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

Hey Purrpill I am doing ok so far but I know the half life is very long so I may not feel the full effects for some time. I am taking tiny slivers steady for a few days and then I will take a sliver and go a few days and then take another and go even longer and so on until they are gone.

The other times I stopped I just quit. 1st time at 4mg second time at 2mg...both times were terrible after about 4-5 days. This time I am much more mentally prepared along with stocking up on all the natural things that my body needs to stay healthy and hydrated. I will keep busy and try to do all the things that make me happy. Like being outdoors with my dogs, riding my dirt bike with the hubby (thats a hell of a work out & is great for clearing the mind), dancing to my favorite music, photography & scrapbooking, etc..etc...I will stay close to God and my Nana who passed away five years ago. She was always my rock and my safe place & she still is in spirit. Also being on here has been an amazing help. Everyone is so helpful...I love you all already!

For those that don't know my whole back story I am going to post it again in another post for the guest who asked yesterday.

The only thing that is scaring me right now is that job that I have been offered is very past paced and you really can't make mistakes. I would be right in the middle of all the action that goes on on the auction block while running two computers; one for the floor bidding and one for the online bidders where I am actually their auctioneer. I do not want to mess this up because this is the 1st job I have been offered since I got into trouble almost 3 years ago. (Not sure how many of you have read my story but when I lost my pill dealer I forged scripts and ended up a felon. One who had NEVER been into trouble in her life. I never even had detention in school or got into any trouble in college. Just a regular small town girl with a great family & bright future who threw it all away to stay high and not be sick)

I just can not wait to get ME back. I miss me and so does my husband & doggies. I know that no matter what hell I have to go through it will all be worth it and I will actually come out an even better me than I was before all the drugs.

Ok well I am going to go post my whole story again, lol. TTY All later and good luck to everyone.

Jessica ~~~decemberstar~~~

Jessica you are a really cool girl. I'm glad your head is in right place!!! It makes me sick how pharmaceutical companies banked on girls like you and I. I'm def gonna read your whole story!! When does the job start? It would suck to mess it up, but maybe it was offered to you to throw you back in gear. I look forwardto reading yor story, and please keep us updated!! My heart is wit you and your doggies!!!

Hey JoJo. Yeah I just got the actual job offer today. It is only part time to start but I am just so scared to mess it up because I'm sick. This is a great opportunity for me and I really have to take it. I also really have to stick with this withdrawal process. I am bound and determined to fight this and get ME back!

Thanks for the replies. Good luck and God Bless!

Jessica ~~~decemberstar~~~

Ok well Here is my story again for those of you that have not seen it on the other pages. Sorry it is rather long:

Hello everyone. I am a 36yr old wife and doggy mom of 4 who is very close with my family. I was always just a small town girl who loved her family and her animals. I did good in school and went to a wonderful college and graduated with a BA in Human Resource & Business Management in 1999. I have lived on my families farm all of my life, except for a few years after I got married we lived a few miles away but then we had to put a new home on a piece of property that was next to my family because my hubby & I had both lost our good jobs almost at the exact same time and the banks wouldn't help us with our mortgage and began a foreclosure on us in 2005. It ended up being for the best. I love it here, love my home and so does my husband. We have 40 acres to ride, run and play on whenever we want. Plus my family is right here.

Anyway here is a bit of a recap of my lovely addiction. I seriously only started taking them after I had to have a surgery where my left wrist had to be reconstructed. I had an accident while riding my motorcycle in 2005. I truly only took the pills for the pain but once you know what they can do, and if you have an addictive brain as I do, well I'm sure you all know how that goes. I wasn't too bad at first. Maybe I'd just pop a few extra vics for some extra energy or maybe something depressed me so I wanted to be numb. Anyway at the height of my addiction I would take whatever opiate I could get my addicted little hands on. If it was oxy I could take three-four 30mgs a day, vics I could take up to thirty 7.5s a day. ( I'm sure my liver loved that). My husband had no clue, neither did any of my family. To this day it is only my husband who knows everything. I had to tell him because I got into some trouble by forging prescriptions. Yep I went that stupid...lost my pill dealer so I thought hey I'll just forge some scripts. Yeah...great idea. I am now a very well educated graduate of one of the top schools in the nation with 4 felonies on my record. Threw it all away just to be high. I guess it could be worse I could have also lost my husband, doggies, home and family.

