methadone to suboxone

I am currently making the switch from 20-25mg methadone to suboxone. I waited 53 hours before taking the suboxone, and so far I have a headache but thats it. anyway I will post later and let ya know how it goes. I pray all goes well. I just took the suboxone like 45 minutes ago, so if I was gonna withdraw would it begin now or later????

I am currently on 110 mg of methadone. It seems like the dose works for me for awhile, then it sotps working, and I keep going up. So methadone doesn't work for me. I've amassed a smal stockpile of 8mg suboxone. My plan is to take my last does of methadone on Sunday, then buy enough of the black stuff to get me through Monday-Friday. That way the methadone will be out of my system and it will just be withdrawals from the other stuff. My question is, how much time do I need to waiit after my last smoke before I pop my first suboxone? I smoke half a gram a day, without the methadone probably a full gram. Any help would be appreciated. I don't usually use message boards, so if somebody could e-mail their response to _[removed]_, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot guys!

Be careful i was on suboxone for 6 mos to a yr and it can be hell coming off any synt opiate or a opiate antiussive.....Just if you have anything be slow about it and if you go into withdrawls don't be scared just deal with them the best you can....

Jessi :O :-( ;-)

Today is my first day on suboxone. I started at 2:00 - the morning waiting was hell. I feel pretty good. Like you I averaged about 30 mg. The best thing I did was cut down to 10 mg for 5 days and than even though they say you can start after 18 to 36 hours after your last "would have dose" I waited 65 hours, I believe it really helped me. I heard if you still have meth in your system when you start sub you will go into violent instant withdrawls -so my advise is wait as long as you can sober before you start. Worked for me GOOOOD LUUUCK!

Hi Paul and the rest of the posters I am a newbie. I am on 136 mgs of methadone and I have been on the "hamster wheel " of methadone for about 10 years. I really want to get on suboxone. So if Im understanding correctly I will have to get my dose down before I can make the switch? How low will my dose need to be, as I have a 15 month old daughter and Im wondering if I need her dad to take off work for a few days due to being sick until I get the suboxone in my system. I understand your not a doc but a "guesstimation" would help. I am pulling the $400 together I need to see the doctor. Any info would be apprecitated.
Thanks,
Taunya

I have to say: Whatever you THINK is wrong with the sub' is probably more of a mental issue with you. Im not being a jerk, but the fact is, is that whatever dose of the boxone' your prescribed, probably absolutely WILL do the trick for you. Unless you mentally "think" you "need" more... Which you prob dont. Believe me. Ive been on it for over a year, and at times, I upped the dose myself, and kept doing it, and then would be low at the end of the month, and freak out, and only take small amounts, BUT then I would realize that even those "small" doses worked wonders. Its better than being sick as a mother!! You know? Are you actually on a theraputic suboxone program with your doc? Or did he/she just do the immediate "ween away" on a couple of days worth of it?



The moral of what im saying is that yes, the stuff works. Its a miracle drug. Everyone is obviously different.. But as long as your doing it for the right reasons, then any dose should be sufficient. You were prbly not getting as "high" as you wanted, therefore felt it wasnt doing the job. But it more than likely was! It definitely doesn't "lose its affect" after just 3 days, dude! It CAN and WILL work forever... If you let it..

Hello - thank you for your posts. My son has been on methadone for 5 years and is tired of the ritual. He had take homes but one day decided he wanted to stop. He is now on 42 mg methadone and wants to make the switch to suboxone. Please tell me if suboxone is as addictive as methadone. I have to drive him everyday (no license) but I want to make sure he does not have a relapse to heroin. He is strong willed but I think he fears the withdrawal the most. What can I do to help him without irritating him as I do not know how badly one feels during withdrawal. Thanks for your help

