suboxone addiction/withdrawal

Hi

Firstly have you stopped taking the hydro's or any type of opiate since starting the subutex (UK name for it)  I'm sure you are aware subutex is an opiate antagonist, meaning if you take the two together, or within a short time period things aren't too pretty and you will suffer withdrawal symptoms.  Aside from that it is going to take time for your body to adjust.  Subutex is not a magic cure,  it is never a perfect switch over from any substance you have been using, only taking the worst of the withdrawal away untill all opiates have left your system, and you have become used to the subutex having a steady amount in your system.  Your prescriber should have arranged another appointment with you soon.  Here they check on you daily for the first few days at least.  It's very rare a person will be given the correct dose outright, so this may need increasing.  

If you do not have another appointment lined up in the next few days contact them and try to arrange one or ask is it possible to have your dose adjusted.  It may take a couple of up's to feel just right.  However the crappy way you are feeling now should have passed by day 4 or at most 5.

Hope this helps<3

It wont let me add into my previous post, but on looking at your dose again, and your symptoms being tiredness and feeling ill it is possible your dose actually needs to be reduced. I would contact your prescribing Dr and explain as too much is also not a good thing, you can end up with more of a problem than you started out with, not to mention if you are not used to taking that amount.
Sorry I should have read your post more thoroughly

Yes being on opiates kills ur sex drive. I know I'm divorced because if it. I'm on subs now but been told to only take for a week or two. What's the point of going from one addiction to another? I only take 2 mg a day and it lasts almost 2 days.

If you have gone down on Suboxone, slowly of course, ask your doc to prescribe you Catapres, (the generic is Clonidine). It's a Blood Pressure med and it certainly is not a placebo! It takes that "edge" off for the first few days. Try it out.

Man, I read through some of these posts and I shake my head when I hear all these "suboxone success stories". If they only knew it would be better to go through days/weeks of hell vs sub withdrawal which is months. I was only on the sh*t for a few weeks and it took me a good 34 days to feel like I could even get out of bed in the morning (and I ate well, drank water and all the happy horses*** you are supposed to do). Sub is no miracle drug. It's an addiction interrupter. You need to be one strong person to get off that stuff. I cannot imagine being on that c**p for YEARS. If you have any type of serious or important job where you need to think, interact with people or be active...it AINT happening. I locked myself in my house for a month. For the first two weeks I did not sleep for more than an hour a night. I was delirious, exhausted and still wide eyed at 2am. It really f's with your head. Thankfully it was near impossible to score anything. There were times were I simply wished I would not live another day. Don't let anyone tell you different. Getting off that stuff is physical and mental torture. The good news is that when you start to feel good, it is like christmas day every day. Simple sh*t like laughing is appreciated and best of all waking up and not being slave to some rotten pill. The only plus of going through such a hell is that it really scars you to the point that you will never ever want to so much as lay an eye one of those nasty orange pills / strips.

For those of you taking the plunge off...GOOD LUCK. There is so much great advice online as to the natural things to do (eat well, lots of water, keep busy, exercise etc) that you do not need me to repeat it. Just heed the advice from those, like me, that don;t even think of comparing ANY opiate withdrawl you may have had in the past with Suboxone. Be patient. From my experience it was like a 1000 pound weight was lifted overnight around day 34 or 35. You will sleep one night and wake up and there will be a spring in your step and you will be like "Holy F**k, I actually feel somewhat normal. It happens just like that. Day 33 you are ready to jump off the roof and then wham it lifts. Like chinese water torture. One day the water just stops. Sure it is not 100% but damn..just to lie in place in bed without tossing, I felt like I had won the lottery. Really makes you appreciate how good life is.

Hang in there guys. If you can pull it off, it is serious accomplishment. There aint nothing I could go through like those first 30 or so days.

I suffered a bad knee injury about 12 years ago which I was prescribed lots of percocets.. I wasn't innocent I loved smoking weed but never really touched anything besides bud. Once the pills ran out my friend who was paralyzed was getting hundreds of oxycodene 30mgs for the rest of his life. I was all about making money so I was buying about 100 a month off of him.. At first I would just do a half of one or one a day and selling most of them.. As everyone I knew loved them at that point. One thing led to another and I was doing about 10 to 15 of them a day.. I spent all my money on those stupid things after 2 years of messing with them I woke up one day and didn't have any and realized I physically needed them.. So then I was introduced to suboxone which was a big mistake. At first I bought them off the street for the first 3 or 4 years. Then I went to a doctor who prescribed me 3 8mgs per day! Yeah 3! Once again I was all about it cause I only took about a half or 1 a day and sold the rest and made a killing every month. He never lowered me and after 2 years I was so sick of needing something everyday just to feel normal. I decided to stop going to the doctor and that I would beat this thing no matter how hard it is.. So that was about a month ago. I ran out of subs 8 days ago. Yes I did wean down to about 10mg of sub per week for the last cpl weeks before I completely stopped.. I am on day 8 without any sub or anything else.. And it was brutal at first and I am writing this sitting in the toilet sh**ting my brains out right now but I am feeling better and it has peaked.. It's slowly but surely fading. I'm so excited to be over this thing. I know I have more time before I feel normal again. Not sure how long that may be considering I did subs for about 6 years smh.. But I will never put myself through it again. Anyone can do it. We did this to ourselves and we have to deal with some type of consequence. But keep your heads up cause if I can do it anyone can!

