I have been on subutex for about 8 months. Was rxed it for coming off oxy. My oxy addiction was quite bad at about 300mg per day, so doc first rxed me 20mg subutex per day. Anyway after 8 months I've gotten down to 2-4mg per day of the subutex. I don't wanna be on this forever and was wondering if anyone with experience with subutex could tell me if they went thru w/d from coming off 2-4mg of subutex after taking it daily for 8 months , and if so how bad ? I want to stop the medication sooner rather then later but def don't wanna experience the withdrawals inwould go through when i ran out of oxy.
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BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic
Help with subutex
- Thread starter Jvjs05
- Start date
First the question you need to really ask yourself is are you ready and able? Do you have an embrace of your addiction and do you have support (family, friends, counselor) to keep you on line and strong when you're tempted?
Remember buprenorphine has a pretty healthy half life and will reside in your system approximately 72+ hours. You already begun a taper. I'd first recommend communicating your desires with the doctor who is trained to assess the proper tapering method.
I'm not recommending what is the "right" approach but have a pretty definitive response to help ... if you're down to 2-4 mg per day (and you've done that for at least 2 weeks) --going to 2mg at (midday) each day for 4-5 days ... 1mg 3-4 days ... take 2 days off from anything (this is for a couple reasons --to test your resolve mentally and physically testing how your body & mind accept this) you may have a tendency of feeling minimal withdrawals ... but remember that the buprenorphine is still in your system ... at this point you're able to work 1-.5mg every 2 days for a week ... at this point you're approximately 2-3 weeks into your taper ... you can attempt one more run of .5 every couple days for approximately 3-4 dosages. Many times you're in the realm of "take as need" to ward off the minimal effects of what withdrawals you may confront. But I'm also aware that there are people that once they get to the ".5mg threshold" many just go into it with a very positive and "I beat this!" kind of approach by just mind over matter knowing that the worst--the 95% is behind them and their enthusiasm and conquering attitudes rarely feel much of WDs--and if there are any they're so minimal that their day is not typically compromised.
AGAIN, this still remains up to YOUR prescribing doctor who has a solid and certified--LICENSED response to your needs. Remember every person is unique and handle chemicals within their body AND brains differently ... also the doctor will know better how YOU will react by having access to your medical files (underlying issues, mental, physical, weight, diabetes etc etc)
I truly hope this all made sense and that you STRONGLY consider speaking to your doctor first before you attempt this. I'm VERY EXCITED for you and wish you only the very best in health & happiness.
Semper Fi
Remember buprenorphine has a pretty healthy half life and will reside in your system approximately 72+ hours. You already begun a taper. I'd first recommend communicating your desires with the doctor who is trained to assess the proper tapering method.
I'm not recommending what is the "right" approach but have a pretty definitive response to help ... if you're down to 2-4 mg per day (and you've done that for at least 2 weeks) --going to 2mg at (midday) each day for 4-5 days ... 1mg 3-4 days ... take 2 days off from anything (this is for a couple reasons --to test your resolve mentally and physically testing how your body & mind accept this) you may have a tendency of feeling minimal withdrawals ... but remember that the buprenorphine is still in your system ... at this point you're able to work 1-.5mg every 2 days for a week ... at this point you're approximately 2-3 weeks into your taper ... you can attempt one more run of .5 every couple days for approximately 3-4 dosages. Many times you're in the realm of "take as need" to ward off the minimal effects of what withdrawals you may confront. But I'm also aware that there are people that once they get to the ".5mg threshold" many just go into it with a very positive and "I beat this!" kind of approach by just mind over matter knowing that the worst--the 95% is behind them and their enthusiasm and conquering attitudes rarely feel much of WDs--and if there are any they're so minimal that their day is not typically compromised.
AGAIN, this still remains up to YOUR prescribing doctor who has a solid and certified--LICENSED response to your needs. Remember every person is unique and handle chemicals within their body AND brains differently ... also the doctor will know better how YOU will react by having access to your medical files (underlying issues, mental, physical, weight, diabetes etc etc)
I truly hope this all made sense and that you STRONGLY consider speaking to your doctor first before you attempt this. I'm VERY EXCITED for you and wish you only the very best in health & happiness.
Semper Fi
Ilove2nod
Bluelighter
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- Oct 19, 2014
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OP: Yes. I have been taking anywhere from 2mg a day to 8mg a day of subutex for over 5 years.. I can honestly say, not trying to scare you, but... the WD from oxy, would've been easier to endure, than the WDs subutex will give! I can't lie, bupe has some of the worst WDs I have ever gone through, next to benzos.. Way worse than oxy, even at 300mg a day doses of oxy.. I used to use anywhere from 300-500mg a day of oxy, or an equal amount of another potent full agonist opioid/opiate... and none of them(the WDs), even at stupid high doses like that compared to the WDs I got from bupe. Bupe has such a long half-life and duration of action(depending on the ROA you take it, but sublingual, it has a very long duration of action.. IV has the shortest, and shortest half-life.. every other ROA in between like sniffing or plugging, is somewhere in between the other two, as far as both half-life and duration of action go.)
