How long should I take suboxone for after stopping methadone?

I recently have been sober for 2 months a week and a half my drug of choice was poppy pods and METHADONE which i took for years. Opiods all together for 6 years. My withdrawls from Methadone was by far the worst!!! I thought i was dieing and putting it lightly wanted to. It was horrible i had the SEVERE withdrawls for a week and a half and mild from there on out. However, I've been on suboxone since right before i left detox after my 8th day withdrawling just because the Dr.s wanted to be careful not to throw me into more severe withdrawls which i couldn't even imagine being possible with how miserable i was. yet the suboxone helped sooooooooo much with the restless legs, clammy skin, crawling skin,.... everything of course not completely in the first little bit of getting started with suboxone since you have to get worked up to the daily dose you'd be taking. I know you can have withdrawls from suboxone, it's not a miracle pill with no side effects. But, with the right doctor and working your recovery sobriety is definately possible! some take suboxone for a month others for a 6 months some for a couple years it depends. But when you plan on getting off suboxone you just need to SLOWLY and CAREFULLY get tappered off. I'm being tappered right now, i originally was taking 24mg soboxone a day and i'm being tappered down 4mg at a time until i'm at a lower dose. it's a lengthy process to do it right. I've been taking the 20mg of suboxone for a month now and can't even tell ill be getting tappered down more on the 25th. just remember that suboxone can't fix you, you have to work the steps in order to get the result you want. if we put even 50% the effort we did to get high to be sober we can do it! =] ;-) ;-)

I took the 8mg Suboxone for a few days, the 4mg for a few days, and now I've been taking 2mg (or less) suboxone for the past 8 days.

I don't know why I keep on taking the 2mg suboxone. I think it's because when I wake up, I feel weak. I don't feel the least bit self-motivated. Throughout the day, I get minor sweats. These sweats are so annoying that I take the 2mg suboxone to try to get rid of them, and after a few hours, I usually feel better - except the problem is that I've never just waited without taking the suboxone to see if time alone would give me the same reaction. Altogether, I've been on suboxone for 2 weeks 1 day. I am hoping that tomorrow I will be strong enough to go throughout the day without taking a 2mg suboxone.

Can someone PLEASE answer for me: ARE THE SWEATS AND WEAKNESS that I've been feeling a remnant of methadone withdrawal? Because it's been nearly 4 weeks since I've taken any methadone - I transitioned from methadone to oxycodone to suboxone. I'm wondering if my body is still withdrawing from the methadone, or if it's just becoming dependent on the suboxone.

Someone please help! I've only been on the suboxone for a couple weeks and the LAST thing in the world I want to do is become dependent on it. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, your body will become dependent on the Suboxone. Even though its only a partial opiate your body gets used to it, even the 2 milligrams, and then depends on it so you'll feel "normal". Physical dependancy is one of the hardest things to get over. You'll have to ween yourself down from the 2 mgs. I was taking methadone, and went from 80 mgs to 20 without any with-drawl then at 15 mgs I started feeling sick, but not too bad, then went to 5 mgs and couldn't take it at night and wound up using again. So even though you'll ween yourself down, you will still have sickness, and you have to be strong enough to get through it. The with drawl may not be as severe but you will have bad cravings, aching muscles, and the sweats. Good luck to all i've been struggling with it for a long time. And I used suboxone myself, and when coming off that I wound up relapsing due to with drawls.

