Having been weening down from 24mg of Suboxone since Feb of this year. Had four weeks on 2 mg that ended a 8 days ago.

My guts still feel shredded right now. I didn't think that stopping at 2 would be so painful. I should have did 1 mg and then .5 but my doctor didn't know any better and advised to stop at 2. I talked with him this week and he wanted me to go back on 1 mg but I am @#$%%%$ done with this life of servitude to opiates.

Its been a long 4 year road.

Went to my first NA meeting last night. Felt very out of place.

I think I will try a different one tonight.

Dave in West Philly (but still a Steeler fan!)

You jumped off too high of a dose and coming off at 2mg will leave you with long WDs especially if you've been on it for 4 years. Your doc is a fool and doesn't have a clue to how bup really works...Tapering off would have been the best and then jumping off at about .25mg would have been ideal but you already been off it for 8 days. The WDS should start around now since the life span of bup is 72 hours. There is a great Q&A of Sub by a poster named Ratch. He was on it for 7 years! It is very informative read...search for it here. Be prepared for more agony to come....it will be a long road....don't wanna scare you but just be prepared by reading more about it and doing more internet searches for help on this...Take care.

I won't go back on it. I'm looking at getting though this next week. Been taking Dicyclomine for the stomach pains.

I know I jumped off too quick now, but its too late to look back.

Keep hearing that Rocky song 'Eye of the Tiger' in my head...

Dave

Life span of Bup is 37 hours by the way...

The internet can be a bad thing regarding 'facts'.

Dave,

Just want to say,
You can make it through!
I don't know about sub, but I went CT off a very high dose of Oxy, & Roxy.
It was pure hell, but I made it.

This board has the greatest people for support, so keep posting with your progress.

There is something besides NA, or AA. It's called Smart Recovery.
Do a google search on it.
B

Thanks Boiler Bob,

I accept the pain. The last 8 days of sucked but nothing like a couple of years ago where I came off of 60 mg of Dilaudid per day.

I am going to be a man and suck it up.

Not going back on the Sub.

Well done on going to NA, it's there for anyone who has a desire to quite using! Often certain meetings aren't right for certain people, so I think that it's absolutly great that you're trying a different meeting. This really does show Steel and determination; We really must have an intention not to use again and then live that intention "one day at a time!" This is the essense of NA/AA recovery IMO

There are many OTC herbal remadies that might help ease the W/D, that's a personal choice, certainly a high stregth multi Vitamin B is highly recomended and lots of hot baths and some exercise is you can bear it; these amongst other things will help you move through.

The great thing about going to NA is that you can take phone numbers of people there and when you are feeling really shakey, you can call them and this is often a great help in such times of need.

All the best then and well done in finding your resolve.

And I have nothing against na or aa.

I went to aa when I quit drinking in 1989.
Now that I have come off of opiates, I have no close access to either one, so I had to find another way. Smart & this board were it.

I feel very discouraged now as I do some research on Suboxone withdrawl...

Should I go back on it?

Help!!!

Thats what I keep saying to myself, Boilerbob.

Thanks for the support/advice.


Dave

go to the meeting, just stick with it through the day, you can make it and the meeting will be a ray of light. You can even call the NA helpline and ask for someone to pick you up. Sometimes they can do that, depending on location etc. Either way, stick with your desicion and make it to the meeting tonight; you're only doing this "one day at a time."

I am gonna go to a meeting tonight.

(cheesy 'eye of the tiger' song runs though my fuzzy head :) ).

Got the B complex vitamins at the store just now.

Thanks

I did not get my information from the internet in regards to the life of bup. I got it straight from the manufacturer and it clearly states :

"Buprenorphine has a mean elimination half-life from plasma of 37 h. Naloxone has a mean elimination half-life from plasma of 1.1h. "

Do a search for yourself from the FDA and download the PDF file and read it! It clearly states those facts plus the chemical structure and metabolism of bup.

Therefore , I stand corrected in my statement of the life span of bup. Not only that- you must calculate the amount of bup you have had in your system prior to jumping off to accurately calculate the elimination of the bup as it excretes from your body.

I highly suggest you to do much more research on it because you will begin WDs very shortly and you will be hurting and it will be for a long time too as well. But then again, you don't have to believe anything I have to say and you can be the judge for yourself.

Hi Steelers, how was the meeting and how are you feeling today? I hope you are ok......

Hi,

Cramps feel lessened today. Didn't make it to the meeting last night.

Going to work tomorrow. Kinda scared...

Hey Steelers-
If "Eye of the Tiger" is what inspires you to stay off the suboxone, then go out and by the Rocky sound track and play it all day every day if you have to. Whatever you need to do to make it through this.

I know it's not easy, and you are feeling like crap physically, but you just hang in there and be strong. You can do this. We have faith in you, and we all have your back!!

I hope tomorrow will bring good things your way and that the physical symptoms will show noticable improvement each and every day!

Lezlee

Thanks Ozzy,

I am gonna do this.

