Ok after thinking hard for a few days I decided it's time to get off the subs for good my back story is dilaudid first prescribed but later obtained on the street, I have a legitimate issue that needs surgery and due to insurance issues that was not possible BUT after the first I will have the ability to get the surgery I need and I really don't want to start out with a surgeon who only sees ADDICT on my forehead so here's the problem I need to get off them NOW I have like 75 or so 8mg strips and pills but my dosing is all over the place I use very small amounts like a 1 mg piece like 2 or sometimes three times a day ( I was prescribed 16 mg a day) so like 3mg a day max but I cut way down because my insurance wanted a prior auth and in 5 weeks I can get an endless supply so I figured I would wait it out but now that I have this new insurance I want to start fresh sooooo can anyone help me get a taper plan or is there even a way to come off 3mg in 5 weeks,? I've lurked for years but I really can't find anything I can understand I feel crappy because of all the horror stories I'm so scared I won't have enough
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BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic
Need to get off suboxone
- Thread starter Shelly320
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I'm going to be real with you here. There's no way to predict what kind of Anesthesiologist/Surgeon team you're going to encounter. Perhaps you'll win the lottery and encounter a team of doctors well versed in the pain management practices of Opioid-dependent patients. The problem? This isn't going to happen. You're going to encounter an regular team, almost completely unversed in the practice.
You will inevitably get the "Well, I gave him enough Remifentanyl to sedate a horse, he must be alright" thing. I just recently had a pretty invasive surgery of my maxillary sinus. I ended up with an infection from the first, so they had to reoperate. They dug in their, took out a plate, did some tunneling to make my sinuses drain properly and I woke up in severe pain. I was on 50mg Methadone at the time. Normally, when I wake up from surgery (I've had 18 in my life), I'm kind of floaty and silly, but in a little pain. This, was like literally falling as hard as possible on my face onto concrete and immediately standing up and feeling the pain, no exaggeration. When I told them that I was in severe pain, they gave me 50mg Methadone (my daily dose) and boy did they think I owed them for that one.
I really don't like scaring people, but surgery is not for people on Opioid maintenance. Doctors in general are not understanding of addiction and when you are in the situation of surgery, they are in complete contol of you. Your pain is controlled when their numbers line up with statistics like your height and weight, but maybe with a couple of booster shots, which you will not feel and when they give you those shots, they "are totally helping you out in their opinion, while they're totally oblivious to the reality and perceive any mention of pain as a symptom of addiction.
Reduce the Buprenorphine however you can. It is unlike other Opioids in that you can get by with proportionately smaller amounts. Less is more with Buprenorphine. I would really recommend being off of it for at least a week before going under. 2 weeks would be better and by that point, don't say shit to anesthesiology about shit. The Bupe is out of your system, won't effect your sedation and is none of their business.
You will inevitably get the "Well, I gave him enough Remifentanyl to sedate a horse, he must be alright" thing. I just recently had a pretty invasive surgery of my maxillary sinus. I ended up with an infection from the first, so they had to reoperate. They dug in their, took out a plate, did some tunneling to make my sinuses drain properly and I woke up in severe pain. I was on 50mg Methadone at the time. Normally, when I wake up from surgery (I've had 18 in my life), I'm kind of floaty and silly, but in a little pain. This, was like literally falling as hard as possible on my face onto concrete and immediately standing up and feeling the pain, no exaggeration. When I told them that I was in severe pain, they gave me 50mg Methadone (my daily dose) and boy did they think I owed them for that one.
I really don't like scaring people, but surgery is not for people on Opioid maintenance. Doctors in general are not understanding of addiction and when you are in the situation of surgery, they are in complete contol of you. Your pain is controlled when their numbers line up with statistics like your height and weight, but maybe with a couple of booster shots, which you will not feel and when they give you those shots, they "are totally helping you out in their opinion, while they're totally oblivious to the reality and perceive any mention of pain as a symptom of addiction.
Reduce the Buprenorphine however you can. It is unlike other Opioids in that you can get by with proportionately smaller amounts. Less is more with Buprenorphine. I would really recommend being off of it for at least a week before going under. 2 weeks would be better and by that point, don't say shit to anesthesiology about shit. The Bupe is out of your system, won't effect your sedation and is none of their business.
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Shelly, I would recommend experimenting with dosages. You're kind of lucky in that way with Buprenorphine. For myself, with Methadone, all adjustments must be previously approved. Maybe just see how low you can go. As I said in my previous post, Buprenorphine is kind of an odd drug in terms of its "non-linear" or disproportionate range of effects in regard to dosage. In short, you can manage withdrawal with a rather low dose of Buprenorphine. Methadone on the other hand, for most, if you decrease dosage by even a small amount, it's typically perceptible.
