suboxone taper

dickert · Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 19

I have been on suboxone for 6 months now, it helped me much, but it is time I got off. Tried cold turkey, heh-I thought I was strong enough, as if that had anything to do with it. Anyway, I am aware of having to taper my dose now, but I don’t know from where to start. Any ideas? I am on 8 mg now, taking it once a day.

full · Newbie Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 19

Hi there! You know what, this experience can be a hard one and I wouldn’t suggest you going through it all alone. I believe it would be best if you allowed your doctor to taper your doses and monitor you. It seems like the best possible solution to me. My taper was followed by me feeling all crazy and wicked and the headaches. At the moment I am on 3 mg, hoping for total 0 soon.

Guest · Guest

Hey you guys, I've been on suboxone for 7 months and only on 1mg how awesome is that! But, someone said the HEADACHES I've been having headaches and never put 2 and 2 together. The only signs i can feel so far are the CHILLS 24-7 just about. Nothing like detoxing from NARC. but it still sucks. I want to be off this. Anyone have a success story, and completely off.

riotboi · Newbie Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 2

I know im going to make it this time.....I have the same thing going on as the last post......I work in an air conditioned office and IM FREEZING MY BUTT OFF......its that and I'm having a real hard time sleeping, i get a real nervous stomach and I toss and turn. i worked my way down from 32mg a day to 1 mg a day and have been off for 3 days.....could i be on the upswing yet?

SoberInWisconsin · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

Hi there. This is my first posting EVER but I thought this thread actually had some depth and I wanted to weigh in. Ive searched high and low for useful posts to get me through the many w/d's and always found conflicting info... so here's my story. I became depressed about 3 years ago and discovered oxycontin and percocets. I should have known better considering the serious alcoholism and pill and crack and H and you name it addictions in my family... but I always thought I'd be different and then one day it just becomes easier to give up. I started out at only 21 years old w/ a 5mg hydro once a day and within a year I was "up" to 100mg a day of oxycodone or an 80mg oxycontin 3 to 5 times a day. Impressive, right? Well I was also "down" 1 fiance', 1 dream job, 1 beautiful condo, 1 brand new car, and 20g's in debt from psych ward stays from suicide attempts and medical bills from car crashes and charging cash advances on my credit card to buy pills just to get me through the day without getting sick. But now that I got that off my chest... I was introduced to subs 6 monts ago from a friend after a bad withdrawal and immediately took stock. I couldn't afford the doctor so I bought them off the street and did all the research I could. I started out with good intentions but really just used them when scripts were scarse or I needed a couple weeks to re-up on some cash... never truly intending to stay off. It was just to keep the w/d symptoms at bay until I could score. Again I'm rambling... to the point... 40 days ago I made the decision I wanted my life back and started on my path to soberness. I stocked up on as many subs as I possibly could. I started out on 4-6mg every 24 to 36 hours (you decide based on how u feel... *BUT* but don't take more on account of the headache alone! The infamous "bupe headache" will haunt you but don't fear it passes as soon as u get the subs out of your system!) I've seen postings where people are on 32mg a day which to me seems uneccesary as the bupe cielings at 32mg and no matter how high your tolerance is and what your drug of choice is you should try and take the lowest dose that you need. It keeps the length of the taper and inevitable w/d to a minimum. I suggest when starting out on the subs when entering w/d to take 2mgs at a time every hour until u feel better and stick with that at your cieling dose. I stayed on 4-6mg for 4 weeks to stabalize my mind and body, and all was well. I then slowly tapered down every week/7 days by 1mg until I was down to just powdered dust under my tongue. It was time for the inevitable! I made sure I had a good 10 days of nothing to do and nowhere to go and locked up the subs far enough out of reach. (Keep just a couple in case something comes up and for some reason ur not ready for detox! Emergencies, work, cravings/relapse.) I've seen horror stories about months of w/d but don't let it discourage you! A 40 day sub dose is plenty of time to successfully taper without excessive side effects. I of course stocked up on valium/xanax for sleep and moods (though I could have used some stronger sleeping pills some nights...and be sure you know your tolerance to any kind of benzo as it can lower your blood pressure and be fatal, although I haven't experienced any negative side effects), immodium for the squirts, antihistamines for the incessant sneezing and watery eyes, acetominophen for the aches and creepy crawlies and sweats, and plenty of h2o! Stay hydrated! This is dire to helping flush yourself out and too keep your muscles from aching. Also, keep moving! Your going to feel at times like your gonna jump out of your skin and hot showers and excersize helps! So day 1-3 was not easy! I started feeling some w/d after about 24 hours of my last sub dose and after 48 hours I was deep in it! My legs ached so bad I could hardly move which didn't help the running to the bathroom every half hour! The bupe headache was in full force but on day 3 disappeared as well as the sneezing started to subside. (Try counting sneezes per day, keep record of that and ur temperature and when/what OTC meds you take. Keeps u occupied and helps show your progress! I looked at that as proof the pain was worth it during those moments of weakness and craving.) Nowhere near a cold turkey but certainly not fun! A 4 on a 1-10 pain scale. Days 2-4 were probably the worst! But it starts to subside gradually. Days 3-6 was probably a 2 on the scale and without self-medicating with all those OTC drugs. (Ahhhh sweet progress!) The symptoms were at times nonexistant and I had bursts of true energy not just restless energy. I smiled! I laughed! But watch out that turns on you easily. Sleep was harder to come by and the nightmares weren't fun but when I did sleep it was very restful. Days 6-10 were just as much of a mindf*ck as ever but ... No pain no gain! If you really want this its atainable and hey what's being sober anyways... a mindf*ck! After day 10 I felt like a whole person again. I am nowhere near out of the woods but I am not lost in them. Now its day 45 and the light is at the end of the tunnel! Some days are harder than others but I can't remember when my mind was so clear or I had so much energy! Life feels worth living again! I just think about everything I've been through and how hard I worked to get sober when I feel depressed about the mess my life has become since becomming a junkie. The sooner you suck it up and face reality the sooner you can clean the mess up and move forward. I could definitely use some anti depressants as irrational thinking is still present after 45 days... maybe this is what everyone is referring too about the MONTHS of w/d's ... but this is to be expected for a substantial period after any addiction. Now I keep 2 subs on my nightstand that are collecting dust so when I feel that familiar craving I have a safety net in case I feel a relapse. Just 1mg will knock it right out of ya and no harm done! I hope I was helpful and didn't bore too many of you. I have several friends following the lead and have heard positive things. Suboxone may not be a "miracle" but I don't think I could have done it without that little orange pill! Good luck!