My dad told me to think of John Mccain, who was held in captive by the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam war for 5 years.

If he can get though 5 years, I can get through the next day, week etc.

Thanks for the inspirational post.

Dave

it's only one day at a time........

No definitely do not go back on it. The ideal thing would have been to transition over to Subutex and drop to .25mg but it is much too late for that now. You have about 10 days now into it. All of the bup should have left your system by now....

How are you feeling today? Describe your symptoms and I'll try to help. Do you have other meds for detox? The unfortunate thing is you will not start to feel better until about 2-3 weeks time. You will feel extremely lethargic, tired and unmotiviated to do anything..... You will also get sneezes, chills, intermittent hot/cold sweating, and insomnia. You won't truly get physical WDS but the lethargy stays for awhile.

Please get endorphins to all of your receptors by exericise- cardio for at least 40 minutes...even if it is walking in the beginning. That is the only way to get your brain back to its normal state the quickest. Eat very healthy- protein and low fat foods, if you don't feel like eating- start downing Ensure shakes. Take all of your vitamins . For the lethargy- you can start drinking Red Bull .

BTW- if you just feel really overall bad - you can take Immodium AD 2mg X 4 tablets (preferrable liquid form) and it will help take the edge off. The tablet form takes about 2 hours for it to work while the liquid form can work within an hour.

Good luck.

You could try running a search for the Thomas Detox recipe, it's easy to find. Some of its suggestions are too late but for the endorphins, on top of exercise (which is the best solution by far) you could also take an herbal remedy called the L-Tyrosine. Research it's benefits and see if you think it's for you.

Hey Eye of the Tiger dude...Where are you? Don't tell me the Sub WDs have gotten the best of you!? Check in with us.....we only want to help you ...nothing more, nothing less. C'mon, chin up and post your progress.

Take care.:cool:

My good stealers fan. I was on hydrocodone, another opiate of course for 3 years. This worked for me when I stopped.
1) First of all, don't let all these posts about the horror of withdrawing scare you. It is all bull.....the physical part is not too much worse than having a bad cold or the flu for a week or two. You are not going to grow a 3rd head or anything...and you most likely can get some sleep if you do the hot cold thing in #3. 8 days off and you should be over the physical already. Now it is mental withdraw for you.
2) Drink LOTS OF WATER ALL OF THE TIME. Exercise. Eat healthy food. Treat your body like it was a newborn baby. The better you feel, the easier this will be.
3) If you are getting cramps, yawns, irritable still.....this is the most satisfying thing, especially to sleep. Fill up a bath as HOT as you can stand it. Go in to get your feet and ankles used to it. Then, turn on the cold water from your shower full blast and freeze yourself for a moment, turn it off, then drop right into the hot water. Sit there for awhile, and then do the same thing with the cold again. Repeat as much as you want. This is a procedure that they use in hospitals for cramps and detox except there are hot and cold tanks to jump into instead. Try it anytime. It does wonders to help you sleep, but also to get you clear and relaxed for your day.
4) Go to those meetings. Get a community that cares about you and won't let you just slip away into the hell you have been in all these years. Hold on tight to the ball my friend.

Your Friend,
Tripleair :jester:

WDS from Suboxone are almost a different animal than hydrocodone. Hydrocodone WDs are over and done with in about a weeks time- the physical part anyway. Sub WDs take almost a month before you feel better.

..Sorry double posted...see below..

BoilerBob-

Nonsense! No needs for apologies!! Your constant contribution to these boards is valuable ! Although sub and opiates WDS are different but they relatively are the same still. Sub just take much much longer than most addictionologists or people want to admit. They are there to make money by prescribing Sub. Isn't that the name of the game for them? They take no insurance claims therefore- it is a cash business for them....

Thus- a lot of patients or people often times are misinformed and misconstrue the power of Sub. UNTIL you get off it- then it is a whole new ballgame....They suffer and search the internet endlessly for help because their DRs can't help them. They know nothing about it really...They base alot of their WDs knowledge from patient's experiences.

AGAIN- Sub is a great tool for short opiate detox however when you go on it for longer than 6 months- you're pretty much screwed! Just ask Ratchet- he was on it for 7 years and I luckily got off it after a couple of months because I did not feel right on it....then the WDS came from Sub - it was something I have never experienced nor do I ever want to go back to that hell...It was hellish....I felt like this guy....:blob_fire and this guy :mad: and this looney guy.... :dizzy: CONSTANTLY FOR MONTHS !! No kidding....LOL!

BoilerBob-

You're definitely right there about not going on Sub...You did great by CTing off Oxys and that is not an easy task. You should be so so proud of yourself . I hear so many others say they couldn't get off Oxys because the WDs were so bad...So many people rather take the Sub route because it is easier! But people stay on it also because they can't get off it either...or their addictionologist say to stay on it just because.

Yeah- Dave, where are you? MIA? We're still just wondering and seeing if you need more help ....