suboxone withdrawal: how long is this going to last...I'm mi

This is day 3 off subs, for me! I have gone "cold turkey" several times in the past only to fail due to the unbearable withdrawl. This time i researched it and made a plan. I wrote down all the worst symptoms i knew i couldn't live through to find some sort of help for each. After i had done my research i took my written plan to my sub dr who was like "sure, whatever" no, really he was very supportive. This is my plan:
Clonidine 0.1mg once in the morning for 7 days for ease of withdrawl symptoms
Elavil 10mg once 1 hour before bedtime for 30 days for sleep, depression, anxiety and general body pain
Phentermine 37.5mg once in the morning for 30 days for energy
Motrin 200mg - 4 pills every 6-8hrs as needed
Pepto- as needed
Multi-vitamin - once daily

Honestly, i don't know if this is the best plan in the world!!!!!!!! My doctor approved it for me and it has worked for me. I am only on day 3 but I have been able to go to work every day and take care of my kids!!!! Everyone around me just thinks i have a cold and stomache ache. My body aches but not like it did the other times. I poop every day but they are firm stools (and honestly over the past years i was lucky to poop once a week thanks to opiates so i think im just cleansing, if you know what i mean)! I still feel sensitive to the cold and get the chills - but i swear its tolerable, unlike the past trys. I will make it this time and i know this plan worked for me!!!!

NOW I WANT TO MAKE THIS CLEAR!!!!! I am not a DOCTOR! I am an addict!!! There are risks, side effects and what have you from the medications on my plan that you and your doctor need to discuss. This is probably not the best way to stop subs but for me it was the only way i could do it. Phentermine is a controlled stimulant and i would imagine there are doctors who would be against giving it to an addict to overcome another substance. I had to work and take care of my kids and i just couldn't without it so it was approved due to my needs.

The most important thing i have done in my plan though is to carry a picture of me smiling, happy and pain free around with me. It was taken on my honeymoon - long before my affair with opiates. It reminds me of who i am - I am brave, funny, proud and i can win this battle! Dont live in fear of pain, depending on subs - Live through the pain and depend on hope! This is a battle for your life, remember that and remember who you really are!

hey everyone,
I am withdrawing bad from the subs. im only on day 3... and as most of you say its only uphill from here.. i really really hope so. this is the worst ive ever felt. but at least my boyfriend and i are going thru it together so im not alone. i just dont know what to do with myself. ive been cooped up in the house all day today all i can do is lay down and be miserable. i cant force myself to get up and do anything. it just hurts too bad. the restless feeling all over my body is the worst for me... i feel like i wanna go out and run laps but theres no way its happening. my hands are shaky, legs have almost pins and needles, head hurts, back hurts, i cant really eat... all i want to do is sleep the pain away but its too hard to fall asleep as im so restless. and when i do fall asleep i wake up even worse and agitated and in more pain than i was at first! i dont know what to do. i tried to taper slowly as the doctors say, but its the week of thanksgiving and shes been out all week. and since im on day three already i dont want to go back to using them. its sunday now, i took my last dose on thursday, and the doctor will be back in on wednesday. my biggest question is, do you think this will get any better between now and wed.? bc if it doesnt im seriously considering going and getting a new prescription so i can taper completely. and will that be any better? maybe using it every other day? i just need someone to tell me whether or not they think i should be any better at all by wednesday. because i absolutely cannot function like this. all i want to do is sit here and cry bc im in so much pain. please please help. i really need it. :'(

^^^^^^To you above me.
I know exactly how your feeling at around day 3 4 5 i thought i would die i can't believe im on day 8 I never thought i would make it this far. I am feeling a little better this morning ever tho i woke up at 6 am and didnt sleep til 1am anyways the insomnia for me just started for the past 2 days and my stomach just started messing up pretty bad to but a good this is the tirdness is now coming in waves and i can get out of bed I am still having trouble laying down its hard at night because when i lay down my back hurts so bad i feel like my bones are tyring to stretch out my skin Im still not eating i am not so emotional anymore I CAN'T BELIEVE IT BUT THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL i know it doesn't feel like it right now but there is and its working for me other symptoms nausia, weird feeling in my throat not sure if i have to throw up, or hungary, or i need to use bathroom really weird also my stomach is having really bad pains but everythings getting better this moring day 8 and i think my worst is over i am so happy i made it this far because on day 3 and 4 i thought i would die by end of the week but im still here so if anyone has questions let me know i will help out anyone who needs it because i know what your going through it sucks so bad but it gets better

i too struggle with these damn withdrawls,.wtf!! this sucks,.i ate two 10/325 vic's three times a day for 5 year's decided to quit,.so I get three 2 mg suboxin's,.big mistake,.I made em last two weeks by taking a nibble off one a day. last four days,.nothing,.Yea,.swear to god,.weened down to nothing,.just a taste,.and the withdrawls make a vicodin withdrawl feel like an orgasm,.this sucks,.two weeks on suboxin,.and my bones feel like balls of freakin lightning,.my chest feels like its coated in tar,.(yes I smoke) and my sleep is non exhistant. this stuff is the frakin devil,.what a deception these doctor's give,.my advice,.ween down on vic's,. half a 500 a day if u can,.that will insure minimal withdrawls,.prolly just some night sweats and wierd dreams,.that legg feeling you get,.in ur back also,.is caused by your nervous system,.coming back online,.(pot does not help this!!) only thing that works is jogging,..even if u gotta lie on ur back and kick ur leggs,.do it,.it helps. other than that,.!@#$ boxin's!!!