Ok back to the point. I had my court hearing August 18th, 2010 where I was charged & sentenced. 3yrs probation, fines & rehab. I was already 4 days into a pretty severe opiate withdrawal when I finally got my appointment to the recovery center. They told me that the only safe way to make it through without any chance of relapse was to take this wonderful drug called suboxone. They did explain how it worked but NEVER ONCE did they say that it had one of the most powerful opiates in it and could be highly addictive. I was also never informed that the w/ds would last so much longer than that of my previous pills I was taking. So like a good little girl in recovery I did everything I was told. I was SO PROUD of myself, so was my husband because we thought I had beat my opiate addiction. Too bad all I did was trade one for another under the supervision of a Dr. It has now been 2 years and I have finally figured out that these drs don't want you to ween off of this drug because it is all about money to them. They want you to give them the money instead of going back to the street dealers so the drs. hook you on things like methadone, suboxone & subutex so you just keep coming back. Well no more for me. Also recently, I'm not sure if it is because my mind is dead set against taking it anymore or what but I am actually getting sick after I take it. I hate the taste & smell. I have terrible headaches, nausea and I have absolutely no motivation to do anything. It has been that way for about 5 months now. Yes It is great at 1st. It gives you energy, keeps you from relapsing on other drugs, makes you feel like a normal functioning person. Well not anymore. I don't even feel like I am living life now and that is not me! I WILL find ME again and then I can be proud of what I have done!

I know I m going to need help and that is why I am here. I will need support from all of you who are going through the same thing. My husband says he will be supportive but we all know that someone who has never had an addiction or been through wds has no idea. Plus I know him, been together for over 15yrs, and he is going to get pissed when I just don't "snap out of it." He thinks I just stop, may be sick a few days and that's it! I have been reading some of the posts on here and it does seem to be helping him to understand a bit more.

I have to stay positive and make myself do things...things that I use to love to do. I want ME back...the beautiful woman I was before I ever took any drug. I was so active and loved to do so many things. Riding motorcycles (street & dirt), playing outdoors with my dogs, photography, scrapbooking; etc...etc...I want that fun loving person back and I am determined to get her!!!

Regardless of my fear I am determined to beat this drug. I started at 8mg/day but have only been taking 2mg or less per day for quite a while with no wd symptoms. I now only have seven 2mg strips left and I am going to cut them into crumbs and I will go as long as possible without it then dose a crumb then go even longer and so on until the pieces are gone. At that point I will just have to suffer what is ahead . Everyone's w/d experience is different and mine is my own to go through.

