Just to add something because of the long half life of subuxone the withdrawals kick in after a lengthy time and unexpectedly quite horrendous and if I had to do it over again I would have definitely used it for the shortest time possible and making sure that I learn the skills to not have to rely on subuxone as a wishful thinking protective measure as it just becomes a crutch just like any other opioid. This statement is my personal opinion and my view only, my statement is not a suggestion for anyone else besides myself. Does anyone have a timeline as to how long it will take for me to get over the withdrawals and I also understand everyone is different but just wanting a rough idea. Cheers.
Hey Squid. We're all about respecting differing viewpoints here, so don't worry about that. If you want to be off Buprenorphine, our job isn't to talk you out of it, but to help you through it as painlessly as we can. I just have to say, yes, Opioids of any kind could be fairly called a cruth. But, I think we have a lot of crutches in life and we've been made to feel that Opioids are not an appropriate crutch. It's my opinion that many long-term Opioid addicts do better when maintained indefinitely, as opposed to trying to come off and re-adjust.
Some people will never make that adjustment and will go out and use and possibly die. Some people surely succeed too. It's not a gamble per se, but there is an element of setting yourself up in the best possible position. I can't speak to all of the other drugs out there. They're all so different and most of my book-learnin over the years has been focused specifically on Opioids. I do know that Opioids can be maintained indefinitely without an notable ill-effects in the majority of the population. Of course, psychological changes will occur, but there is a difference between being insane and being high.
Anyway, I'm done with the preaching. We have your back whateve decision you make. I just don't want you to see life and Opioids as incompatible, because it doesn't necessarily have to be that way.
The withdrawal from long-acting Opioids like Buprenorphine (Suboxone) and Methadone can be rough due to the duration. You can expect about two weeks of serious bullshit, followed by two weeks of gradual recovery, followed by 2-3 months of anhedonia, anxiety, insomnia etc but in a much milder form than acute withdrawal. Just fyi the term for the protracted withdrawal following acute withdrawal is Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) if you ever want to read about it.
Let me know how things go with seeking out medications. We'll help you out one way or another so don't worry.