Quick Suboxone Taper
A quick Suboxone Taper is like going thru a quick oxycontin, heroin and or methadone taper (or technically defined as: discontinuation syndrome . It takes time to change your life and change your habits. Suboxone gives you a buffer so you can take a breather. If you want to compare between a regular opiate withdrawal and a suboxone withdrawal there is little to no difference. Suboxone though does help get your life back on track 100%…and the withdrawals are less subtle (like 15 to 20% less), I’ll give it that. It helped me without question. But, if you are looking to tip tow your way out of not paying up for your past decisions…. You’re huffing gasoline and are in fantasy land.
Looking for an easy way out…It’s not gonna happen. Suck it up. It’s like death and taxes; got to pay up sometime….
Brian
Comments (29)
there is gonna be a withdrawal on suboxone regardless…i took it for 6 months..doctor prescribed me 2 a day..i didnt have insurance and those things are 10 bucks a piece..so i had to buy them single from the pharmacy when i got the money up..i took 1/8 of a pill instead of the 2 they prescibed me and i still had a withdrawal…taper what? ..i took a 16th of what they told me too and i had a 6 day withdrawal..now that was starting with a half and tapering down to an 1/8th..i have a low tolerance to subs..a eigth will get me throught the day without hurting..i have 1 in my posession now after relapsing and started doing pills again so i hope with me just taking a 8th of 1 a day for about a week wil help my withdrawal and make it managable..maybe a 3 days of feeling like shit and then ill be straight..idk i just hate a fuckin withdrawal but, like ole buddy said u have to pay for ur past mistakes and just do..peice
I was a mess on percs, morphine, Oxys etc always pills never shot etc but almost lost my life, you get it , you allll do. Subs saved my life I’m on 8mg for 9 months clean of Everything! People trust me again and don’t have work issues. I’m starting to taper. 8-6 started this week I feel fine. Anyone that says being addicted to subs is bad, they don’t remember the chase and hunt and torture well enough. I will keep posting but please please please try it and become the person you once were.
We are caring bunch though aren’t we.. Faith
I am now on 1 mg. of liquid taper method and the depression is bad.
I am pissed. Ok Brian you win. For me there is no quick taper, but not because I cant. Its because of my debilitating herniated degenerative disc disease.
I got off the fentanyl patches in 4 days by substituting 60 mg of oxycodone every 8 hours. I stopped the xanax in the same 4 days anticipating that the sub doctor would not induce me if on xanax. I did this to avoid the P/Ws that accompany long acting opiods.
Then I tried to step down the oxy only to be reminded of how much F’in pain I am really in. I tried to step it down to Vicodin and tramadol and it didnt work. I am 8 days on the oxy now and getting sick when I try to delay or substitute. The best I have been able to do is drop this to 30mg every 5 hours.
I will still run out of oxycodone at this rate in 2-3 weeks and will be left with only vicodin and tramadol. If anyone has got any idea what I can do please contact me at fantasyleaguesports@gmail.com.
I have a compressed spine all along my back but concentrated in the L5/S1 where there is mega dull pain. No pain in the legs.
I have insurance but am blacklisted in VA due to failed drug test, but should be ok in MD or DC. If anyone knows doctors in VA that are forgiving and give second chances I could sure use one.
I can travel and if anyone knows a reliable stem cell therapy option I think this would be my best choice. I am considering all options from surgery to suicide.
If forced to go suboxone I will but where I am planning on moving to Central America they have no suboxone.
I would be happy just to get to a safe level of vicodin where I could manage the pain. What would you do?
My wife and I (been together for 14yrs.) fell victim to addiction through doctors offices. We seperated, drained our finances, and nearly ended up on the steps of a county courthouse to file for divorce. I love my wife, she’s the only woman Ive ever truly loved. I had a lucid moment prior to meeting up to file the big D. We could not let everything between us go so easy (nothing came easy to us), I had to fight, we could not make a “life changing” desicion w/o a sober mind, to my elation she agreed. We worked through our issues all the way to her coming home in time to salvage Xmas and give us hope. We are on day 2, definately feel like shit, but I love my wife, she makes me a better man. We scored a bunch of subs on the street. I’ve read plenty on the subject and have been hunting them down since that lucid moment. We have them, your testimonys frighten me. I’m leaning towards just not taking them. This will most assuredly be the hardest thing I have ever done (I’ve been through many a difficult situations in the past), but I have to. For me, for my wife, for our son, for our lives in front of us. I want to get wrinkled and cranky with her.