swhite70072 · Newbie Joined: 28 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I was on Suboxone, 2-4mg per day for a few months, weaned down to 2mg per day, then kept extending the length of time i would take the 1/4 of pill, like once every 30 hours, then once every 2 days, once every 2.5 days, etc... after one full week off with very minor symptoms (achy, weak) - i made it Monday thru Saturday and all of a sudden, i had severe opiate cravings - had a failed attempt at scoring heroin and quickly decided to get back on Suboxone - I've been back on for another year now, i take 1/4 pill morning and 1/4 in the evening - roughly 4mg per day. I am about to try and wean off again, like i did the first time, but i get the creepy-crawly's just thinking about it. Anybody know if the longer your on Suboxone, the harder the withdrawal symptoms? or should i expect the same type of experience, as when i got off after being on it for 2-3 months? I heard Neurontin may help, but isn't that a seizure medication?
PS: Nyquil makes me sleep like a baby on those restless nights, but expect grogginess in the morning - have the coffee pot ready so you can get to work on time.

Guest · Guest

Ok, so pretty much all I've read on the internet is stories of people saying that kicking Sub is harder than kicking other opiates, or that's impossible to stay off, but I have a success story that I'd like to share that maybe will help someone, somewhere. I was addcited to OxyContin and heroin for 8 years, and then I decided to get on Suboxone to get clean. I started at 16mg a day, and about 4 months in, decided I wanted off, so I dropped to 12mg a day right then and there, and then every 9 days I would decrease it by 4 mg, until I was at 4 then I went to 2, and then I cut the last quarter of an 8mg into 4 sliver pieces and took one every other day. The worst withdrawal symptom I had was sneezing, no joke. I slept fine, and I'm a college student, didn't miss a class, didn't miss work, it barely even bothered me. The only thing I noticed is that of course slight cravings do return but seriously if you're an addict it's part of life, you need to learn to deal with it and surround yourself with a good support system. So I was on Suboxone for a total of 5 months about, and went from 16mg a day to off completely in 6 weeks, with barely any discomfort at all. Doing my homework is harder than it was for me to get off Sub. So for anyone out there scared to get off of it, not everyone's the same, maybe you won't feel as bad as you might think? But if you want off, it's worth a try cause I did it and it was painless.

Guest · Guest

first of all i got tears in my eyes reading that last posting knowing that it can be done without so much fear and difficulty. i started on sub about 10 days ago , i was nervous so i went with a high dossage to begin, 24 mg once a day, i only did that the first day because i realized more isnt better in this case, thats a change that was hard to get used to... any way im down to just 6 mg and im pretty sure i will taper it to 4 starting tommorow. ive felt just fine as ive lessened, so i am hoping to be down to one 2 mg tablet by mid week and will try to bo done with it by the weekend. all in all about a 2 and ahalf week process. obviously i dont know what to expect once i stop for good, but having kicked opiates in the past white knuckle style i have to believe ill be able to manage it. i get weepy a lot thinking about all ive lost and thrown out over the years, while im not under the influence of the oxycodne, but i also feel like i have so much hope to get back everything ive lost. i dont want to sound like some kind of ultra positive "we can do it " person, but dont we really all have to? doesnt it come to the pont where you look around at every single person and wish you were them because they dont wake up in a panic every day wondering how they are going to support there habbit. for some reason an addict just drew that card, and i never post stuff like this but i felt like should say something to try and contribute. good luck to everyone trying to better themselves, im trying to be positive and not think of the negatives anymore, im 38 yrs old been dealing on and off with this mess since im about 21. i did manage about 5 years totally clean,but then got "bored" and figued id be ok. anyway im rambling now, thanks to evryone who is posting, and just remember something that makes me feel better, no one really gives a shit about your problems except you, of course there is your family and friends, but they go on with there day wether we mess up or not, or are in fear an pain or not. in the end if we want to make anything of our time being hooked on drugs is really not a great option.

suboxone taper

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