About my situation...  About 9 years ago I received a shoulder injury that was extremely painful. It was then that my doctor put me on a Vicodin regiment for about 18 months. Unfortunately he didn't ween me so I was thrust into withdrawl illness almost immediately. Like any other addict, I searched high and wide for the drug with friends and co-workers. After finding a reliable connection, I stayed on Vicodin for an additional 2 years. It was when my connection went dry was when I went into a Suboxone program and stayed on it for 5 and a half years. Though I started at 16 mg, the last 12 months I was on 8mg. Though 8mg isn't so bad, my sub doctor informed me that he was losing his certification to prescribe suboxone and that I needed to find a new doctor. Since I live in Rochester, NY, this was not an easy task. Sub doctors in NY are only allowed to have 100 sub patients and all of them were full. So on April 8, 2013 I had no choice but to completely rid my body of the drug!

Like I said, I was on 8 mg toward the end, but I managed to get to 4mg during the last week (almost useless strategy at this point) I knew this wouldn't be easy jumping off after 9 years and 8mg, but there weren't many choices. Since I had already reduced my intake to 4 mg the week before, my body it seemed was already pissed off before I took the final leap.

I am employed with a unionized gov't agency, so I am fortunate to have plenty of sick time and vacation time available to me. I immediately decided to call in sick on a weekly basis. I also applied for FMLA (Family Leave Act) so I would be protected from any diciplinary action when I returned from work.

About the withdrawls... the first 7 days was like having the flu... times 10. No sleep (severe restless leg), no appetite, my legs at times weren't strong enough to hold my body. the achyness was there, as if I had the flu, but not as strong as you would expect. Lets not forget the constant uncontrollable bouts of sneezing.

April 8 thru 12... On the 8th day I went on the computer and started to look up familiar songs I remember from my teenage years. I don't know how to translate this into proper words, but somehow the music momentarily made me feel well again. I am not sure how or why this happened, but it was REAL! After searching other medical blogs on this subject, I saw that this phenomenon was not unique to my own experience but was used as actual therapy for others as well. On day 9 and 10 I decided to get out of the house and take a bike ride thru the park. Wow!!! It felt so good to be in the sunshine and move around. I was still weak, but somehow I felt optomism. The evening restless leg was still kicking my ass, I was still achy and still sneezing. It was day 11 or 12 I finally slept 4 hours straight. It was then when I wondered if the withdrawls had reached its peak.

April 13 thru 16... Its official... I am slowly starting to feel better. My newly formed appetite created very unusual cravings for fresh fruit and things that were wet. I am a meat and potato person, so I was a little surprised of my new diet. The nighttime restless leg was still present but not as severe. I am sleeping on and off... opposed to not sleeping at all during the first week. I am still listening to my music and even began watching movies. While watching movies I found a new unexpected w/d symptom I never knew about...intense emotions!!! I can now cry at the drop of a hat. hahaha its crazy!

April 17 thru 22... the light has broken thru and I am definately beginning to feel my new body. The achiness is not gone but has greatly diminished. By day 22 the restless leg is finally gone and I am sleeping without any issues. I still feel a bit weak and sneezing is constant. I have moved away from the fresh fruit diet and have incorporated meals that involve meat, vegetables and fruit. Still very emotional. Legs are slightly weak but much better. For the first time in almost a decade I am proud to say, I DID IT! The worst is over!

April 23 thru 30... there are slight variations of discomfort, but my body is probably 80% better. During this time I was prescribed NO MEDS to aid this proccess. I can't say this was the smartest decision, but it worked for me. The most difficult part of this transition was the restless leg... this can be over-whelming! I have no children or dependants, so this greatly benefited the proccess. Unfortunately, I told few people what I was doing (due to pride & embarrassment) so I had no visitors during the entire month. Though this sounds sad, if I had to do it all over again, I would do it in a similar fashion. I returned to work 4 weeks later (May 7, 2013).

May 1 thru 7... my body feels slightly drained, I still sneeze alot and the achiness is at about 10% its original strength. The strongest w/d symptom is now the mental urge for suboxone. I suppose this will be a fight I'll deal with for the rest of my life, but at this point its managable.

This entire ordeal lasted one full month. Everyone's body will react slightly different. It also depends greatly on your last dosage and the amount of time you were taking subs. I highly recommend going down to 1mg or less before jumping off. I didnt have that luxury. As of today, its been 4 months since my last dose of sub and I love my new body! I am more analytical, my reflexes are quicker and I am more sociable. I wont BS you people... this was NOT an easy task, but its not unbearable. This CAN BE DONE. Please dont deny yourself the new life that awaits you! I will be willing to help anyone out there, one on one who requests the help.