So thats it huh. No recommendations at all. Okay then just wish me luck and I will report back after I attempt the quick taper.
Hello, I am new to this site and need help.
I am a Chronic Pain patient with diagnosed herniated S1/L5. I have additional problems that ate not officially diagnosed but there is a lot of movement and compression going on throughout my whole spine.
I suspect degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis as my spine will get out of alignment frequently and I find myself constantly realigning it every 20 minutes by bending forward and hanging there until it pops. Luckily after the muscles loosen up a few hours into the day this works, while first thing in the morning I am stiff.
I and others are able to hear it realign as it feels like 5 or more vertebrae in the upper middle spine are popping back into place.
Have been on Fentanyl Patch for 5 years and have hit maximum allowable insurable dosage of 2 patches every 2 days. Also on percocet 10/325 4x daily for breakthrough.
I am also prescribed Xanax and Valium to cope with my anxiety. I have been on and off Valium but on Xanax the better part of 23 years at an allowed dose of 2mg 2x day. I have weaned this to a bit less but keep that secret.
I failed a drug test in a PMP (prescription monitoring program) state, Virginia, where any doctor in the state can see all of the meds I have filled along with the drug test I failed for THC and morphine (which I was once on from a previous doctor and had saved some for a rainy day – it rained and I got caught)
My pain doctor dropped me and I was spinning my wheels attempting to finding a new one that wouldl trust me, and it isnt going to happen as most doctors in this state are paranoid with good reason.
The state has recently been enforcing the drug testing for all chronic pain patients and been on a witch hunt to ‘weed’ out the pot smokers.
I’ve wasted time and money trying to find a new doc but the one time morphine in addition to the 35 nano grams of THC has got them looking at me like a drug seeker even though I’ve got the MRIs to prove my condition, and it has gotten me blacklisted.
My GP covered my ass for 2 months while I was spinning my wheels searching for a new doctor before I figured out that I was blacklisted and understandably cannot continue to write narcotics for me.
I am thankful that he continues to write the anxiety meds, soma, ambien, and tramadol and has written them with a few months refills. He is a great caring doctor but has no idea who can help me get out of this jam.
I will run out of fentanyl patches in about 30 days so I do have time to plan what I will do.
I was planning to go the suboxone route earlier and had visited one Sub-X doctor who, planning to see me in a week to start treatment, thinking Id be out of patches then, and wrote me a script for 30 of the 15mg oxycodone to get me through that week.
I have reduced my fentanyl use to 2 every 60 hours, not a great reduction but seems as far as I can go.
I would have saw him a week later if he had not insisted on taking me off of the xanax and putting me on 4 times as much Lexapro to what I had a negative reaction on. Either he didnt believe me or didnt care and is sold on the idea that Lexapro is a drug that works wonders for everyone.
I didnt go back because of this and I recently filled his narcotics prescription in a manner that shouldnt raise eyebrows with my insurance.
I am using as little as possible of everything that I can right now but the fentanyl patch has me hopelessly addicted.
From my research I understand that Fentanyl has a 72 hour half life and most have described going through a hellish minimum 5 day W/D (withdrawal) from going cold turkey with days 3 and 4 being the worst.
My goal is to get off of everything except the Xanax, as I find nothing else addicting because I now skip days with the other meds. Then I will ultimately wean off of the Xanax after I get through the narc addiction.
I have used weaker narcotics to get off of stronger ones in the past before I got put on the patch and have had success.
I would love to get my hands on enough morphine to do the wean without suboxone (henceforth referred to as Sub-X) altogether but I would be looking at 240 mg daily at first, and aint no doctor here going to write that.
I know they will prescribe me some hefty dose of Sub-X as the initial doc said he planned to put me on 36mg of Sub-X when I returned a week later.