How fast you can get off is totally in your hands. It's a matter of how bad you want it, so when you ask "How fast can I get off", you should really be directing that question at yourself. Opioid withdrawal is not a lethal process and doesn't require any sort of medical attention, save for very severe cases of dehydration. You could stop completely today if you wanted. Use what I told you about the surgery for motivation.
There's no way for us to tell you how fast to go or how you will react to any given taper regimen. Everyone's unique, subjective experiences makes this completely impossible. There are folks that come off of 20mg Oxycodone per day who post thinking that they are on death's door due to the severity of their withdrawals. On the flip side, there are folks, maybe with more experience like myself, who woke up today to the amazing sounds and feelings of intense peristalsis and stomach cramps, took a full liquid shit, dry wretched for a few seconds, went downstairs, made coffee and checked Bluelight. This is coming off of 120mg Methadone, so, you can see how widely experiences vary.
How fast you can get off is totally in your hands. It's a matter of how bad you want it, so when you ask "How fast can I get off", you should really be directing that question at yourself. Opioid withdrawal is not a lethal process and doesn't require any sort of medical attention, save for very severe cases of dehydration. You could stop completely today if you wanted. Use what I told you about the surgery for motivation.
There's no way for us to tell you how fast to go or how you will react to any given taper regimen. Everyone's unique, subjective experiences makes this completely impossible. There are folks that come off of 20mg Oxycodone per day who post thinking that they are on death's door due to the severity of their withdrawals. On the flip side, there are folks, maybe with more experience like myself, who woke up today to the amazing sounds and feelings of intense peristalsis and stomach cramps, took a full liquid shit, dry wretched for a few seconds, went downstairs, made coffee and checked Bluelight. This is coming off of 120mg Methadone, so, you can see how widely experiences vary.
Hey Shelly! I went cold turkey off subs over a month ago. I was taking anywhere from 4-10 mg a day for over 3 yrs. It wasn't easy but it was totally doable for me. I kept my same routine and was able to function.
There are so many horror stories out there. I know that wds are different for everyone but in my experience coming off subs was so much easier than any other opiate I have withdrawn from esp methadone (so props to Keif who posted above me!) Tapering is awesome-I just always gave in at the slightest discomfort and re-upped my dosage so it didn't work for me. With your stash and a strong mindset, you should be able to taper with no problem. It won't be painless, but just keep reminding yourself why you are doing it. It will be great to have a clean slate with your new doctor.
Just remember that not everyone has a terrible withdrawal. I think being positive mentally really helps with the physical issues. Good luck!
There are so many horror stories out there. I know that wds are different for everyone but in my experience coming off subs was so much easier than any other opiate I have withdrawn from esp methadone (so props to Keif who posted above me!) Tapering is awesome-I just always gave in at the slightest discomfort and re-upped my dosage so it didn't work for me. With your stash and a strong mindset, you should be able to taper with no problem. It won't be painless, but just keep reminding yourself why you are doing it. It will be great to have a clean slate with your new doctor.
Just remember that not everyone has a terrible withdrawal. I think being positive mentally really helps with the physical issues. Good luck!
Phil.McKeer
Bluelighter
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I've always been able to taper down to 1mg twice a day very quickly, and then spent a lot of time at 0.5 and 0.25mg's/day. But I know I could have tapered down even faster and came off completely much sooner than I did. I came off of 0.25mg's/day (for about 11 months) and it was WAY easier than I was expecting. Granted, I barely slept for a week and I still get chills and sneeze fits, but it was not even close to as painful as kicking H.
Remember, the elimination half-life of bupe is long. Your dose from yesterday is largely still active. You can safely cut your dose in half for one day and see how it feels. Not saying that's the way to go, but you have to get your bearings.
Remember, the elimination half-life of bupe is long. Your dose from yesterday is largely still active. You can safely cut your dose in half for one day and see how it feels. Not saying that's the way to go, but you have to get your bearings.
Well turns out my insurance gave me my script ( I had the script but no way to pay for it) they approved it by some miracle!! But I still want to taper off for surgery but now I have unlimited supply ( not just 70) I really don't want to be stuck in real pain and the doctor not help me because of subs they see that.word and instantly they judge, my husband has agreed to help me with gloves he cut up the strips into 1 and .5 mg and I'm gonna start by leveling myself like I said I'm all over the place!! One things for sure smaller doses does work better!! And I'm not afraid to be a little sick I just have to function but it seems that I must not have too much built up because I actually am sick everyday! This is my routine wake up usually feeling fine so I wait ( I didn't want to rely on something first off) around 10 am I take anywhere from 1 to 2 mg that last all day and I usually get a burst of energy for a few hours then around 9 or 10 pm I take the same 1 or 2 mg but I'm usually getting sick by 6 or 7 pm but like running nose, yawning, aches but not bad that's it so here's another question is that a super low does cuz i thought that was a HUGE dose I know I'm prescribed 16 mg a day but I listen to my body and that's insane