How long will Suboxone Subutex Withdrawal Last? My Story of Recovery, Happy ending.

this is very moving to me..im am trying to detox myself from subutex..it has been very hard and i keep going back to them because i just cant find the strength to stay away from them...i hope i can take what u have said and apply it to my daily life and get my life back

Day 14 of No Subutex! Jumped off @ 2mg/day after taking up to 24mg/day for nearly two years. Walked down from 16mg/day over two months ... a little less each week. (I am a 6'1", 230 lb male.) Didn't really bother me until I was down to just 2mg/day and then (obvioiusly) when I jumped off completely. In case you're curious, I went on Suboxone/Subutex after a 5 year love affair with Vicodin (all under doctor supervision). Used it to help me feel cheery and feel like a "super" version of myself. Looking back, I should've just asked for help getting off the Vics. Anyway, can't do anything about that now but MOVE ON from all this.

To THANKGOD: Thank you again for your story. You have given me something to "shoot for" each and every day of this journey. The coolest part of what you've done is given many people hope. God rewards that, and you will one day get to know EXACTLY how many people you helped (including myself). All these "thank you" notes are just bonus to the REAL DEAL. You couldn't help this many people had you not been through this whole ordeal. Stay focused on that: This time in your life CAN be used to help people, if you'll let Him work through you.

Final word: You don't hide a candle under a bowl. You put it on a lamp stand for all to see. Be that candle in your family. Don't believe the lie that you NEED this drug (unless you're in danger of harming yourself or others while not on it). It's hard, but worth it. Each day is getting better. Stop reading the negative stories, and focus on the positive. Like THANKGOD mentioned earlier, if you stay in bed all day and think about awful you feel, you will continue to feel miserable. Make up your mind to be done with drugs once and for all, and NEVER. GO. BACK. 

 

Melanie wrote:

God? some people are still living in ancient times...Am sorry but it's all in the head..No such thing as God...Educated intelligent people do not believe in God...You think it helps but it's all in your head...Its pshycological..If you want to believe something you will, and it will make it look God is the savior, while all the time it's all in your mind..

Lucky am I who, lives in a country where my right to choose a religion or spiritual advisor, is one of my own personal choice. Me personally, I am a Spiritual person who pays homage to a personal God of my understanding. Subutex came late into my life after many years of being sober and drug free. I had done many of the exercises to repair the damage to myself and my family and was living a noteworthy life. Like many others, I had several sugeries that resulted in debilitating neropothy. Then addicted to opiods, I found a treatment center to transition me to the Suboxone to atleast reduce the havock in my life and the chronic nerve pain. I am now going through cancer treatment and chemo therepy. I continue a low dose regime of the Suboxone and am in regular attendence at the Fellowship that helped me find a God thet I could trust on a daily basis to walk me through each day as it comes. You of course are free not to have a Power Greater than yourself in your life. The kindest thing I can do is offer you a Blesing and go about my merry way. Peace be wit you.

This helped me more than anything...was given subs to help with pain....went 6 days without and my only other non narc med and felt so awful. Everything you just described. I broke down and finally took some today because of guilt of not being there for my daughter. She is all I have to take care of. She's 15, but coming off of these even at a 2mg to 6mg a day was worse than quiting methadone at 140mg cold turkey. Thank you so much for you honest opinion. I also have noticed memory loss and depression, everything you mentioned while on this at higher doses. My husband passed (her father) so I have no one to help at all. Now I know why I've kept myself cooped up with no friends for so long. God bless!!!!!!!