I protested saying I’d never get off the drug and suggested a lesser amount and he said it wouldnt work, so now I pretty much expect that these doctors do not follow the prescribing protocol of 8mg every hour until the right dose is found because it would take up to much of their precious overpaid time.
So I plan to find that correct dose on my own at home, by cutting the doses and finding out the amount that is right for me, but was hoping that I could jump off of the Sub-X or rapid taper once I got through the expected W/D time from the fentanyl patches in about 5 or 6 days.
I have no idea how long it takes before you get addicted to the Sub-X, and imagine it has a lot to do with the dose you start with.
Maybe I am kidding myself but I imagine it would take me a certain amount of time before I get addicted to the Sub-X, so my logic is to get through the expected Fentanyl W/D time using the Sub-X and then rapid taper before I get addicted to Sub-X
I know that there is a ridiculous concern about people being on Xanax and Sub-X at the same time from recent research and now know why the doc was all ‘gung-ho’ Lexapro.
Also I would imagine you cannot take tramadol while on Sub-X, Is this correct?
I am going to attempt this jump off regardless of what the doctors say and I think I can avoid any pharmacist interference with my Xanax prescription if I fill the subs at one pharmacy and my other meds from my other doctor at another pharmacy. If taking advantage of my proximity to Maryland or DC is advisable please chime in.
I have no intention of telling the Sub-X doctor about my anxiety issues or about my meds Im getting from my GP. It wont help and I will be careful to look for any contraindications or undesired effects, but I honestly feel this is an overblown concern for most people.
Although my insurance will have a record of everything I dont expect any interference from them as some are kept on Xanax if the doctor says ok.
Has anyone done anything similar to this, attempting to get off of Sub-X after the expected W/D period from the drug you are addicted to has passed, but before getting physically addicted to the Sub-X ?
I dont expect anything to be easy but I strongly desire to be off the narcotics for good, even though my back pain may tell me otherwise.
I want to move to Panama and they do not have Sub-X there to my knowledge. Just another reason I must get off the narcotics now.
I have accepted the fact that no doctor is going to continue prescribing my regular meds because the shared info by the state prescription monitoring program (PMP) is making me look like an abuser.
Although I do have one more appointment scheduled with pain management (Virginia Spine Institute) and I hear they are good at what they do and I am prepared to be completely honest with them about failing a drug test amd reducing my intake of Fentanyl which is why I havent had to report to Emergency, but I think I would just be wasting time and money even though there is no law stating they cannot give me a second chance, but it would cost me $450 out of pocket just to find out, so I plan to cancel this and save the money for the Sub-X doctor.
I emailed my insurance plan to make sure I have coverage for a Sub-x doctor and I think it went to legal as it has taken over 72 hours for them to reply.
I will accept responsibility for what happened to me, but the doctors here are being forced by the Feds to get hardcore on pot users and even tough I can quit the pot, It doesnt matter now if I do or if I dont as whats done is done.
Since I am determined to try this quick transition then jump off, I would appreciate advice that is in line with what I am attempting to do and if I should go out of state for the Sub-X doctor where there will be no monitoring by the state.
I am in the Washington DC metro area (Virginia) close to Maryland and DC so this should not be a problem if it is even necessary?
I want off the narcotics but I dont believe I can comfortably afford the rapid detox under anesthesia. The cheapest I’ve found is $8700 in Michigan, but I do have enough frequent flier miles to get there if I must.
I do not want to go the methadone route because I’ve heard nothing good about it.
I think I am making the right choice going the Sub-X route but I do not want to be an addict anymore as it is too scary after the failed drug test and I need to plan to leave the US.
I have an email address I have set up for communication about this if anyone prefers privacy sticksandwhich@gmail.com
I would appreciate any help from anyone who has done this or knows someone who has including tips on going about this and any thing to watch out for from the state or my insurance or anyone.
Feel free to reply here if your cool with it, just let me know here if you have emailed me so I will check it.
Thank you for your contribution to my cause and may our creator give us the strength and support we ask for. I will happily accept any prayers for me also. Just direct his help to CC in VA, he will know who you are talking about.
