I hated the side effects from suboxone especially sexual ones, and I quit taking it 6 months ago , no withdrawls at all. My doctor has a natural opiate formula that works with no Rx needed. I have no cravings or anything but it does make me smoke more. PM me for more info
I especially dug this entry / reply, because I think that it's important to try to keep perspective on this process. If you're trying to quit, or even reading these posts, it means your mind is thinking forward. At no time did I think it would be easy to get off this drug (4-6mg, 1 year, pills before). But it helped me feel like less of a drug addict, and although it's expensive, it's quite a bit less than my vic / oxy habit became.
If I could do one thing different, I would have charted a 2 week sub plan to get of pills, not the year.
I think I'm feeling better. I know that I'm excited to be a week in. On the 24th, I'll be 9 months free from cigarettes too, incidentally (38 yo M, 20 year smoker). That was no walk in the park either, but sure and s__t, It's behind me,
There's been a lot of negativity in recent posts; that's ok - I'm glad to have all of your experiences to reference. And clinical depression and paws - that's all super real and can be difficult. I feel terrible for the people who are suffering from depression. But be mindful of the effort you are making. Be proud of the steps that you are taking. Pull positive advice from the posts that are success driven, and don't let the posts from people who may, unfortunately, have extreme dual diagnosis stuff going on get in your head. There is a psychosomatic component to this process, I'm sure of it. Just because one person (god help them [though i'm an atheist {and love parenthesis, even of I can't use them properly}]) may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, or complete despair, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THIS, or any other worse case scenario.
While it's been a difficult week for me, it's counter-intuitive to me to feel morbidly depressed. I'm in the process of liberating myself! And it will continue to be difficult, I'm sure, but ef it. It will pass.
Everyone's experience is going to be different.
This has been pretty tough, but I'm feeling optimistic, even as I lay wide awake at 4am. And for me, nothing compared to the violent withdrawal effects of Vicodin or whatever.
Stay positive if you can. And be kind to yourself. I swear, addicts (including myself) - we're far less forgiving of oursleves than we should be, especially when you're about to, or currently undertaking tapering and/or jumping off. Again, pot-kettle - but I'm getting way better at going easy on myself, and again, the result has been no smoking or blow in 9 mos (this is not forever, I understand), half marathon 3 weeks ago (though i won't be running another for a bit, I'll bet). And now with the subs gone and beginning to feel better - I'm telling you - I first went to rehab at the age of 15. I've been through it all. But I'm so flippin' close; many of you are too and just don't know it yet.
Best wishes to all of you - proud of you all.
So. . . I'm replying to my own post. It's now day 10, and man, I had a great day, relative to the first week. I went to work and was productive (got a little tired at about 1300, but made it through the day, and hit the gym for 45 minutes - first time at the gym since jumping off. Last night, I slept for 7 hours, waking up only once!
Saturday night I MADE myself go to a party, just for an hour - didn't really want to, but trying to keep moving. Also MADE myself run 4 miles that morning.
Again, I was 4-6 mgs / day, for about a year, and roxy oxy whatevoxy for years before that. I'm sure it helps that I was really just a drug addict w/o pain. But I'm telling you, when I first started reading some of these posts, I thought the withdrawal and the fatigue might never end. Simply not true. Have hope!!! If you're reading this, you're probably ready too.
Lastly, been loading up on Calcium, and Vitamin D and B12, sh*t tons with every meal. And lots of water. 10 mg's of diazepam before bed.
Depression and PAWS from suboxone will last for life, there is becoming and more and more true these days..Basically its life destroyed..
I have been on suboxen for over a year now, i have cut myself down quite dramatically over the passed 4 months ... i have made 50 8mg strips last me over 4 months...today i have decided to cut my doses down to 2 mg per day ... i hope my hunch is correct... the best time to take it IMO is 2 hours before you plan on sleeping, so you can give your body a chance to rest...other then that i can only tell you guys to try and wait about 2 to 3 hours after you wake up to take another dose... this has worked for me for the last 4 months... i am going to try to take melatonin to help with sleep ...best of luck and stay determined
For those who say withdrawals are easy to get off from suboxone it seems are the ones who fortunately have only been on it for less or around 6 months.