I've read all kinds of stories and the only conclusion i can come up with is that EVERYONE IS VERY DIFFERENT!! I have been addicted to pain meds since April 2000, when I gave birth to twins-at age 18!! So I started the methadone clinic in 2004. I was on 180mg for almost 2years. I am now at 4mg!!! Yes- 4mg! But Im stuck-BAD! I had the worst week ever last week, which was the week I went from 5 to 4mg. My neighbor goes to the suboxone clinic and she gave me some of her's. WOW!! It feels JUST LIKE methadone. I was so amazed I got all the info and am now pursuing the suboxone clinic. I recently graduated college, with a very "upstanding" degree-so driving to the methadone clinic- 1 1/2 hr away, weekly, isnt going to fit in my life anymore. I realize the sub is a little more expensive but I have insurance and it actually pays for it-another WOW! I have to disagree about the "SEVERE DETOX" from the meth to sub- I've mixed them. Please note this is not normal behavior and my clinic wont fix my problem because of the holiday. I have been in the meth clinic for over 4years and got down to 4mg- NEVER FAILED A DRUG SCREEN, GRADUATED COLLEGE, AND AM A SINGLE MOTHER and this is the first time I have even thought about relapsing... They say its hard to come off meth-to that I agree. Im not trying to get high-I just want off this stuff so I can be what I always knew I could. This last 4mg is making me very fearful and kind of starting to feel hopeless. I pray this suboxone works out...

I have read several posts that parallel what happened to me yesterday. I've been on methadone for about 4 months, from taking anywhere from 60-100mg daily (usually 60mg/day though) and I am sick of it. So I went to my suboxone doctor and he set up a program for me. I would stop taking methadone on Friday night, start taking up to 10 30mg Oxy's daily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and start the suboxone on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to him and stopped taking the methadone on Sunday night and just figured I'd have minor withdrawal symptoms on Monday and then start on suboxone on Tuesday. Well, apparently the 36-48 hours I waited before I started the suboxone wasn't enough. The doctor gave me a half of a suboxone pill (I am pretty sure it was the 8mg pill but I cannot be certain - it was circular, orange and somewhat large [a little bit bigger than a 10mg/325mg Percocet]) and I then took another half of the suboxone pill about 1 hour later. Shortly after I took the second half, I went through as what many here described as some of the worst withdrawals they've ever experienced. It was unbelievable how insane these withdrawal symptoms were. Easily the worst I've ever experienced or witnessed. So basically I took 1 8mg (?) suboxone pill and went through those several immediate withdrawals and no matter how long I waited, the withdrawal symptoms wouldn't go away. I went back to the doctors office and they saw the state that I was in (incoherent, dripping in sweat, shivering, etc.) and gave me a few 30mg Oxy's to balance things out and they helped. But there were still some serious symptoms so I took some methadone later that day.

I plan on taking the suboxone again in the next day or so, but I want to know how I should do it this time. I haven't done any methadone in more than 24 hours, but I waited nearly 48 hours last time and it didn't do anything. So maybe wait 72 hours this time? And instead of taking 1 8mg (?) pill, maybe take 2 of them? That way there will be enough suboxone to bring out the withdrawals and then also remedy them. If someone with experience could please help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

- Jeff
Atlanta, GA

Hey Jeff- i switched from methadone-i was at 125mg for 3 years..detoxed to 30mg. waited 36 hrs with absolutely NO opiates. I took all together 3 8mg suboxone the 1st 4 days and felt real shitty, but it was bearable b/c i wanted to be off methadone sooo bad. The 1st couple days were hard but it got a little better everyday and i hung on to that. Knowing that it would pass n it would be sooo worth it. That was about 2 months ago. I've weaned myself from 3 8mg pills of sub. per day down to 1/8 of a 8mg pill per day(so 1mg of sub.per day). It's always tough the 1st couple days for your body to adjust but IT WILL ADJUST. you just gotta hold on. keep telling yourself it'll pass and it will. N/A and A/A meetings have worked miracles for me..and praying. I didn't believe in God till i got clean. But once i started believing just a little..MIRACLES! You are not going to feel good the 1st couple days. Suboxone is not a miracle drug. But it absolutely makes the w/d's easier than w/out anything. I got faith in you..just hang on. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks Faith. I appreciate that.

I have a couple questions that I'm hoping someone here can answer. Firstly, I've only been on Methadone since September 2008, and it's January 2009 now. So it's been about 3 months and a few weeks. On some days I took 80mg or 100mg, other days I took 50mg or 60mg. For the past two weeks, I've taken NO MORE than 30mg every day, and I haven't had a single withdrawal symptom (since the day that I was planning on starting suboxone).

