Hi momintrouble,
I've been on Suboxone for a little over a year, after using opiates for over 24 yrs. In 1986 I was given a script for Vicodin for pain by my family doc. ppl say Vicodin (Hydrocodone) is the gateway to opiate abuse and I would have to agree. Before the Vicodian I had only taken Tylenol #3 and there nothing compared to Vicodin. So from 1986 until late 2003 I had only been taking Vico's and Perc's, by this time I was taking 30 to 60 of them a day, in late 2003 I was seeing a family practice doc, and he had written me a script for Lortab 10's 30 pills 3 refills which I had done a 120 pills with in a week and a 1/2, I made up all kind of story's to get my refills early, so I made an appt to try to get more and ended up telling him I was addicted, he was giving them to me because at the time I had 2 previous back surgeries, to make a long story he gave me Methadone trust me you do not want to go there Methadone is an evil evil drug. So to make another long story short I ended up getting Oxy 30's and snorting them had another back surgery in 2008 found a pain doc end up back on Methadone as well as Oxy 30's and Valium not good. So to answer your question like I said I've been on Soboxone a little over a yr on April 9Th I had a yr clean, I'm still taking 2 8/2 mg strips a day but besides a two yr dry out from 1996 til 1998 this is the longest I've been sober and I love life for the first time in my 48 and a 1/2 yrs i can finally say that. I don't know what kind of opiates your taking but if it's Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, ETC... It's at least 24 hrs before you can take Suboxone. If its Methadone you have to wait at least 72 hrs because of the long half life of Methadone. I can tell you if you do the Suboxone it will only work if you do the therapy with it, most of us addicts have an underlying reason for our drug use for me childhood trauma and bad men if you do not deal with your issues pardon the expression you will be just pissing in the wind.
Good luck to you.
I hoped this helps.
You can also google suboxone chart and it will be the first link. It its whatI used to help me know when to start... It helps you measure yourself and gives you info on the medicine. And it its backed by primary sources too.