After being it for five years, I can say the withdrawals are NOT easy but CAN be done. While I don't disagree that for some yet, suboxone after short term for the most part will be much easier to get off and not suffer extensive long term PAWS, of which after being off 2 years I personally still suffer(mood swings, Irritable bowel, deperssion, apathy, lack of interest, lack of motivation, muscular problems, arthrtis in upper back, low chronic mood, cravings for opidergic drug or dopaminergic ones that effect the reward system> I am not a scientist, and unfortunately being that suboxone used as a tool for addiction is relatively still new, there are no studies to using suboxone long term. I believe, that my rewards system, endogoneous serotoninergic receptors that hit the mu, kappa, and sigma all of which suboxone plays a role in binding to have been compromised. This has caused psychosomatic and physiological symptoms I have exhibited being off. Not trying to say most people will have continued long term PAWS at all. It truly depends on the individual. Just like I dislike usually writing posts or reading them for that matter when hearing people discuss either how easy WD's are to those who suffer hard core from them, I also feel that those who try trolling, by saying that basically universally, withdrawals are the worst ever, and that getting off is impossible is a ludicrious statement.
Honesty about yourself and wanting to help others cope is how I believe is the way to go!
The PAWS cases are REAL I promise you...I had PAWS for 2 years..I virtually stayed home for those 2 years, was depressed, no energy, no motivation and almost put a gun to my head..I was 21 at that time and was on sub for 1 year..I dd everything and took all sorts of meds but sub PAWS were too strong for any meds to have any affect- I promise...I feel sorry for those gong through PAWS, many people cant even last 1 month let alone over that..I did not know what PAWS were and thought something was wrong with me.. Now I am 24 I know now..I relapsed but on methadone, which I believe it is way easier, it might give you horrible withdrawals but it is over quickly and PAWS do not last more then a month or so..I promise you sub PAWS have a BIG chance of being life long, I guarantee you.. The folks who say WDs are easy are either only into 1 month of WDs or are indenial. The ones who talk about suicidle depression and PAWS for years like 4 to even 8 years are telling the TRUTH...Nobody I know has made it off subs..The older you get the HARDER it is, the more weight you have the more bad it is and worse it affects the receptors..My doc verified this too. She is sooo worried she stopped prescribing suboxone and subutex.
It is true when people mention that staying on subs is bad as off it, except depression coming off is suicidle, and there have been few who have commited suicide because of suboxone and subutex PAWS..I promise you and guarantee you that is the case..Believe me ans trust me..
We messed up by taking sub in the first place, now you have ended your life because DEATH is better then PAWS from sub..I Promise you and guarantee you that you cannot handle PAWS and they will last for a decade or even more..Yes its true.I PROMISE YOU.
yeah, I would love to know too ive been taking subs for 9 mons but I lower my does 6mgs daily I started to lower to 3-2-1 n then 1/2 ..It s my 3rd day I feel so freakin tired, weak but less chills cant sleep at night get a few hours in , In morning but I feel my house is going to sh*t .if your way worked oh I would try it. thanks n im glad I found this site I got hope..
That's rough. Have you heard about the Waismann Method in California? I heard they treat suboxone dependency.
It's a scam!!!! Ultra Rapid DETOX DOESN'T WORK because of the way opiates bind to your MU receptor sites in your brain and your intestines. The way to feel better is to force your brain to manufacture its own chemicals again. I'm a musician I used that to feel good. It's different for everyone but SSRI's help in some cases at least with pain. Caution!!! anything that plays with brain chemistry is risky we may all be humans but our subtle differences is why there are a million warnings on medications, one size does not fit all! There are so many SSRI's getting the right one for you rarely happens the first time it's trial and error. Most addicts are not patient enough to see it through. As insensitive as it sounds you have to taper and then suck it up and take motrin or tylenol (preferably Motrin as you probably have liver damage from abuse) I was patient 2 in the clinical trial of this drug in 2002 which is how I know this. Also I'm a Crohn's patient which is how I became addicted to opiates in the first place. Many relapses later I am OPIATE free for now until the real pain from disease has my Doctors pumping full of Dilaudid. YOU can do this. prayer certainly wouldn't hurt.
That can't be true. Your telling me it took 6 days to feel any symptoms? No way.