Hi... your story is amazing... thank you so much for sharing it! Your post caught my attention because I've been on suboxone for close to six years. I was your typical house wife living in a great SoCal beach community and I was addicted to vicodine. I had had back surgery and before I knew it, I was taking 10-15 (sometimes more), 750 ml vicodine a day. I finally checked myself into a methadone clinic knowing that I couldn't continue the charade... seeing two doctors, visiting two pharmacies and buying off the streets in order to keep up with my terrible addiction. I spent 1 year visiting the clinic until I was down to 8ml of methadone a day. That's when my counselor at the clinic suggested I try suboxone. He referred me to a doctor who started me off on taking 3 8ml pills a day. I went down to 16 ml rather quickly. This doctor was about a 40 min drive from me and I had to make the drive once a month in order to get my prescription filled so eventually, I talked to my primary doctor who's practice is in my local town about it and he agreed to prescribe me the medicine. I've slowly been weening myself off of the suboxone. I know that six years is a long time to be on it. I've been taking 3 ml a day for about the past year. I didn't think that 3 ml was a lot until I ran across this website. I was addicted to vicodine for close to five years. I've been in a funk ever since I quite the vicodine... not myself at all. I have no energy and never feel like going out. I go to the gym and love to exercise and stay fit but it takes every fiber in my body to get going. I thought that it was just because this is who I really am... the vicodine was giving me all of the energy. After reading your post, I'm realizing that maybe it's the suboxone that is keeping me in this depressed state of mind. I really want to stop. I'm going to go down to 2ml this coming week... going stay on that for about 3 weeks and than reduce to 1ml. Will I still feel lousy going from 1 ml to nothing? I really can't wait to feel like living again. To enjoy going out and meeting up with people. I truly have become such a hermit and that has never been who I am. I now realize that it's the suboxone that is causing me to be this way. Please pray for me... my name is Rhea. Thank you so much!

Melanie you really think that there is not god. wow just walk outside and look around thats a pretty big coincidence how everything plays off the back of each other. May god open your eyes and send christian labors across your path.

Im on week 4 now and if it wasnt for God I would not have made it this far. I dont know how many times I wanted to call my old Dr. and God helped me press through.

If it wasnt for the extensively long withdrawl people would learn their lesson. For everyone out there if you can hold tough through the first 4-5 days you will see a huge improvement. That alone can give you the light you need to see to press through the last few weeks.

Melatonin helps with sleep a little bit. It helps replace the seratonin (sorry spelling) levels in brain that help sedate you to sleep. You can take up to 15mg a day/per Dr. but start out 3-4 1mg tablets.

Bananas help with restless leg syndrome.

Fish Oil and Omega 3's help with brain stimulation.

L-Carnitine 500mg help with your low amino acids you are robbed from Suboxone.

how long does it stay in your body

I was able to take Subutex through my whole pregnancy. I cut back a bit, but both my recovery Dr. and my prenatal Dr. actually advised me not to get off because of the increased potential for miscarriage from WD. Although it worried me, breast feeding and weening baby off from that over several months still put it in her system and she showed no WD symptoms after birth. It is hard though, I did feel judged at times (could have been me and my guilt too), they accidentally put Subutex in the same category as heroine in my file and examined me for track marks, all that when my anesthesiologist was my Dad's best friend. Social services came in and checked my records, but I really had no major problems. God brought my daughter and I through it and I was able to leave high risk ward after only 3 days two nights. Thanks btw, I am still clean and loving life! Thank God

I have been off of subutex for 13 days now. I still toss and turn at night, and some nights are definately worse than others. If I take a benedryl on the bad nights, it seems to do the trick. My energy grows a little each day, but overall my body is still tired and sluggish feeling. I am finding though that I am more aware off what is going on, and I am appreciating everything a lot more. Over all my life becomes better and better each day that passes.

Today is my 10th day off suboxone and I literally thought I was going to die!!! Please pray for me. Funny thing is the doctors told me that it wasnt with drawal I was going through, but some kind of horrible constipation. I knew better. The pain in my stomach was so terrible I went to the hospital three times and they thought I just wanted drugs, but really I couldnt stand the pain. I asked God over and over why he was doing this to me and he answered that he wanted to teach me a lesson. After a week and a half of bein sick I promised I would never touch another pill as long as I live, only thing is can I beat the pill monster. Im so tired of bein an addict, I'm broken and sad, please help.