TOday is day 9 Iwoke up this morning completely normal..I took two omega 3 vitamins, one clondine (first time taking that) and an 800mg Ibprophen. I feel so good that i got dressed and went to mc donalds then guess what i started getting my stomach pains in the car then i got so sleepy i counldnt drive i came right back home and now im laying in bed cant get comfortable my back hurts and this headache started a few days ago and it hurts so bad. I also just started a bad bout of dreppression i can't stop crying and feeling like the end of the world is near.. I really thought today was the day but i feel so bad right now i want to cry.

new symptoms day8-9

stomach pain
weird waves of normal then to tired again
headache
depression
appetite came back a little
a really good sence of smell
insomnia
blury vision
old symptoms started 3-8
weird dreams

weakness
tiredness
sleepiness
seriously feels like you weight 500lb even blinking feels like lifting a car
back hurts
cant get comfy
sneezing
runny nose
goose bumps
feels like lump in my throat
shortness of breath
dilated pupils
joint pain
feeling like your freezing in hot weather
sweating while cold
nausea
constipation

I dont know if thats all of it but there it is thats what you have to look forward to if your getting off subs I actually jumped off subs at a dose of 16mg to 24mg a day i was on it for 2 months. My doc said o take this you will feel so much better blah blah bnlah i wish now i could say uhhh how bout no i will just talk to you once a couple weeks while you help me withdrawl from the D.O.C. i don;t know what i was thinking why would i replace one addiction for another addictions which is just as bad but doesn't even get you high lol i can't believe i did this to myself I feel so crappy right now i dont know what to do i just keep getting up then laying down and thinking to myself i can't live like this but when i think about it I think im getting better

day 5 is a huge jump........... depending on how much you take,it could be 6 to 8 days keep kickin it trust me itll be worth it

as ridiculous as it may seem try eatin until it feels like your stomach is goint to turn inside out 15 mins later you get that nice feelin like you dont even need suboxone trust me your more than halfway there your doing a great job keep up the good work

well,.I last logged on on day four,.what pure hell!! Im on day 6 now,.im a litlle better,.still got shaky leggs at night,.from 1:30 am till bout 7:00 am. all I can do is rock back and forth,.still no energy,.bath's help a little,.most symptoms are gone,.but still feel 500 lbs,.absolutely no energy,.not much of an appetite. i thought the lump in ur throat was from smoking,.glad to hear someone else is in the same boat,..the depression I think is the worst,.I missed 6 years of my life to opiates,.thinking of it right now makes me cry a lttle,.im only 29,.but im the last male in my family,.due to alchohol,.i gave that up when i was 23,.but gave in to vicodin,.the love I have for God,.my deteriating health,.and the cost to get them from the street(couldnt find a doc) made me quit a few weeks ago,.im in school,.and dont work,.my woman works and lives with me,.I cant wait to be the man again,.and let her have a break,.we got sooooo into dept,.I was only eating 6-7 10/325 vic's a day,.and she only ate 1.5 a day(cause i kept her at that lvl!) then she ate mabey a quarter a subox and i ate 3 over 2 weeks,.only a 2mg,.and we made it work.she felt fine after day 3,. im a little deeper into it,.like i said,.so day 6 is pretty harsh still,.but I think its down hill from here,.I hopeDank help's with restlessness,.but not shakey legg's,.I have not found a remedy for that, nor heard of one,.cant go to a doc for clondin,.no insurance,.and my pockets are empty,.couldnt even afford the perscription,.wow this health system sucks,.my pain i originally started takin vicodin for is back,.so i have no clue what imma do bout that,.Im just happy right now to be able to come here and feel like im not alone,.thank you so much guy's!! All your post's have helped so much!!!!

i was on suboxone 24mg for 1yrand a half! I lost my job back in Sept and had to stop going to dr. i got my last script and started to ween myself off! i went down half a week all the way to 1mg a day, then 1mg every other day, then 1mg every 3 days. it has now been 6 days without anything. i have had some night sweats, sleepless nights. but no muscle aches, nothing really . i feel great actually and starting to sleep better already! I think subs is easiest thing to come off, i been on methadone, oxy, u name it i wa on it. subs are miracle drug! Just keep your mind occupied and quite reading this negtie sh*t on the net, all it does is put the thoughts there! You can do it, easier than where u been before.

hi i took suboxone for the first time today, 8 mg. I have a bag of herion next to me. I hear you can not get high while on suboxone. Does this apply if it is your first time taking it?