On a final note, I respect all atheists, so no worries there, please extend me the same respect.
sorry i keep thinking of more. i work hard. i am a mason, and do earth work etc. i am physical everyday and cant “drag ass all day” without being fired
i have tapered down to 1 1/2 to 2 mgs a day for a year
robert b i called last night from the area code 207 (maine) i just got like 20-25 0.1 clonadine and 60 1 mg klonapin can u give some advice. i am a daily weed smoker also. and dont plan on stopping anytime soon. i have some probation i need to wrap up and do 120 days to 150 to terminate my probation. i need to be ready for when the day comes where i have police contact and get picked up
no matter how low u taper u will not sleep for 14 daysp and feel ok for 60-90 i can only kick when i go to jail. twice since bein on subs abs far less than b4
407-375-0136 Sub taper HELP!
I’m on Day 9, and I can say with 100% certainty: It’s not nearly as bad as you think it’s going to be. I jumped off at 1mg, so while you can taper down to .25mg as Brian suggests, I think it’s simply stretching out the WD’s, but that’s only my opinion.
That said, I prepped for the jump. One topic rarely mentioned here is nutrition. You really need to have that sorted out before you jump. Lots of veggies and vitamins, especially all your vitamin B’s and omega-3/6′s. If you want it simple, get fish oil pills, nutritional yeast, OJ and V8 veg juice. And, any fruit you like. It’s all food that will help your brain deal with the taper and WD’s after you jump.
I’d also suggest some clonidine (HUGE help for leg cramps). It’s easy to get, ask your doc for it because you are having restless leg syndrome. I also used melatonin (chew the pill w/ water) and benadryl for sleep. I was lucky to have access to some Xanax to help with sleep, which gets somewhat difficult around Day 5-7. DO NOT USE SEROQUEL FOR SLEEP. The hangover effect makes the WD’s much much worse. (I learned that the hard way).
I think those who’ve already tapered will agree that the WD’s from Sub are mostly in your head? I didn’t suffer any real pain, but not being able to sleep, even while being incredibly tired really fucks with your head. And waiting for the WD’s to hit is brutal, because you know it’s coming, but have no idea what to expect.
I’m not trying to sound like Superman, it just wasn’t as bad as I had expected. It’s a bitch, but totally worth it considering I’m already getting my mind back. I’m beginning to see things completely different, because I’m not strung out on Sub. It’s fucking awesome.
We need to put together a “Sub Taper Prep List” for folks considering the jump. Too many docs are keeping people on Sub for far too long. I was on Sub for 3.5 years, and I only used opiates for 1.5 year?
Started me on 24mgs and I told them I was getting buzzed on the Sub dose! Anyhow, took it upon myself to quit, as the doc wasn’t addressing my concerns about being on a VERY powerful opiate for nearly 4 years.
I did the 25% per week using the strips, which is pretty easy, until you get down to 1 mg, as the pieces are just so small. I got pretty emotional around 4mgs, and took an extra week. Everything evened out after an extra week. So if it gets to be too much, no sweat, just extend your taper by 4-7 days.
That said, no regrets. Suboxone was a huge help getting me of the Vic’s, but NO ONE should be on Sub for more than a year. It’s becomes your DoC, and as Brian says, they’ve simply switched you from your coffee to theirs.
Any advice? On a good taper? I am braking my 8mg subs into 4 pcs, so I take one in the morning and one at night. So a total of 4mgs a day. Ive gotten off this crap before but I want to do it right.
I was using h for about 7 yrs and decided to stop after a overdose and loss of my left leg. I’ve been on subs for about 6 months and im scared as fu’k to get off
Ive been on 1mg of sub per day for about 6 months and recently have tapered down to .25 per day over the last month. should i expect withdrawals as severe as the people who ive been reading about that have been on a much higher dose but have still managed to taper down to the amount that im at? please help
I was smoking heroin for a year and a half and finally stopped by getting suboxone. I was only given 8 8mg pills and couldn’t afford to go back to the doctor for more so I tried to tapper off myself over 20 days. I wish I would have tappered it more. I stopped at 2mgs a day and then 2 days later I had withdrawals. It’s day 5 and I finally feel a little better. Two nights without sleep and restless leg syndrome is the worst. But I suppose going through this will remind me to never use again. To help with withdrawals my dr gave me a muscle relaxer and some chloral hydrate to help me sleep so I can finally get some rest and get back to work.