Reading that really made me feel so much better about getting off suboxone!!! I am seven days in and the withdrawals are killing me!!! Not only the physical agony but I've been getting high on opiates for four years and I'm starting to have emotions again and I'm def, not used to that!!!! But reading how u coming off suboxone really made a positive light on your life made me feel much better about it!!!

I am a 57 year old man. I' ve managed to wean off 6 years of subutex and took my last half mg a week ago. The day before I had my operation. It was bone removal in my hand and screws and pins put in and nerve damage repair. Very pa inful recovery still. Doctors only gave me 5/325 mg of Endocet. I was supposed to take no more than 4 a day but needed to double that to at least have some productive and at least bearable pain relief. I think the subutex is still in my brain receptors? Do you know anything about this? Did the Endocet take over the subutex? I am going to be able, I feel, to stop the Endocet in a couple more days, Already down to only 1 a day so after approx. 10 - 12 days of no subutex (in about 5 more days) and I guess I'll have a couple of day of no painkillers soon. I am in a fog. I have the runs alot. I still need my xanax which I've been on for 2 years 2 mgs a day which I've weaned down to one already. Also take 30 mgs. of temazepam for sleep for 20 years---started on ambien and switched to temazepam 10 years ago because doctor said it's less addictive than ambien. I am depressed and never want to leave the bed. I only go to doctors. I've a macular pucker and am losing vision, I have Hep C. I have crippling arthritis and need more major operations. Hence, more pain meds. When will the subutex leave me so I can have pain relief from the painkillers which I will no longer abuse. Can't sleep even when I take sleep pill. I am sinning in my thoughts again no matter how much I try to pray. I am like a zombie almost. Please advise. God help us all. But I wish Jesus would help me more. Am I selfish? Please God get me out of this so I can better serve You while still here on earth. HELP

Hello, your post gave me so much hope i am on day 4 off suboxone, i am writting at 3:49 in the am because u know i am not sleeping. I pray God's riches blessing on you and your family. and keep me in your prayers.
Thanks Kim

Now over a month w/o suboxone. I feel great and don't think I'll ever need it again.

hoodratmatt wrote:

Hood Rat Matt wrote:

Hi.  I've been lurking...doing research on how to get off suboxone for a couple years now.  After about 10 years of taking Rx pain pills (then later snorting heroin to save money), I was put on Suboxone.  It served it's purpose, but I always felt like I was taking the easy way out.  The Dr. put me on 20mg to start and I was pretty numb.  Over the next year and a half, I stayed at that dose.  I couldn't make it to the classes anymore, so I began to ration my pills and got down to 2mg/day quickly.  THERE IS NO REASON TO BE ON SUPER HIGH DOSES OF SUBOXONE!!  It was really easy to get down to a reasonable dose.  I then began shaving a little off every couple weeks (use a razor).  Whenever I'd feel shitty, I'd leave the dose where it was and use marijuana to supplement.  Today, I'm on day 10 w/ no suboxone.  The first few days were pretty rough, but I'm back at work.  I feel sluggish, but I'm not miserable.  I yawn and my stomach is pretty unsettled, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty positive.

The horror stories you here are usually from people who didn't taper down slow enough.  If you can't ration out your own stuff, have someone else do it for you...whether a Dr. or just a trusted friend/family member.  It's very possible to do without missing work (which was always my biggest concern.  Get support from good people....the ones who are always there for you without judging.

I got married a couple months ago and my wife and I are expecting a baby girl in January.  My wife quit Lexapro and alcohol cold turkey.  There are more important things than yourself.  My unborn daughter is my motivation, but if God, Satan, Yaweh, Allah, Jesus or your dead grandmother gives you strength...go with it.

Good luck to everyone

--Hood Rat Matt

Now over a month w/o suboxone. I feel great and don't think I'll ever need it again.

Thanks for posting this Hood Rat Matt---This really is a mess to have to go through--hope my end result is a good one--I'll throw a prayer up for you too.