finally off suboxone

Wean to as little as possible. Use tweezers if you have to for tiny bits.

Wean yourself slowly by 5-10% a day. Guy who wrote he went from 4 mg to 2 mg then 2 mg every other day to cold turkey was nuts. For me a distraction was best way to get through the day while decreasing meds, but go slowly: going from 8 mg to 7 mg is a 13% drop, but going from 2 to 1 is a 50% drop... You can go from 8 to 4 mg in a month (not less than 2 wks), then another month to drop to 2 mg (not less than 2 weeks), then another 2-4 weeks to drop to 1 mg depending on how long you have been using opiates and suboxone. From 1 mg you just pinch off smaller and smaller pieces til you are down to dust or forget to take it. Even at 1 mg my feet would start to hurt, swell and ankles would pop (feet pain had been primary problem) 24 hrs after last dose. I would start to get tired and yawn, lose energy and concentration. Don't sabotage your recovery by rushing it! But do try to work down to 2-4 mg ASAP so as not to build long term tolerance to it.
I think treatment should last minimum of 6 months, but realistically 1-3 years or more until the patient has rebuilt their life away from the "reminders" and the addicts they associated with.

The posts that you read on here are typically from those people who have bad experiences tapering down and trying to get off of Sub's or other Opiates. Most of us who have done it successfully are off of the subs or whatever pain pill we were taking and so we don't typically come back onto these sites. I was painkillers for an injury for about 10 years. Finally had a surgery that corrected it and then had to stop taking the pain meds which was difficult. After being on Sub's for the past year, I tapered down to 1/8 of a mg per day for about a week. This is an extremely small amount but it allowed me to stop without any withdrawals other than some tightness in my hamstrings when trying to sleep for about the first 2 weeks. It has been 3 weeks and feel great and I have no withdrawals or "cravings" like they like to say. So, you can do it, and the posts are all correct that Suboxone is not a drug that you should be on long term. However, if you are, and I was as I would consider a year a long time, you can get off the Sub's by tapering down to the smallest amount possible and this should allow you to stop with limited withdrawals. Good luck and stay strong.

Blurry vision is a side effect of suboxone use that I too have encountered. Basically my best advice is that it's hard to get below 4-6mg... First step in quitting you have to run out. As long as your prescribed subs you will keep taking them. If you haven't quit by now I would recommend taking Atleast 2 weeks off work and just going for it! Also stay away from all freinds who take subs or use. All of my relapses have occurred when I get depressed and bored and want to hang with an old friend. I'm quitting suboxone again currently and am so tired of this. I just went 19 days after jumping from 4 mg. then screwed it up and took 4 mg every other day for about week now I am on day 3 with nothing. This stuff is really hard to quit and stay quit. Perhaps I need a long vacation. Anyway good luck and hope you are able to kick the subs.

Hello- I was on subs for over two years up to 8 mg then tapered down to two then 1mg ..then. I jumped. My withdrawal was minimal compared to Vicodin withdrawals. The hardest part for me was fatigue and low energy so I took off work for a week to rest. I used 24 mg loperamide for day 3,4 and 5 and then stopped. Helps sleep then doctor game me clonodine .1mg 4 times a day...keeps your nervous system from going haywire . I was able to watch movies and detox. It lasted longer than Vicodin withdrawal mainly because fatigue and low energy. After two weeks , I was off clonodine and Suboxone so for me no horror stories in fact not that bad at all. Just wanted to add this so if you are thinking of quitting get cloned one and make the jump . Clonodine helped me sleep 5 -8 hours right away.
Good luck! I am free from it - you can too!

That is my plan. My doctor said taper in small decreases is the only way to be succesful. Just started yesterday. Good luck luck to all!

I jumped from 12mg for 5 years. It sucked. You've heard it all before. If you want details ask. Stay the course. It's been two years plus (march 25 2015) Godspeed

I was on this thread many times, I did finally get off, and as one guy said I literally was taking a quarter of a mg, yeah, It takes years so think of it in the long term, subs help you get your life together and keep you from using imop, I literally was prescribed 2 a day for years and never used more than 1, next you get to a half then a quarter, then an eighth, then we'll you get it, it's still gonna suck at the end, I used edibles and they helped but the misery is only 2-3 weeks and I was on for 5+ years, eventually you just get tired of it but you do need to know your gonna run out so you know there's no going back, I had a few hundred, when your taking a half or quarter a day they last, I actually had extra and gave them to a friend, I don't miss opiates, I mean I'm not a sober person I drink my beers and smoke my weed but I'm also 38, and it's been 6+ weeks, good luck either way, I got married and had kids on subox and quit while being trapped in the house w babies so if I can pull it off you can, peace

I was prescribed 16 mg of suboxone a day for opiate addiction . I was addicted to morphine and methadone and suboxone saves me from that . For a while it was like a miracle drug . I hated how I felt on suboxone . I felt numb, no emotions . I started to taper myself early on down to 8 mg , then 4 , then 2 mg all of which was smooth and effortless . I could not get lower than 2 mg so for 3 of those 5 years I was a slave to those 2 mg. Finally the last 6 months I decided to make the jump . First by skipping one day and staying there for two weeks with only 2 mg every other day . With the half life as long as it is this was actually easier than I anticipated . I then started dropping it to 1 mg every other day . This was uncomfortable indeed . Nausea , irritability , constantly going to the bathroom and feeling sick with the flu most of the day . That’s when I said I’m done and made the final jump . On day 3 of nothing I was so miserable I took a tiny crumb of subutex to help with withdrawal and that was my last crumb . The following week was not so easy . I was extremely irritable . Nauseated . Restless legs , constantly going to the bathroom , little to no sleep but finally on day 7 I felt good! I woke up with no sickness . Stock up on kratom and Imodium d to help u through the first week and you can do it ! This stuff is a detox drug and should never be prescribed to anyone long term unless they plan on being on it for many many years and drawing out the inevitable .

You should taper down to 0.125 mgs in ten percent reductions

I got my self off of suboxone And I have been free from it's grasp for 1.5 years. I QUIT cold turkey after 16 years of being on it.Yes I got sick and yes I would have just lik to have killed my self it was so horrible. But they never tell you just how the drug attacks your reptors and that the damage takes over a year for brain to rewire it's self I would just out of nowhere get withdrawals even after a year of not taking it. But now it's been 2 years and no more sickness. IF u really want to be free of the drug u stay strong mentally it's hard to do but u have to stay strong I know I felt like I didn't deserve to get off the drug. I Learned that I u can't respect your self than u wond make it please b strong u deserve a better life I know these doctors ain't gonna take part in what they started in helping anyone so it's up to yall to help your self because nobody else can help only your can beat it have faith in your self u r a strong beautiful person and will beat this bs I never thought I could but I did .