Now getting off the Suboxone

dschne · 05-10-2004, 09:01 PM

Wanted to find out now that it has been 11 days off the hydro and on the sub taking 8mg 3 times a day right now. I am going to the the Doc tomorrow morning Im prety sure he is going to cut my dose down but just wondering how long dose this process take and i feel fine taking less 2 to 2.5 pills per day I tried it just to see and it worked fine. I guess Im scared becouse im feeling so normal now and hope to feel this way after just wondering how long the taper is and how bad you really will feel. I really am scared today dont know why maybe from reading others posts.Also will have to work on the the nenzos after the sub thing so guess still have some road work ahead?
thanks again and I hope everybody is doing good today.

Banker · 05-11-2004, 12:15 AM

When are you going to be completely off of it? You haven't really been on the Sub long enough to have severe wds from it if you stopped right now. If you stopped immediately, you would probably feel a little yucky from the hydro withdrawal still occuring but I'm positive it's nothing you could not handle. If you do not plan on staying on Suboxone for AT LEAST 6 months, I would not recommend it for longer than 14 days. It's some tough stuff to get off of and you at minimum need to benefit from being able to 'feel' during this time and learn how to live your life without searching for hydros, searching for the high, etc. Sub, I believe helps a lot with that. This is just my opinion, I'm on it and it has saved my life. I've had some side effects but overall, it has really, really helped me.

dschne · 05-11-2004, 09:41 PM

I was hoping you would be around Banker are you doing ok? I sure hope so you are one of the people who helped me get off the hydro to begin with.Anyways I saw my Doc today and he said lets do 3 tablets a day for the next 2 weeks and if I feel ok go ahead and do my own taper poss 2 2.5 a day I feel so normal and great today.It is my anniversary today so I hand delivered some beautiful roses to my wife in the pooring down rain at her work to her well this was on my way to work the weather got so bad ripped the umbrella from my hand and i got soaked head to toe but still got the flowers to her now what to do have to get to work ? well drove like a crazy man stopped at dillards got some clothes chnged and went to work.but you know what It never even bothered me infact still in a good mood.As of tomorrow night quiting the ambien but still will be taking xanax at night at least for another couple weeks.again thanks for your love help and support and hope you are doing ok.see ya/ll
Dan

John 3:16 · 05-12-2004, 01:11 AM

Hi Dan!

If you have been on the sub for a couple of weeks now and are dropping the dose for another couple of weeks and so on, that is long enough to experience pretty bad withdrawals. NOT TRYING TO SCARE YOU- so glad you are feeling normal and I am so proud for you, but, I was on the sub for about six weeks (the first go round) and when I stopped it was ROUGH!

I have an appointment with an addictionologist who is a former addict the end of this month and he said by all means to get off the sub and stay off. It was far more powerful a drug than doctors much less patients know about and the devil to come off of. He is planning on tapering me with Ultram, ofcourse, under close supervision.

The sub is somewhat like a double-edged sword. It is saving people's lives from overdosing or winding up in jail or whatever right now but then down the road how difficult it will be to come off of.

I think the best route is to do a quick 7-10 day taper with the sub or use if for lifetime maintenance at a very low dose. Just my opinion. There are too many people on this board that I consider friends that are living life again because of the sub but yet the "cloud" of coming off of it looms overhead. A little discouraging I am sure!

Best of luck to you! Hang in there and God bless.
M

Banker · 05-12-2004, 03:16 PM

I agree w/Michelle, somewhat. I've heard that if you take Sub for longer than around 17 days, then you will become physically dependant and have wds... however, one would have to think that even a few more weeks would not be debilitating from the wds. Since you feel so normal (and I know exactly how you feel)... have you considered taking it for a longer period of time, so that you can learn to live your life without being a true drug addict? What are your options from your doctor? Some days I want to get off, the majority of the other days I've been fine and am fine staying on it. I know you realize now how much it helps.... to say the least. Just let me know what options you have and I'm extremely proud of you for taking this step to save your life.

I recently went through a major depressive episode caused by many external factors in my life... I started a new med on last Fri and have improved a lot. Hopefully, I can get through my next 'hormonal episode' o.k. and then we will know that this drug will work for me.

Tell me again how many you were taking and for how long? Did anyone else know or do they now? Are you in counseling and/or aa/na?

I don't think you realize how good it makes me feel to know that I played a role in you getting off of hydros. Seriously, thank you for telling me that. It means so much. I will be praying for you. It's difficult for me to tell you to get off of it, taper off of it, etc. when I know how much it helps people. I would tell you to stay on it as long as you could (until you felt better about handling the 'real world' and then start working on 'the plan'). However, the adamant AA/NA people would shoot me if they could for me saying that. All I know is that this drug has saved many peoples' lives and continues to do so. Everyone has their own way... I do realize that when I get off of Suboxone, my only hope for complete sobriety will be AA/NA meetings. I recognize this. I definitely recognize that I do not have control over my addiction and right now, I'm using Suboxone to assist with this. Now, on the benzos... how many are you taking now and do you want to/have to get off of them completely? Are you also taking an antidepressant? Anyway, let me know how you are doing and congrats on making steps to GET CLEAN! That is awesome. It's pretty cool to be able to feel again. It amazed me when I felt love again. It was nice. However, we all still feel the bad stuff too but that's o.k.... we can get through it. Take care of yourself!