I would like to pass on a little differant story than most of you who got hooked on some type of drug and tried many things to get off. I was prescribed by my pain Doctor Morphine 40 mg a day for 3 months when it quit working for my pain, so they swithched me to Duragesic patches which are 8 X the amount of heroin as I am told. They started me with 25 mg per patch that lasted 2 days and I stayed with 25 mg for 2 months until my body started to get use to it. They the up my dose to 50 mg every 2 days for about 3 months, then 75 mg every 2 days for 3 months, and last 100 mg every 2 days for about 2 months. The problem was my body was getting use to it and needed more and more so they kept increasing my dosage. It would work for a few months then I would start having wd's and need to increase. After about a year of hell with clinic they then told me that I was addicted and either had to go up on dosage or taper down to get off. But they also recommended suboxone therapy because it would be easier to taper and get off slowly. I had to be in moderate to severe wd's to start my first dosage of suboxone. That was the worst torture ive been thru in my life for 24 hours. I felt like climbing the walls, pulse was racing at 150 min, throwing up, cold sweats, hot sweats, and my blood pressure was 110 over 160 before I took my first dose. My doctor made me wait that long. 24 hrs. After taking the 8 mg suboxone finally within 30 minutes I was normal. I also wanted to kill myself during those wd's. It's terrible. But finally starting subs, I was told it would be 1 year of taper and I would be free of all. I did 8 mg twice a day for 1 month then she dropped me to 4 mg twice a day. She wanted me on that for 4 months. So on my 6 month she dropped me to 4 mg once a day for 2 months. Then we went to 2 mg once a day for 2 more months. She wanted me to stay for another 2 months. But I cheated and started to break 2 mg in half and went a month without her knowing it, then I broke the 2 mg pill in 1/4's and went 2 weeks. Then i started to just break a tiny piece maybe it was 1/8 mg for 1 week and decided to stop completely Jan 1, 2010. Made it my new year resolution. Its been 10 days and I feel totally normal now. I went through about 3 days of dirrhea feeling sick, couldn't sleep, and couldn't be still. But about the 4th day I started to feel better, and by 10 days Im the happiest person in the world now. It wasnt as bad as I thought and read about. My doctor doesnt know I stopped. I have to make an appointment soon to let her know. I was suppose to get a new prescription next week and see how much I was to go down. Shes probally going to be mad, but I wanted off. If you taper slowly and gradual its easier than you might think. Hopefully this helps someone out there. Thanks

I am reading so many posts, going back so many years. I was addicted to vicodin and codeine for about a year. The reasons aren't relevant, we all have our reasons. I went to a suboxone dr. Because i put myself into full withdrawl not knowing that it twould happen never had an addiction before. I am no expert but the doses people are taking and starting out at are quite high. Dr. Started me at 8mg no withdrawl symptoms within 20 minutes and i was in bad shape couldnt even talk. ..All i could do was rock back and forth. I took 8mg for 2months, 6mg for 2months, 4mgs 2months, 2mgs for 2months, btw switched from pills to sublingual tabs when they came on the market...... Then 1mg for for two months then one half mg for two months. .. I went off them thursday night... Starting friday.. I felt draggy...loss of appetite somewhat...the worst is restless legs preventing me from sleeping. Slight headache all the time. I am on day 7 tomorrow and i dont really feel too bad. I believe a very slow taper is the key... You cant jump off at 2mg thats nuts and even at my slow taper my Dr. told me there would be a few rough days just tough it out. My advice for anyone looking to use and get off subs. .. I cant imagine why
anyone would say you can stay on them your whole life..... Find the right doctor... One who knows what he is doing and is honest about the process... I didnt go through anything even close to the hell i was in when i walked into his office. Subs saved me and so did my Dr and i had minimum withdrawl because of the very slow taper. I wish u all good luck and good health.

K.....

Look guys, you want an experienced story listen up! Ive worked in the healthcare feild for 15 years UNTIL I had an operation that they made a mistake on. I ended up have 37 stomach/pelvis surgeries in two years to try to repair it. Before this I had NEVER so much as pick up any type of drug (Oh okay pot BUT I hated it). Long story short they had me on methadone, Phentergan pathches, delaudid, rocycodone (high levels), Morphine (HIGH levels)...until I finally said "hey wait a minute, whats it gonna be like to come off this c**p?". I cut back EVERYTHING to only the bare minimum of what I needed (30mgs of meth) and after a while I found that I didnt need that either. So I stopped the meth (30mgs) cold turkey..Im a tough girl, I though. OH BOY I was not prepared! By day 4 my blood pressure was so high my face was BRIGHT red and I was hurting all over. My mother did something nice but stupid and checked me into a fancy resort where they do a suboxone taper. Well that first suboxone sure mede me feel great! I mean GREAT! I was fine for my rest of my stay...until they stopped the suboxone a day before I left! WOW talk about all the withdrawals coming right back. This time I was pissed!! I went to a doctor outside the facility who took pitty on me and gave me.....zofran 8mgs every 8 hrs (for nausea), para fon forte 500mgs 2x's every 4 hrs (for muscle cramps), xanax 2mgs every 6 hrs (for the shakes) Oh and the most important clonodine 1.0 for the goosebumps (3x's a day). Listen folks you are going to have to ask for this, most doctors dont even know these are good withdrawal tools. (If your gonna ask for this stuff, take the face rings out, shower and brush your hair!).