I have been on suboxone 16 mg for almost 1 1/2 years.  I have to say, at first it made me kind of sick, and really messed up my bowels, but like any drug, in time my body developed a tolerance to it.  I am currently in an opiate recovery program, and see an addiction doctor every two months for my suboxone.  Truly, I have always struggled with sobriety, always.  I would get clean time, then relapse, then clean again, then relapse.  My relapses were rock bottom, often I'd end up in jail or a hospital.  I was almost at my breaking point, thinking that I would be one of those "unfortunates" that the recovery program talks about.  Since I've been on suboxone, I can function as a normal person.  I can go to work, maintain a home, and have a really good marriage, now.  I don't know the long term effects, which kind of scares me a little, but I do know it is a better choice for me than methadone.  At first, I was adament about getting off of suboxone as soon as I could, but after about 6 months I was terrified to go off.  I think every case is different of course, but for me, it was a life saver.  My husband is in total agreement, as he was the one to suffer through all my using.  Suboxone alone, will not ensure "recovery" but with the addition of therapy and meetings, I have been clean a lot longer than without it.  I want to taper down to at least 8 mg per day, and then hopefully I will be at 2 mg for a maintenance dose.  Will I be on it for life?  I hope not, but for right now, it's working.  I know it's an opiate, but it sure as hell beats waking up in a hospital or a jail because of alcohol and pills.  This is just my situation, and may not be right for every one.  

I wanted to emphasize, this is not for every one.  People on this blog who are acting judgmental or crazy about it, have no idea what I've went through with addiction.  Suboxone is no wonder drug.  It was developed to help addicts come off their drugs without relapsing into instant oblivion.  It can be used as a maintenance drug, if deemed necessary by a Suboxone Doctor.  I don't take this stuff lightly.  Why people are acting out on this, is beyond me.  It is not for every one.  I want to be off suboxone, and some day I will be.  For right now it's helping me to live my life.  Ignore all the rants, and figure out for yourself what is right for you, and you will be okay.  If you choose to be on it, fine.  If you choose not to be on it, no problem.  

To go off suboxone, you need a professional Suboxone Doctor to assist with the weaning process.  If you are tapered down correctly for a sufficient period of time, there should be no terrible withdrawl process.  

Leave him and start a new life! You will be much happier in the long term.

You are absolutley right. I have a success story!!! first off, i was using perk 30's about 5 a day which eventually turned into almost a bundle of heroin a day. ALL WITHIN ONE YEAR!! That shows u the power of opiates right there! I started suboxone taking 16mg a day. 6 weeks later i was down to 12mg a day. Another 6 weeks later i was down to 8mg a day. For some reason or another my doctor had me on 8mg a day for 10 weeks this time. after that i went down to 4mg for the next 6 weeks. Then down to 2mg for 7 weeks. Then down to 1mg for 6 weeks. then down to 0.5mg for 4 weeks. Then 0.5mg every other day for 4 weeks. Then down to 0.25mg every three days for 6 weeks. Then finally i would take .25mg ONCE a week for 6 weeks and then tried to quit........ NO WITHDRAWL SYMPTOMS WHATSOEVER.

subutex or methadone? and any advice?

you went from 8 mg to 2mg? i would recommend anyone reading this should not wean down that quickly or that much! and skipping days? does not make much sense to me at all. It goes against almost everything i have read and the few clinics i have been to have said not to do.

It sounds to me like you're using all those meds as a mood-lifter; in other words, an anti-depressant! That's not what they're meant for. But your story rings home for me - that's how I know you're likely just seeking relief from your depression ... do you take any anti-depressants? Just remember - there are a million different kinds & combinations of anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, etc. - just don't give up & keep trying until you find the right one for you. And please be careful with Adderall - it messes with your heart rate & cause serious problems if overdosed! Good luck...