I've read a lot of posts here from people who have been taking methadone for years and consequently they experience major withdrawals. MY QUESTION: Since I've only been on Methadone for a few months, are my withdrawal symptoms going to be a bit weaker than what others who have been on it for years have experienced? I went from 60mg per day to 30mg per day over night, and I didn't feel a thing.

My 2nd QUESTION: I do *NOT* plan on taking suboxone long term. I am simply going to use it just to shield the methadone withdrawals. Since methadone withdrawals apparently last anywhere from 15 to 120 days, should I take the suboxone for just like 20 or 30 days? If I stop taking the suboxone after those 20 or 30 days, will the methadone withdrawals still be there? Or would the suboxone have cleared it all out of my system? (I don't care about suboxone withdrawals for now - I'll worry about them if and when they appear. My main concern for now is getting off the methadone and I want to know how long I should take the suboxone for).

THANK YOU to anyone who could answer these two questions clearly for me. I appreciate it.

- Jeff
Atlanta, GA

as for your first question jeff you probably will get just as sick....possibly not as long but still sick. I have kicked methadone three times at various lengths of use. The last time I got off it I stopped at 100mg after a dui arrest. I was still getting the chills 45-50 days in and the first 30 was an indescribable hell. I kicked 45 in jail once after being on for two months and that lasted about 30-35 days. I feel the worst part by far is the insomnia. It was really hard for me to get my mind around how long you can go without sleeping....anyways I got back on methadone 2 months ago after a subsequent relapse. I hate this vile drug but thought it better than being strung out again. I saw a suboxone doctor last wednesday. I
told him I was on 30mg so he would be sure to dose me(55mg was actual dose) He gave me six 4mg hydromorphone to take for fourty eight hours after my last dose which was that morning. 48 hrs seemed not even long enough but I played along. I took 2mg suboxone on friday morning. What ensued was pure horror. Honestly there has only been a couple of times in eight years that I have been that sick. I was sick all weekend. Not unbearabley so but bad enough I couldn't work or do anything productive for that matter. Today is monday I have taken 24mg so far today and feel sort of ok but still a bit scared. Anyways moral of the story this sh*t is no joke. be careful If I were to do this again I would wait 96 hrs at least!! with a short acting opiate on the strong side of things(i.e. morphine,dilaudid). It might be scary try and stick it out I almost went back to the clinic the first day and I am really glad I did not. Anyways good luck to you!!

first off lets say im 22 years old have been doing pills and drugs since i was in 8th grade. lets just say i ended up going to a methadone clinic, it was very costly and far away and lets just say i had to cold turkey from 80 mg of methadone.. the doctors i went to around me said tuff luck deal with it, because when i was comin off i realized i should have weaned way more down so my withdrawl would not feel as tho i was dieing like i felt for 24 days coming off 80 mg of methadone only after 6 months of use.. anyways i came off methadone, god forbid , the liquid stuff that the program gave me, and i was clean for half a year, ah oh relapse, finally got on suboxone , was great for 2 months, boom relapse oxy contin , then from there i went to methadone, i have taking about 100 mg of methadone within the past 2 days, i want to switch back to boxone, just took 20 mg and gonna take 20 mg meth 2marrow, but i want to get back on the boxone, any help best way to do this?

I was on methadone for 3 years. I switched to suboxone about a month ago, and I still am unsure if I like it or not. Does it take some time to get used to it? I am still having anxiety, bad. Is it ok to take benzo's? It is still hard for me to get up any energy, and to sleep well. Any suggestions?

I myself was on methadone for 3 years and I switched to suboxone in November. It was hard for me for almost a month and I wasn't getting any sleep. After that month I adjusted to the suboxone and felt great. I don't know how much suboxone you are taking but I'm only at a half to 3 quaters of a 8mg suboxone a day. The only thing is I divide it up threw out the day. (IE- quater at 6am, another at 3pm, if I feel I need it, and the last quater at 8 or 9 pm, to help me sleep) Not sure on the Benzos cause I'm keeping myself sober from everything but that shouldn't matter...at all. And finally, if you're not taking 2 or 3 different doses a day then I KNOW THIS WILL HELP!