neck driving me mad.
Sorry if my thoughts seem kind of jumbled, it’s been almost six days without any Suboxone and I’m trying my hardest to sweat this crap out of my system. I plan on going to the sauna today for at least 20 minutes with a gallon of water next to me. Been reading everyone’s comments and it doesn’t seem like anyone has mentioned this? Is going to the sauna on day 6 too much for the body? Thank you, and good luck to all of you getting free of this substance.
Honestly man, I think it is not a good idea for us now… When I had a smaller habit, back in the day trying to detox from like 40mg of oxycodone a day I did this, and it really only gave me like an hour of relief, the relief after you get out and shower and enter the world, then back to misery and MORE sweating. Particularly on the sub at least with this WD I find myself forcing water down my throat, and Gatorade and I know I’m still dehydrated because of skin impressions and urine color (excluding vitamins).
If you must do it, drink like at least 80oz of water or gatorade type fluid a day, it might help a little to flush out toxins in theory, but realistically I don’t think it can magically pull the bupe off your receptors. It’s not extracted through sweat, and you are taxing the organs that actually do extract it.
Congrats to you all that have survived the PAWS! I’m at day 60 now and am pretty stoked! I decides to just jump off 4mg I’m so glad I did no research, I just decided I was addicted to codeine for 4 years and on Subs for 2 and 1/2. Also struggle with alcohol addiction. The first week was hell, lethargic I felt plastered to the floor not sure how I didn’t die of dehydration. I also stopped drinking too and thought this was from that.
Although had detoxed from alcohol before and found by day 4 energy is fully back, by day 6 I made a call and got told how silly I was for stopping them both and stopping subs. I honestly had no energy to even get to the doctor and live alone. By day 9 I had a massive anxiety attack and my counselor said that I had to go get back on subs as they keeping me stable, she said get a cab, phone a friend just get to the doctor! I was crying as there was no way I wanted to go back on to subs!
To my surprise when I got to my doc he refused to write a script and said give it a few more days and you’ll come good! This made me happy but lost as to how I was feeling he prescribed some Valium to help with anxiety and sleep! My sleep has improved dramatically now although I still need an afternoon nap. Compared to those first few days I just slept 23 hours a day! I still experience restless legs and if I drink alcohol it def makes it worse, sneezing has improved but still there and runny nose, I take a fever tablet for that.
Nausea is good some days other days not so good, some minutes I feel great and then the next minute I’m bawling my eyes out, that’s why I decided to research now, to see how long these symptoms last for! I still suffer from diarrhea depending on what I eat, fatty foods make it worse, more bland foods seem OK! I’m so glad this first few weeks are over, I worked the first week and have no idea how I did it then I took 10 days to recover. I really hope anyone out there reading this all the best in living a healthy life, and stay clean. Don’t give up when it gets tough because each day gets easier.