My Suboxone Experience
My Suboxone Experience
First thing, keep in mind that the following post / notes of mine were written before I did my suboxone taper and final jump off suboxone. Been off the sub for a year and 4 months now; so this was written a long while back. Shows my thought process before I decided to take the next step. You can read how I went about my taper day to day in the post Suboxone Taper 101.
My Suboxone Experience cont’d: (written about a year and half ago)
If you are an think or have a problem with pain meds / opiates, are recovering from opiate dependence or are just stuck and trying to get help; you understand when searching forums that useless posts that don’t answer your questions regarding how to go about a suboxone taper and or how the withdrawal process is…it’s f***ing frustrating. I just want to find the answers or discussions about what it feels like coming off the sub, can it be done, should it be done, is it as bad as coming off all other opiates cold turkey and so on.
To date I have really only found one good site that gives some great info from both sides of the coin (suboxonetalkzone.com). There ARE alot of good forums out there and to everyone that visits these forums, I appreciate you taking the time to post. Just sometimes the direct question which is most important gets lost in just “talk”.
I have found a site and I’ll list a couple more, but if you want to get some good info on what suboxone can do for you, what steps you should take overall, suboxone info, withdrawal info and straight to the point relevant stuff that you’ll want to know…check out the following
What are the Suboxone Taper / Withdrawal forums giving us? Good info? Or just BS!
Here’s the thing; we all read on the suboxone forums the posts / opinions that people put up. There are (on most) sites 2 categories that dominate the suboxone taper subject; the ways it can help you or the way it has helped others or maybe even yourself. Then on the other hand you get the real space cadets that think it is a clandestine project by the New World Order called Operation Octagon Mallard Duck. It seems on this side of the subject ”THEY” (the NWO) are trying to get you to switch from your OLD brand of coffee to THEIRS. This theory goes on to state how once you have tasted that NWO Suboxone Java, you’ll just never want to stop! The side effects associated with this myth is…that your brain will be picking up and receiving ELF, AM, FM and XM radio for the rest of your life.
My Suboxone Experience cont’d:
Factual websites about the “Discontinuation Syndrome” that follows when you stop taking your Doctor Prescribed medicine are all in generalities. The info you are looking for and the questions you have are just not out there. You can find alot of technical info, but no advice, no suggestions and no answers to “what the f**k is it like to taper”. What you do get is usually copied and pasted from a f***ing facts and questions site regarding aspirin, bananas and what to expect after self installing a toilet. You’ll get the same b.s., “when discontinuing your suboxone / buprenorphine you might feel some of these symptons”.
- Dysphoric mood (this was interesting, I did feel this when I stopped my sub, very vertigo like)
- Piloerection (makes your hair stand up)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Lacrimation (tearing up)
- Rhinorrhea (runny nose)
- Pupillary dilation
- Sweating
- Diarrhea
- Muscle aches/cramps
- Yawning
- Mild fever
- Insomnia
- Craving
- Distress/irritability
In addition and what makes this whole “looking for REAL F-ing information” so much worse is the 2 cents EVERYONE has to put in. There is or seems to be a shit load of people out there that have what they feel are the answers and scare everyone to death. Most go on only about how much vicodin, oxy, percs etc. they used to take and how they are now “trapped” by suboxone (like they weren’t already f***ed before) or how they fell off the wagon cause the suboxone was so hard to stop (read my Taper 101 post, it wasn’t that bad).
The Suboxone Taper or Withdrawal Forums have topics that generally start like this for example:
“My name is Bill (example only) I’m looking for advice and HELP from anyone who has tapered off their suboxone / subutex / buprenorphine. What is it like? How does the withdrawals and tapering compare to w/d’s from oxy or any other hard opiate? Has anyone succeeded? Should I just stay on the suboxone? Can you taper long enough to minimize withdrawals or have no w/ds at all? I have been on sub for 2 years and want to get off after changing my life…etc..etc…etc”.
Ok, so… Good question posted by Bill. The guy just wants some basic advice, I’m sure he wants more, but it’s a pretty straight forward question, be it there are a few, but you get what I mean.
HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF COMPLETE BS AND IRRESPONSIBLE REPLIES TO “BILL” FROM MORANS AND PEOPLE THAT DON’T HAVE A F*****G CLUE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT:
“Wow, oh boy, oh golly… I have never heard of anyone being on suboxone SOOOO long! Gee wiz…. I read that you can taper down on suboxone / subutex / buprenorphine but you are only supposed to be on it like 1 or 2 weeks… I would get another doctor. I have never taken suboxone and am not an opiate addict but thought I could give you my two cents and good advice”
“Hi Bill, My name is Leon and I have been an addict for 12 years on Oxy, H, Vicodin…etc… I took like 197 Vicodin and 93 40mg Oxycontins on the average per day. I tried to detox using a combination of Suboxone and fentanyl patches on my forehead. Then tried tapering with scotch tape, now I am back on the wagon taking 52 Oxy 80mgs a day and dressing like a giraffe” (Ok…congratulations asshole….your f-ing point is?)
Those were just a couple of the stupid posts that people bring up, I can go on for pages but this next following post we have all seen on a “Question about Suboxone Tapering Forum”. It is the stupidest one ever! It’s the most common and EVERY forum has one these guys or gals.
“My name is Cindy (again, example only) and I’m here to tell you DONT TAKE SUBOXONE, your Doctors are just trying to trap you. You are only trading one opiate for another. Once you are on it, it is almost impossible to get off. Take it from me, I have tried numerous times and now I am selling my ass on the streets after my “friends” that I kept hanging around with, by my own free will, that shoot H every day and take oxy… they finally FORCED me into the Dope again, sure beats the suboxone”.
Regarding the example post above; so what this idiot is saying is just stay on whatever you were totally jacking yourself with cause that is better? Suboxone WORKS. It’s a “BUFFER” for your life, so you can get your LIFE back on track. This gives you time to tell your “so called” friends to F-off and to get things stabilized again, so you can get back to work, get back to being pro-active and to keep the wallet / purse from going south….and of course to save your life from OD’ing. These addicts are just pissed that other people are REALLY either trying to… or are getting help ON their own with a little or no help. Cont’d:
Tags: opiates and suboxone, Suboxone Experience, suboxone experiences, Suboxone Taper
Comments (23)
Hey, my name is Kim. Love this website. Went into rehab bc new doc. doesn’t prescribe meds I’m on. Clinic put me on Suboxone. Tapering is horrible. Must not be doing it right. Never felt this pain before. What do I do. Thanks.
I used oxycontin for 3 yrs and have been on suboxone for a year now. I work at a really high energy job as a hairstylist. Its a huge salon and I have a huge clientele and work 10 hour days with no breaks straight through. Entertaining people all day long really wears you out. To my point….i really want to get off the sub. So how long do you think I will need to take off of work. I am so scared. I only get one week paid vaca and I doubt my boss with let me off more than that… Will one week be ok? FUCK!! i hate myself for getting me into this shit. Please help.
I am on 2mg to 4mg of subutex a day.I started on subs ,and I took about 16mgs a day. I want to get off everything and today I started breaking my 2mg pills in half. Do you have any advice about how to do this the best way? I just really need some support.
Crystal
ok, I found this website yesterday and I liked what I read. I have been on SUb for 4 yrs. Ppl sometimes look at me in question because Ive been on it for so long, but 5 months into it I found out I was pregnant. Back then remind you suboxone was unheard of ..no one knew what it was nor then docs. So I was kicked out and was told to go back to the methadone clinic. After 2 years and a w/d of 14 days (also taking 12 mg of subs daily during my w/d) didn’t want to do that, but 5 days later I went to the methadone clinic took 30 mg but later that day I found a doc that would help. They first started me on subutex , but I didn’t like the way they made me feel-very fatigued. so I was switched back to suboxone, and on a slow tapering process was down to 2 mg when I had my son. My baby doc also knew and knew how good I was doing and didn’t want me to go all the way off before I had my child so I had him the next day after I took my last 2 mg suboxone. I took him home 2 days later-no withdrawals from him, he was fine. I even got a call from the makers of Suboxone asking how I did and if he went through withdrawals, and I think that helped, bc no one wants to have to give their baby methadone. So I am back on suboxone but Ive been through alot as well and I feel wonderful right now and is going thru college and want to grad before I ever come off or down. I just wanted to tell all mothers-to-be out there if your afraid suboxone will hurt them I don’t think so. Mines going on 3 and he’s great. No problems with anything. And if a doc tells you their going to cut you off at a certain point-CHANGE DOCS-dont do it until ur ready .bc if your not ready more then likly your relapse. be strong were all out there that can relate…
My dr told me to jump off of 4 mg. He also gave me nucynta to take every 8 hrs to help with pain and withdrawals. It’s some kind of new opiate. Of course I’m having to take it more to keep me from having withdrawals. To give some background, the dr started me on subs cause I’ve had severe pelvic pain issues that weren’t being helped with any narco. Wad even taking cotyns at one point. I don’t chase the high. I just need pain management but have a high tollerance. So back to my question. Will it affect me being able to quit subs if I’m taking another narcotic to basically replace it? I’m scared I’m already addicted to the new stuff.