In my opinion this drug should only be taken for a VERY SHORT period of time. Taper as low as you can possibly go and then be done no matter how bad it gets. Here's some advice I have learned for the wds: Take Vitamin B12 for energy, or buy the Withdrawal Ease supplements...it has everything natural in it that your body needs to be healthy again. Try very hard not to take any benzos as they are just as addictive. Drink LOTS of water, exercise even if you want to sleep just do it. Not like crazy exercise just go for a walk or light run or dance to your fav music. Exercise naturally creates the "high" we addicts tried to achieve with drugs. Exercise leads to the release of certain neurotransmitters in the brain that alleviate pain, both physical and mental. This can happen during exercise, eating spicy food, laughter, love and lets not forget orgasm. These are the natural "opiates" in their abilities to produce these endorphins and a feeling of well-being. So make sure you do all of those things...you do not need a drug to feel high! Just go for a little run, take a hot shower, fall in love & take ur lover to get some spicy food and see a really funny movie to laugh at then go home and have lots of sex...there your naturally high!I will post my on going saga of breaking the suboxone cycle as days go on. Oh and if anyone has any advice for me please reply. Any input is always appreciated.

~~~Decemberstar~~~Jessica                                                                                                                                                                         

That is right Jess I did read this, but it was before getting to talk to you a bit first. Wow girl!!!! You are LUCKY! I'm glad you are able to see you could have lost everything instead of dwelling on what did happen. This is a perfect example of a good girl that would have never gone near dope which subsequently was given to her by Dr.s.You are lucky to have your husband by you I always talk about how stupid we sound to non addicts complaining about things that sound so small and stupid like "my legs hurt", you just don't know unless well you know. Needless to say your man clearly loves you, and is willing to stand by you threw anything even something he can't truly wrap his mind around...GOOD MAN!!! I'm an animal lover myself!! Please keep us informed on how you are doing. And no matter what I'm here for you JESS. You messed up you got some girl in the North East worrying and thinking of you constantly. I'm proud of how well you are embracing this all!! Mentally it can be rough!!! Miss Dina I didn't forget about you! Love to you all.

Bup does not damage the brain and you don't get depressed from it. I have been on Bup for 8 years, and I take three 8mgs pills a day. 24 mgs. I was a heavy Heroin user and Bup saved my life and LIFTED my depression. Trust me, I have no brain damage from it. I an effective and successful school teacher. Bup has been good to me and I don't care if I need it for the rest of my life. No. No. and No. For many, many reasons, they will never take Buprenorphine off of the market. You see, everyone's body is different and reacts differently to the same chemicals. Bup loves me and I love Bup. 8 years and counting. Withough Bup, I'd still be out in the streets shooting up Heroin 10 times a day!!!!!

I agree that for some people Bupe, Methadone (a maintenance program) is good. sh*t it is great you just said it kept you from shooting dope 10 times a day for the last 8 years if you were fortunate to live the last 8 years if you were living like that. I do agree if it is Bupe or the streets take Bupe, but if you can do it without it and alot of people on here never should have even been prescribed it or were under false pretenses then best to be drug free. I'm not saying you are not clean....Some people need it some don't.

Suboxone has been a burden to me for 7 long years. when I was a teenager I was diagnosed with scoleosis in the neck and severe TMD in my jaw. they started with short acting meds like norco and Dilaudid,percocet. i told my pain DR that the medicine works good but it wears off quickly so the dr suggested the fentanyl patch(durgesic) and thats where my story began.the patch made me feel warm and cozy,kinda itchy but it worked. afterv a few months of patches and norco(I would get 20 50mcg patches a month and 120 norco 10s every 20days!)i was taking what was RXD but is was too much. I was sleeping all the time noddin off at work, In actually got fired for it. I went to my dr and told her the deal, that i was sick of nodding all day and being itchey.she recomended suboxone treatment and going ahead with suboxone treatment i believe it was a BIG mistake.I have legitamate chronic pain and now when I go see a dr they say " oh your on suboxone ,you must be a drug addict" and im like NO! I didnt know this sh*t was for junkies and now i feel branded. currently in tapering my sub dose and im in my 3rd week and im down to 2mg a day. buprenorpine is a good medicine for heroin addicts and needle users but as for pain, DONT LET A DR TALK YOU INTO THIS TREATMENT UNLESS YOUR GONNA DIE W/O IT! the second it goes in your record your branded an addict when your really just a poor person in pain.besides the sub im trying to kick I also take 3 mg of Clonazepam a day and 30 mg of flexerall(always with a beer.if I dont drink my beer with my pills they dont work and ive told my dr this but IDK.at least she didnt cut me off. i so0o0o0o0o0o f*****g done with sub! its junk! for pain anyways ,for opioid addiction it might be a miricle drug becuz it blockes out all the receptors in your brain so you cant get high if you try! Ive had junkies tell me they shoot up shitloads of heroin and it wont work while they on sub so for that it is good. it has saved alot of ,lives i bet of people that would have died but the sub blocking your receptors you cant OD in most cases. 7 years is 7 years tooo long im so done with this garbage. I rescue cats and I probly hav like 200 or more 8mg subs hoarded away for when my cats need to be sedated for the vet. i just dissolve like 0.5 mg of sub (1/16 of one tablet) in a very small amout of water and giv it under the toungue or just slowly drop it into their mouth and it works great for sedating and a pain killer administered by trained person. as for the question, ive tried to detox myself a few times over the years and if youv been on for more than a few months expect the WD to last at least 2 months or more but if u hav a good dr they will do a VERY gradual taper. peace out