I was put on suboxone 3 weeks ago and am currently at 2mg daily. This was with the intention of ramping off my pain meds for a car accident from 2007 so that I may take a more effective path with my neurologist. I sustained a cervical spain, a traumatic brain injury, 2 brain lesions and a fully blown out disc and ruptured sciatic nerve. So I know I am going to have pain when coming off everything.
The last suboxone I took was 30 hrs ago. I am feeling mild to moderate symptoms as well as the increasing pain from the car accident. Any ideas how long this will last and if a tramadol may ward of some of the pain while I push through?
Thank you and best wishes to all who are dealing with this in your own situations.
Lauren
I just want to encourage those who are taking suboxone to try to take as little as possible but take enough to be effective. Continuously reducing the dosage until you are down to around 1/4 to 1/2 mg a day. When you discontinue suboxone there will be some discomfort but that generally takes a week or so to really set in. With me, the physical symptoms came at about two weeks because it’s a long-lasting med. The mental symptoms were that I felt overwhelmed by trying to do nearly anything. Just remember that taking suboxone is better than taking any of the full agonist opiates. It can take up to three weeks or a month or so to start to fell better but, if you stick with it, it will happen for you and after a while you’ll feel fine again. Just don’t try to accomplish too much at one time or put yourself through too much stress. Remember that you’re fortunate to have such a good tool to overcome physical dependence on prescription pain killers — without that it would be a far worse experience. Kudos to all who fight the good fight.
I need some advice… my boyfriend and I have been on suboxone for almost 2 years… we decided to quit cold turkey and it has been a little over a week and he is fine, and I am still feeling horrible. He does not know that I have taken 3 mg 3 times throughout the past week because I could not deal with the depression and cramping, because with school and 2 jobs I have close to a 65 hour work week. Is taking a small dose every few days setting me back from the beginning? Or can I continue to take smaller and smaller amounts throughout the next few weeks to diminish my withdrawal symptoms? By taking small amounts every 3 days for a few weeks, am I going to have less symptoms between each dose as I go? If anyone knows any answers to this please respond!
one 8 mg last me a month. thats how far ive tapered. tried cple times to jump off and have only fatigue and anxiety at night which i use clonapin. these are the only 2 w/d symptoms i experience. everytime i want to stop completely something gets away as far as my schedule. but again try some coffee for fatique and some mild benzo for sleep.
Nicole Quit letting people steal your films.. You need to get away from that crowd or people that steal from you..Stay on the subs it dont matter if you are on them a long time .. You need to go to suboxonetalkzone.com… You will learn how to taper the right way if you want to ….
2nd week off sub , was taking 8mg for year and a half , first week was rough , now just feeling fatiqued , weak , no ambition , tough to get to work even. I cut my does down to an eighth of a pill before stopping , how long can I expect this to last? thanks……
I have made it almost 3 full weeks. I tapered down before jumping off. I am finally starting to feel better. I am sleeping at least some of the nights now. I hope in 2 more weeks I am feeling close to normal. I have been on suboxien for 3 years. I have been on opiates for 15 years. I had back surgery 15 years ago. Tapering off is the way to go. Make them as small as you can. You will be surprised what a little chip will do.
with suboxone you CAN taper, it can take up to 2 yrs, but you can do it! there’s hope of being off.
Nicole-walgreens had been shorting my films the last several months and it really pissed me off, because they don’t believe me, of course. I quit taking the stuff 9 days ago, and still feel pretty bad, but not bad enough to go into a detox center. Just tough it out, it’s not really all that bad.
I want so badly to get off my suboxone. I feel like I’m still on dope. my films keep getting stolen and i have to go through a week of withdrawl b4 my doc appt. i have 13 left. how should i taper myself off? or should i go to a detox?
ive had a mean heroin addiciton for almost 3 years now and i recently just started suboxone treatment..after reading these blogs..im deathly afraid of suboxone. should i just suck it up now and w/d or should i continue my dr.’s treatment?
Thank you!!!! I am on day 5 and reading your stuff everyday has been easier because of your writings.