Crazy thing is I got off subs last year without even realizing it. I didn’t know they were addictive and just took them every few days and then just stopped one day. Boy do I wish I could do that now.
Well day four has come and went, last night was intermittent sleep but popped a kolonopin after my usual wake up at 3am…Sleepy sleepy (til 9am) This withdrawl sucks but it does not even hold a candle to oxys or heroin. I picked up some melatononin at the hippi store and I am gonna try to use that for my sleep tonight. My moods are flip flop as are my chills but it is tolerable. I can already feel the dope fog lifting and life coming bach…actually caught myself humming a Doors song. I know there is a long way to go but im gonna make it…Even found a 40mg oxy today while packing to move and i threw it down the toilet, I then dry heaved for a while but now im ok lol. Im excited for this new chapter in my life. Must stay positive and remember I DID THIS TO MYSELF…For every action there is a reaction. I knew what I was doing and knew it would come to this so I gotta suck it up and keep going. I will write again tomorrow. Peace.
Well, I thought I was gonna get out of this scott free…Until last night lol this is day three and I definitely feel some withdrawls last night/today. Nothing intense like coming off of oxys but feels more like It is the tail end of a oxy withdrawl. I can already feel some of my head coming back but I know its still gonna get worse but Im not counting on that nor focusing on it like I would always have done while coming off oxys. I am excited for this next chapter in my life and cant wait to be free of the burden these opiates hold, and I know that this school I am about to do is going to be challenging, but worthwhile. And nothing compared to the three months in SD 10 yrs ago. I will keep posting to let you know how its going, it definitely helps me to just open up about it. Thanks for your response. Semper Fi
Bob,
The slower you can go the better… I think it is more mental when you jump off of suboxone at 2mg and or less cause either way it’s going to fucking suck… I still suggest taking your time though. Since you can’t taper but you’re down that low and you’re on a time schedule… Look at it this way; get off the suboxone now; you’ve got something that’ll take up your time and kick your ass back into gear (ie. the military). Kick this shit now, go thru the hard stuff and get ready to roll. I don’t give any background of myself on here but I understand your position or can relate (Semper Fi). Getting focused, getting busy, staying busy and or getting you’re ass kicked backed into operation mode will do the trick…. (funny shit)…. You’ll be ok dude. Bob, you actually have a rough road but a way out of this….look at it that way.
Brian
SuboxoneTaper.com
By the way, I am a 31yr old male weighing in at a whopping 185lbs
Hey man whats up, interesting site here. I have been sitting at my computer for a couple hours between here and suboxonetalkzone…I have a question that I was hoping you might help me with. First I will tell a little about myself.
My name is Bob and I have been an opiate addict since I was 19 yrs old. I started with nubain (nalbuphine) and after sobering up from that went straight to heroin. After a couple years of heroin (3 gram habit per day tops) I quit COLD TURKEY…horrible experience….Well that wasnt enough, I relapsed with oxycontin / methadone on and off for the next 5 yrs, until nrehab in 2007. I was clean until jan 2010 when I took a quarter of a suboxone to see what it would feel like…I loved it and have been taking it pretty much everyday (buying it black market) the max i have taken in one day is 8mg but usually it is just 4mg….Now I am down to 2mg a day and want to stop. Is a taper necessary or do you think I can just stop? I (like everyone) want as little withdrawl as possible. I am getting ready to go to a military like school on May 24th and it is gonna suck if the first couple weeks are gonna suck even worse than I am sure they already will. I know I am an idiot to wait this long and dont be afraid to tell me this….I just get so tired when I stop and I have been afraid of the withdrawl…now I have no choice and this is coming no matter what….What do you think I can expect?? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! –Bob
Right Now,it’ll be 2mg a week.
I’ve been off my 400 mg hydrocodone daily dose to 8 mg Suboxone now for a year. It’s febr. I’ll be back in the doughnut hole in a month and a half. I’m on disability right now and feel it too will be gone soon. I’ve come along way in a year. I went through and extensive outpatient with the hospital for 8 months. I’m attending AA on a regular basis and catching myself on old behaviors and addict thinking.I can’t afford another 7 months of paying by the pill batch again. Still feel like and addict . I don’t want to feel the pain of a sudden stop. Granted I’ve done it. Not going to do it now.I picked up my Month supply.60.I talked to my Doctor last year and told him, this year , when going into the doughnut again. I want to taper down. And how do you do it. How do you taper. He said by 2mg.