Ummm, maybe if you were not taking all those patches and norcos you wouldn't have been lumped in as a "junkie". Speaking of the word "junkie" it no longer applies just to needle using H addicts thanks to the Pharm companies that were supplying you legal dope. 20 50 mcg patches that are posed to last 3 days each and all those norcos made you an addict/junkie. I do believe it would have been a disservice to you to give you more sh*t when you complained your high dose wasn't good enough.....Was suboxone good for you maybe not then why stay on it for 7 years? & years of fentanyl and norcos would have been much better for you????? Yo you are giving Subs to your cats and have 200 cause of over prescription and misuse stock piled...I do too, I just don't give them to my dogs. I'm not trying to be rude and I wish you the best, but fent is the strongest opiate stronger than narcain and can beat a sub anyday. Why would you want to be on that over sub?. sh*t I would cause I'm a junkie who also is in pain. You most certainly can od on Subs if trying to beat the bupe. There is not a blocker it gets destroyed in the stomach read your pamphlet the pharmacy gave you naltrexone is in there only to stop people from shooting it. I'm going to give you the benefit of doubt cause you were diagnosed young wit some painful serious sh*t. What is your goal to get back on fent cause no need to even put your brain and body thru a detox to do that. Find an older dr. that will listen and explain the Sub was part of PMT and it isn't working. I truely suggest getting yourself to zero and reevaluating the pain and options, but you already know what you want to do so.....Take what I say with a grain of salt...I do agree you should not have been put on Subs, but what were your options more and more fent it is all gnna lead you back to Subs anyways prob. I hope you find a good dr. and a happy medium where you are not nodding off saying the sh*t ain't working.I'm just a screwed up junkie trying to stay clean so no I'm not preaching just reminds me of my benzos was prescribed to them for over 10 years so I need them right, NO I was addicted to them and didn't realize it for over 10 years. One more question why tape off subs is your hope to be drug free????

I'm sorry just reread you complained you were nodding off and they yanked the script and put you on subs, but if it was having such an effect on you why did you take as prescribed? Why didn't you stockpile the good sh*t for the cats???? I'm really not trying to like mock you just trying to see where you are coming from, Jess, Dina, JoJo......I wish you all the best and you too Guest!!!!!!!!

i noticed you mentioned the withdrawel ease supplements. You need to go to their website and read what they say about suboxone. Also find the taper plan that is posted by this and read it. He has 3 different metods of ways to get off subs but choose the very slow taper method and read it in depth. I pretty well did the same thing and am on .5 every two days and so far haven't lost a nights sleep or had to deal with too many withdrawals. Just small stuff but nothing to talk about . But in order to do his plan you may have to have a few more strips. If you are already under 2 milligrams you could just pick up on his taper plan where you are and go from there. I promise it is the best info I have found on the net so far and I hope it is to some help to you. You seem to be just as determined as I am to get off this garbage. Good luck and god bless

Ashtons taper is slow and I have heard it's a very easy way to do. Google Aston's detox method and you will find some good taper plans if that is what you want to do...

Suboxone saved my life. I plan to take it forever. If not, I'll end up shooting Heroin again. I am a chronic relapser when I stop Heroin. Suboxone enabled me NOT to relapse. 8 years on Suboxone and 8 years clean!!!!!

PurrP, I seriously have tried to write tou and Jess evert very day. This iPad is making me crazy having to re-write this long posts that I lose. Anyway the past few days were rough,crying, fatique, no sleep and more fatique. dr. Oz had a show about natural energy remedies & I'm gonna follow some of the stuff he said cause I really need to get back to work tomorrow. But the craziest thing that happened today, I got in my car for the first time in 9 days to get my nails done and I was amazed on how the music affected me. I am one of those people that normally dance & sing at the top of my lungs when I drive. I get really into music & I grew up dancing my ass off at NYC clubs pretty my whole life and still do here and there. I'm 34 but blend very well w the 20 year olds. So I decided to take a step further. Took the long route to tanning salon and danced and sang as hard as Icould and lemme tell you, I felt great! Music therapy is great...for songs that you live for lol. I'm having trouble finishing this cause of this damn iPad so know I thank u from the bottom of mY heart.

Ill try again. Taking l.tyrosine, multi vitamin, b-12 & magnesium. Try doing these super easy exercise too. Look on dr. oz, aired today. Its to be bloodcirculating from brain to body & legs. I think totally helped me today. I also did not take any prescription meds today. Just giving a shot & guess what I seem fine now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I've already got all my excuses of why I'm not feeling well for Easter. I cannotparticipate. Im not ready so I'll just say I have terrible cramps & peace out.....see ya later.

Love u guys! I'm busting out my laptop tomorrow so I can write what I really want to say minus these typos!!!