I have been clean from all mood and mind altering substances for over three and a half years I attend 12 step meetings regularly and know for a fact that no one needs suboxone or methadone or any other drug replacement therapy. it is a ploy the pharmecutical companies and doctors have concocted in order to make more money off the sick and suffering.

 Yes withdraw sucks and it feels like you are going to die but trust me you wont. But I have known many people to relapse when trying to get off the suboxone or methadone especially because Drs want to keep you on it long term and it does have withdraw effects come on people its still a drug.

 Far to may people use it as a crutch or something to replace their drug of choice. Its called replacement therapy for a reason. a drug is a drug no matter what you call it and as an addict I am capable of misusing anything. Those who tell you a person cant abuse saboxone is full of c**p.

 Suboxone is only suposed to be taking during the withdraw period from opiates if at all. It is an opiate itself after all. Friends do yourself a favor ween off whatever you are on get into some kind of support or 12 step program nad I promise you will have a far more rewarding life.

You are def becoming dependant on the sub. And yes, the methadone withdrawls can last that long. I was on 320 mg. of methadone a day, for ten years. I kicked cold turkey in jail. I kicked for six months! I didn't sleep for more than 3 or 4 hrs, for at least a year. Clean and sober now since mar 25 2009. By the grace of God, and the program. Just checking in to tell you that there is hope! Good luck, and God Bless.

 

please do not use suboxone. 3 people family and friend both had reall!!!!! bad withdrawl from it. it was worse than original drug. please think twice or more before you try this messed up help. and remember methadone was supposed to help people come off heroin. now they are stuck with the evils of methadone. ween your self off the drug you are hooked on ,with smaller amounts each day with your doc. man. i hate going from one drug to another. it's like smoking fewer each day. good luck, god bless us all.

Don't take the subs right after your last dose of methadone, you have to be on 30mls or less of methadone before you can start the subs and you have to wait a day or two , preferably three before starting. Suboxone has 2 mls of Naloxone in it (Narcan) it will put you in instant withdrawal. YOU WILL BE DEATHLY ILL If you were in a narcotic overdose that is the drug that they inject you with in the ambulance to take you out of an over dose, don't stay on suboxone too long, the withdrawal can be just as bad and long as Methadone

Its VERY HARD seeing ive been on methadone for 10 yrs and only 28 w/ two children, but getting on sub. you are Trading one BAD habit for another, and like above person said narcan is in subs and will send you into a bad withdrawl which i have and my sister also have experienced hers being way worse than mine... anyway GOOD LUCK!!!!!

I was on pain medicine cause I have all kinds of problems, bad back , feet problems, crippling arthritis, problems with my bones. ache all over. always got my prescriptions from a doctor. I was starting to feel like I was so dependent on the doctors all the time trying me on something else all the time and they never wanted to put me on anything that would help. So I heard Suboxen would help the pain and if you wanted to come off of it , no withdrawl's problems. Boy was that ever a lie and a half. If you think coming off a pain bill withdrawl is bad .Wait until you stop taking Suboxen. You will hope you would just die and get your self out of your misery. and if you have a job , well you can forget that too.... You will not ever feel like getting out of bed ever. So I had to go back to the Family doctor and have my Suboxen Dr. give him a letter before he could treat me for all my pain. I'm starting to get up in age. I have to work and I decieded if I have to be depend on something to help me ease my day to day pain I'd rather it be something that works. I definately wouldn't tell someone to go get on Suboxen. But that's just my story and I hope it might help someone out there. I am in process now of seeing if I don't go through bad withdraw symptoms of changing to pain medicine. I have to go 2 days or 3 of no Suboxen at all before I take my pain medication, cause if not they say I could get sicker and I'd be wasting my pain medicines for no reason because they wont work. hHpe this helps someone.

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