No matter what ROA you use, the WDs do last quite a while... and are very hard to cope with, without wanting to use any kind of opioid to get you well again.. just like oxy WD, but its just worse.. don't know how to explain it.. it just is! I tried jumping off of them at 2mg doses or less, a few times in the past... it always ended up with me getting like 2-5 days into WD, and saying fuck this.. I cant take it anymore.. then relapsing on any given full agonist.. or just hopping back on bupe. Again and again.. until finally just staying on 8mg of bupe, for the past 16 months now... no full agonists, just stuck on bupe.. IVing it no less, which makes me a full blown bupe addict you could say.. never thought I would be, as I hated bupe initially getting on it.. now I love the feeling, and cant make myself, not want it... it sucks.
So.. all you can really do is get some good comfort meds to help if you do decide to just jump off,( I would try a taper though first!) which still weren't enough to help me get off bupe. Loperamide, Valium or other long acting benzos at lower doses(if only temporarily, don't get addicted to benzos, that sucks even worse!), THC of any kind such as weed, hash, hash oil, etc., and OTC sleep aids like sleepinal(diphenhydramine capsules 50mg), melatonin, etc. all help with lots of other people jumping off bupe/opiates/opioids... they just couldn't stop my hunger for opioid related drugs, even though loperamide is one itself actually so be careful with that too.. it can be addicting, even though it produced absolutely no feeling at all, just feeling better than full blown WDs..
Best of luck to you.. hope you can get off those little shits.. don't know when or if I ever truly will, without getting back on oxy or dope!
No matter what ROA you use, the WDs do last quite a while... and are very hard to cope with, without wanting to use any kind of opioid to get you well again.. just like oxy WD, but its just worse.. don't know how to explain it.. it just is! I tried jumping off of them at 2mg doses or less, a few times in the past... it always ended up with me getting like 2-5 days into WD, and saying fuck this.. I cant take it anymore.. then relapsing on any given full agonist.. or just hopping back on bupe. Again and again.. until finally just staying on 8mg of bupe, for the past 16 months now... no full agonists, just stuck on bupe.. IVing it no less, which makes me a full blown bupe addict you could say.. never thought I would be, as I hated bupe initially getting on it.. now I love the feeling, and cant make myself, not want it... it sucks.
So.. all you can really do is get some good comfort meds to help if you do decide to just jump off,( I would try a taper though first!) which still weren't enough to help me get off bupe. Loperamide, Valium or other long acting benzos at lower doses(if only temporarily, don't get addicted to benzos, that sucks even worse!), THC of any kind such as weed, hash, hash oil, etc., and OTC sleep aids like sleepinal(diphenhydramine capsules 50mg), melatonin, etc. all help with lots of other people jumping off bupe/opiates/opioids... they just couldn't stop my hunger for opioid related drugs, even though loperamide is one itself actually so be careful with that too.. it can be addicting, even though it produced absolutely no feeling at all, just feeling better than full blown WDs..
Best of luck to you.. hope you can get off those little shits.. don't know when or if I ever truly will, without getting back on oxy or dope!
Thx for the responses , not gona lie I cheat like 2-4 times per month with 16mg dilaudid (IVd) which is the only thing I found to break through the bupe. I wish I could go back to when 2 perks had me floating. I think I need to taper to a smaller dose b4 I jump off. I switch off between sublingual and sniffing it btw. Hope I'm ready soon but def don't want to go back to crazy amounts of oxy every day , anyways thx for the input
Ilove2nod
Bluelighter
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- Oct 19, 2014
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yeah.. I used to do the same shit.. take little vacations from my sub, and then bang some Ds or oxys or both together(my favorite!).. maybe some dope too! then I just said fuck it last time I got dope, and spent all my money on it in 1 day.. and realized, I liked subutex and honestly kind of prefer to those drugs these days, if only for the money I save from taking it instead, and the longer lasting buzz I get from it.. lasting nearly all day, when usually dope or any other full agonist would last 3-5 hours at the very most.. just sucks to be stuck on bupe now! haha.
I'd have to disagree with nod on the oxy withdrawal verses subs. I went cold turkey from 150 mg oxy a day and that was the worst withdrawal I've gone through, worse than fentanyl or heroin. That being said, when I came off of subs I had only taken them for a month at 4 mg, then jumped at 2 mg, so maybe it didn't fully build up in my system.
The only thing I think with subs, like he stated, is the long half life. It feels like it will never end, but it does. I just found that the lack of energy and depression from subs was much worse and much longer, but it is not as intense.
It's possible. People have done much worse. My cellmate in county was kicking 200mg of methadone and the guards could give a shit less.
it's all with how done you are with this cycle of bullshit we call opiate addiction.
I'm still in its grasps as well.
The only thing I think with subs, like he stated, is the long half life. It feels like it will never end, but it does. I just found that the lack of energy and depression from subs was much worse and much longer, but it is not as intense.
It's possible. People have done much worse. My cellmate in county was kicking 200mg of methadone and the guards could give a shit less.
it's all with how done you are with this cycle of bullshit we call opiate addiction.
I'm still in its grasps as well.