Suboxone P.A.W.S. On day 35 things are getting more difficult

Hi bud, I can definitely feel your pain. I'm on day 22 and still have racing anxiety, RLS, no appetite, no energy and waves of depression. This is my 2nd time coming off of subs. I quit CT at 8 mgs back in 08 and stayed clean for 2 1/2 years, then a shoulder injury put me on tramadol, which turned into a crazy addiction. Worse than the vicodin problem that I had years before. Anyway, I went back on subs in 2010 at 16mgs a day. Stayed there for a year and then spent the next year and a half tapering down to 2mgs. That's when I hit a brick wall and would go through WDs at even the slightest drop in dosage, so I just jumped. The first 2 weeks were hell but it IS getting better. The WDs seem to come and go throughout the day. Ill feel OK one minute, then horrible the next. It's weird. Regular opiates are more intense to detox from but a lot faster and you get better each day after the acute symptoms stop (5-7 days). This long drawn out back and forth c**p from the subs is horrible. Everytime I think I'm nearing the end they rear their ugly head. The last time that I quit subs it took almost 3 months to feel completely normal again but after that I felt better than I had in years! I felt young and energetic again. So my advice to you is stick with it! You're at 35 days! (Well, when you posted. It's not a permanent feeling that you have right now and you've come so far. A lot of people relapse long before 35 days. Just keep plugging away and know that it WILL end. The thing that's been helping me the most is remembering how good I felt when I was sober (4 years ago), staying active and occupied, and maintaining my daily routine. Even the smallest deviation from routine throws the depression upon me. Weird. PAWS with this stuff lasts longer than most but for you the worst is over. Keep that in mind. Let me know how it's going and good luck. I hope my words can help!

Thank's for your very helpfull and experianced information.My M.D. saw me yesterday because i was still having almost constant heart pounding and anxiety.My heart rate was 120 bpm,bp was not bad.He listened to my heart then had an ekg ran which showed normal.He tried to put me on seroquel but i refused so he gave me a script for up to 2 mg of zanax.I was already on 4 mg of klonopin daily and neither has any effects on my racing heart.But according to doc i just have anxiety...yea right.Is this heart racing a normal part of suboxone withdrawal?Thank's again it's nice to know almost everyone seems to have long drawn out mental and physical symptoms when coming off suboxone.

Yeah the heart racing is normal. It sucks for sure. I've read that gabapentin (neurontin) can help that. I've tried it and it makes me tired. It helps me sleep but throughout the day I stay off of it because I have a demanding job and 2 small children at home and need every tiny but of energy that I can muster. Heart racing is one if my first and longest WDs symptoms to deal with. It's related to anxiety. I've found that sticking to comforts helps (comfort food, favorite TV shows, routine etc). ive also heard that vitamin B helps with it as well. I hope you're feeling better soon!

Have you been staying away from caffeine? Everything that I've been told is to stay away from it but for me, coffee is a comfort thing and I continually drink it. I know that certainly doesn't help. Also, I've noticed that (and this may sound weird) even though I'm in my mid 30's with a family of my own, I've found that when I'm at my worst, a short phone call to my mom seems to put my mind and racing body at ease. Maybe it's just hearing a familiar voice? Maybe try that if you have somebody that you can talk to...

Not much caffine,coffee actually makes me sick,I think it spikes my insulin. I think today is #47,Feel very tierd and unmotivated. I think i over did it by running alot then yard work. I drink tons of water take supplements excersise and still have racing heart consistantly.That along with fatigue depression and lack of motivation is wearing me thin. Don't get me wrong,I will never go thru this again and today is nothing like day 20. I am just concerened about my elevated heart rate and still feel malaize for sooo long. Do we ever really ever feel good again? I feel like i'm stuck in third gear and just want my life back. Too many doctors are just leagle drug pushers who seem to keep you strung out as long as you pay well and just tinker with symptoms rather than try to diagnose the root problem.

Well it does get better over time. A lot of what you're describing is text book symptoms of depression. The racing heart, lack of motivation, restlessness. Even craving sugars and sweets is a symptom. The problem with long term opiate use is something called Seratonin Syndrome or SSRI. Basically (from what I understand) is that your brain (which naturally makes endorphins) eventually stops making these chemicals on its own because the opiates were "telling it" when to make them for so long. After stopping the opiates it takes time for your neurological and nervous system to catch up and start producing these chemicals independently again. That's why one of the most common symptoms of Withdrawal and PAWS is depression. I've also read that suboxone is also a mild anti depressant so when we quit subs we get kind of a double wammy of opiate WDs and anti depressant WDs. Unfortunately it takes the brain longer to heal than it took our bodies so these symptoms linger even after the physical WDs are over. I used to take tramadol which is infamous for Seratonin Syndrome. I never knew what I was going through until afterwards. It was scary and problem the main reason why I kept relapsing on it. I do remember it always took me about 3 months for the mental aspects (depression/anxiety/fatigue) to give way. It is a long road but worth it in the end. Maybe research Seratonin syndrome and if you think it fits, mention it to your Dr. I do agree though that most Dr's, especially the sub Drs are in it for money and nothing else. My sub Dr wouldn't even take insurance. It was $150 a visit, CASH ONLY or F' you and your script. What a crock of BS!

It's actually called Discontinuation Syndrome. Not Seratonin Syndrome.