Chris 1986,
You're post is correct on several different fronts, but I'm afraid that you're in for a rude awaking if you expect to "weeen of of [Suboxone ]."
First I should mention that having my above post from 2/13/2009 is very embarrassing and not representative of the person I am today (only 5 months later, haha). It's like reading poetry that you wrote in 10th grade over a decade later.
Oh well, we all grow-up. except for me the change occurred in less than half a year!
Anyways Chris 1986, if Suboxone represents a huge improvement in your life as opposed to when you were an addict than that's wonderful, and I'm sure that you feel like you have completed a very difficult challenge--and rightfully so. Oxy is a very addictive drug, and addiction to opioids is just, well, you know how it is. It's hell.
But it's nothing compared to the hell of withdrawing from Subutex/Suboxone.
These drugs have an enormously long half life and the longer you are on them, the longer you will go through withdrawal once you have tapered down your dosage and stopped taking them. You may be surprised, but Bup has wickedly cruel withdrawal symptoms. In some cases Bup w/ds have been described as being worse than one's original drug of choice (DOC). If you check out a post in Bluelight's "Other Drugs" section you will find that that is the consensus of many people, including one Moderator who rated his Bup withdrawals as being worse overall than his his original Heroin withdrawals.
And finally here's the kicker: I challenge you to find ONE person who has ever successfully stopped Buprenorphine after being on it for, let's say , more than one month.
Subutex/Suboxone may be a miracle drug for some, and it may represent a HUGE lifestyle improvement. But be prepared to be on Bup for life.
Sorry for being so pessimistic but this seems to be true. I have been continually researching Buprenorphine for the last couple of months, having even subscribed to academic journals for access to Buprenorphine studies, etc. and I have not once found a successful case of Bupe detox lasting any sort of appreciable amount of time.
I have recently been on the track of substituting Subutex for a a shorter acting opioid in order to ease the Bupe w/d's.
Most doctors see Bupe as a great new alternative to Methadone to help opioid addicts, and for some people it is appropriate. But in their enthusiasm for a take home Methadone substitute, I'm afraid that doctors have ignored the long term complications that Bupe presents, namely the virtual impossibility of getting off of Buprenorphine.
I wish you the best of luck.