Hello all! I found this site today and have been glued to the screen reading all the responses. I was on pain pills for 2 years, xanexs for a year before that, and coke for 2 years before that. It seems like I've always been addicted to something, just trading one addition for the other. It seems like pain pills are the hardest to kick out of all of those. I tried so many times to quit the pills on my own but I have so much responsibility with work and family that I just couldn't make it through the detox. I couldn't do it physically and it seemed like i just didn't have the damn time. Well then I started to do some research and came across 2 options...methadone and suboxone. I heard of methadone but I couldn't figure out how that was going to help me because I used that to get high plenty of times! So I tried suboxone. I started that treatment program 2 months ago and have been clean for the whole time. The problem is my doc wont give me a refill bc i ran out 4 days early and havent attended any meetings. Which I think is total BS but hey if I had a script pad and a pen then I would probably be dead by now! So I figured I would just quit the suboxone all together and be completely free of pills. I have made it through day 3 and I am feeling withdrawals. I feel tired and not much of a appetite but I'll tell you it's not anything compared to the withdrawal symptoms I had coming off of 160 mgs of oxy everyday! I felt like I had the west nile virus or something! All and all I'm glad I choose the sub treatment. Even though techniquely it's a narcotic, the withdrawals aren't near as bad as those of oxy / percs / tabs and every other pain meds I could get my hands on. From what I hear it takes 8 to 10 days to overcome the withdrawal symptoms of suboxone.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
to u above me,.yes u will get very sick,.u wont get high at all,.quite the opposite,.trust me,.im not just telling u that. please dont do it,.i know its tempting,.but u wont feel the heroin att all!!!!!

Ok so before when i wrote on here i thought i was dying but now its day 12 and i feel great IM back to normal i can't believe it. The subutex withdrawal was way worse than my other opiate withdrawals. I just want everyone out there thats going through what im going through to know that when you get off sub its going to suck for the first two weeks i mean really really suck painful and everything read my older post up there to see what i went through but now im on day 12 and i woke up like everything was great even the depression and suicidal thoughts just disappeared I do though keep getting flushed with a weak tired feeling but its nothing compaired to day 5 of withdrawl........

Day 4 and Day 5 of SUbutex will be the hardest days and after that the weakness keeps getting a little better. for my 11 and 12 day on subutexwithdrawl i started showering without feeling like i needed to sit in the shower and i got dressed and put makeup one just like any other day the only thing that sucks it this non motivation feeling but quess what quys thats not part of withdrawal anymore thats just pure sobriety lol without superman or superwomen pain pills your just a normal worn out tired person which reminds me of why i started taking pills in the first place well anyways

If anyone wants advise on what i used and stuff e mail me at


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Today is day 8 for me and things are still tough. After 15 months on 2mg-4mg/day I jumped off without tapering. Does it really make a difference to tapper? I have read w/d stories on this site from people down to .25mg. Anyway, I feel like hell and cannot take care of myself or my son; thank God for his wonderful grandma.


I just cannot wait to feel back to "normal"......... We can all do it, I am going to use this moment of hell in my life as a motivating factor for change and for reason never to use again.

FYI......... Sub's are meant for short term use to "gently withdrawal from opiates"........... IMHO Any doc that prescribes this drug as a maintenance program should lose their license. I am sure it's the same with everyone out there, the sub doc's have the busiest practice out there, booked up from open to close......... And I wonder why, as they doc now becomes the dealer and most patience never get off the stuff.

If you were put on a sub maintenance program and you are now getting off, you should feel realy good about yourself. You are doing something that most cannot and you are beating the corrupt and misused medical system.

It's ok to get mad and by getting off this we are getting even!!! I will let you know how long it takes to feel better, I know it will come.

^^^ I jumped off of 16mg cold turkey and it took 12 days for me to feel normal. Its now day 14 on dec.6 I am completely back to normal so Day 8 is still bad god i know how you feel if it werent for my husband my baby uhh cant think about how i would be i couldn't get out of bed how could i take care of her anyways i hope you get better and i want you to know that we should all take this as a lesson and pass it on to people that this drug has not been fully studied for long term treatment they are selling it though for long term maintnance but its so wrong the doctors don't care about how your going to feel they care about the money I hope the next time someone wants to get on sub they read our posts and know to please not get on it. i did the short term just 2 months and i went through hell for two weeks way worse than my vicodin withdrawal when you start taking it it makes your brain think it never stopped so long term your brain is like what the hell where did my drugs go when you quit cold turkey the docs are now making money off of opiate addictions they finally one again since methadone didnt work out they got a new one to make money off of

ok im done rambling today

I have been taking Suboxone off and on for 4 years, and I've gone through withdrawals three times. I think it's safe to say that days 2 and 3 off Subs are the worst. Most narcotics take 3 days to reach peak withdrawals, and then another 4 or 5 days before you feel ok. Last time I quit, it was about 8 days before I felt normal again. It's all about accepting how you feel, and not looking at the clock every five minutes. You have to pass the time, and the only way you can do that is by keeping your mind occupied. It's not easy to stay busy, but you feel better than laying around thinking how miserable you are. Good luck, and say no to all your thoughts that are trying to escape the pain with another drug. 3 days of withdrawals and you will know the worst of it! After that, the pain becomes less and less.