Ive allready tried for extra help through SSI, but make to much. So I’ve made a plan to taper down 2 mg a week. It may change to 2 weeks when I get down to a single 8 mg.
But I’m starting. I’m so tired of having to plan my life around it. I feel I’m strong enough. Mentally,Spiritually and I’m going to pick up some extra walking to help drive the toxin out.I admire what you’ve done.I’m hoping for some help.
I am on day 4 off the suboxone, it isnt that bad yet because of the half-life of suboxone. I started at 16mgs and weened myself down to 2mg over a 6month period. Like I said tho it is day 4, i feel shitty but that is expected from any strong drug u take for a long period of time. I am lucky enough to have some benzo’s to help calm me and sleep at nite when it gets to be too much. any1 going through my situation or goin to b soon just stay strong, it wont kill you and in a few wks ill be completley clean, im very very excited and thats what keeps me going. email if u like to swap info..eric22602@yahoo.com
Thank you. That’s all I have to say. Everyone’s just looking for that little ray of hope. It’s there. You just got to get past all the other crap. People only tell you “You can’t do it” because they don’t have the courage to try.
You CAN do it. We all have to heal sometime.
what a site the sub did allow me to feel normal and not high.The most important part was to paticipate in a recovery program and change all old habbits.I completely love the AA program of recovery even tho I am an opiate user (was) . My family life as a father and a son has returned and do not want to loose that again its been three yrs on sub . wish I could take time off of work when I get up enough nerve to stop , but the most important thing is to keep things a day at a time perspective.Wish we could get together as our own group for meetings and help each other like a Sub Annomous group.
By the way forgot to mention thanks alot for his site and all of this info.
Ha!! Fucking halarious. I’ve seen that shit everywhere, trying to get some info.
Stacie….sorry about this whole deal but, calling it as it is…. “just a bad situation”… unfortunately no suggestions. Talk to a doctor….not sure what could be worse, the stress of the w/d’s on the baby or the drug itself.
Bad fucking situation to be in and by no means am I pointing any fingers… I know how powerful this drug is and reason or decision just doesn’t come into factor no matter what when your body needs what it “thinks it needs”. Wish you the best.
Brian
Hello.
I also need help. I am 11 weeks pregnant and am taking 1 mg per day.
I’m down from 4mg to 2mg.
How long should i stay on 1 mg before i stop completely? I don’t want the baby to experience withdrawals.
Melissa,
I was on it almost 3 years and only tapered then eventually got off it successfully. Alot of people who don’t know shit will talk alot of it. I was probably ok at the 2 year mark; not only did I change my whole lifestyle, but got alot of the good qualities back that kept me going. I did opt to stay on it though cause I just didn’t want to mess with something that was not broken. I didn’t get high off the suboxone, it did nothing for me, except…make me feel 1000% normal and like myself and also kept me at a zero level of thinking about relapsing…which I NEVER did.
When you’re ready, if ever to get off it…you’ll know. I only thought to myself with a bit of common sense that being on something, anything, for to long probably (no scientific backing here) is not a great thing. It could be ok…but I would rather be on the safe side…and the biggest thing like I said… I was ready anyway.
The only side effect I have not read about which I have noticed a month or so after I got off it… I can watch hours of like “funny goat” videos on youtube….becoming a problem… JK of course.
Brian
Suboxone Taper
Hello, You are soo right! You made these examples sound so funny, I laughed out loud. I have been on suboxone for 16 months. Suboxone allowed me to get my life back. I really wanted to stop my opiate abuse. I thought I would die from my addiction. After several tries to quit on my own and even a short time at a methadone clinic,I went to a psychiatrist who works with addicts. I was open and honest with him about my addiction. With suboxone I felt normal again, and was able to focus on getting my life in order. I am now wanting to taper off the suboxone. I hope that coming off of it will be successfull.
I would still get the giraffe outfit…. The long the taper to better. Anyone who tells you “You should get on and off that stuff ASAP….”… Only want to use again; weak asses if you ask me. Change…. take your time….and hold on cause it does blow but it will all be ok in the end.
Brian
thanks for the info.
i’m getting ready to jump from 1mg.
down from 24mg in a couple mos.
at 1 mg for last 5ish mos.
glad to hear i don’t need to buy taht giraffe suit.
thanks again, i was looking for a site like this.
will post how it goes