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Bupe Ways to alleviate WD symptoms of suboxone (sp).

Jumpoff

Greenlighter
Joined
Sep 3, 2012
Messages
15
I'm typing this thread on my phone while at work so please excuse all errors.

Ok, I know it's cliche to say but I promise this thread isn't about me. I've actually never done a drug in my life but sadly I can't say the same about a lot of people close to me. Currently I have a friend who is in the midst of kicking his subs habit. He was bad on percocets for a couple years and got on subs as a result. I don't know his daily dose but I do know he tapered himself down over the past 4(?) weeks. I'm just looking for some suggestions to help him get through this tough time. I've read a lot on these forums so I know so far to suggest multivitamins, hot showers, ibuprofen, and working out. Some other things I don't really know about like chamomile tea? and DXM? I was hoping more for some things you guys think I should suggest for his specific case. I can get any info from him you'll need if more info is needed. So far he isn't sleeping or eating, which can't be a good thing.

Also any suggestions on time tables for his recovery and such. And help at all is really appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Benzos can be a godsend for sleep. If he hasnt used them before he'd be better off only buying 1 or 2 strips. And 2mg before bed should help him sleep easily. Great caution is needed with these though, they are highly addictive in their own right, and should not be taken on a daily basis for more than a week or so. 2 absolute max or he'll end up replacing 1 addiction with another.

There are also a few first generation anti-histamines that are great sleep aids.
 
Without knowing how long he's been on suboxone and what doses he was taking, especially what dose he hopped off on... it's going to be hard to give you a more specific answer. But just in general, benzos are really the best thing (provided you don't turn that into your new problem) for dealing with opiate/bupe withdrawal. The thing with kicking suboxone, is that depending on how long you were on it, the withdrawals could last for quite a while.. much longer, especially the post acute symptoms, than something like heroin.

Give us some more info on his specific use of suboxone if you want a more uniquely tailored answer to his specific situation, because depending on his use... it's going to make a big difference in the outcome of his kick and its severity.
 
Thank you for the responses so far.

He said was on 8 mg per day for about two years. He tapered down over the course of four weeks. I'm guessing a two year sub habit is quite long so I'm sure his symptoms will be severe. He doesn't want any type of habit forming drug so benzos are out. I recommended Zzzquil but I obviously have no clue.
 
Loperamide. is the only thing that will give relief if benzos arent an option. And a four week taper is far to short its gonna be a rough month for your friend.
 
If he doesn't want benzos.. then all he's left with is OTC drugs which don't really do much if you're in severe withdrawal... Hopefully it wont be that bad for him.. but it'll be quite uncomfortable for weeks with lasting side effects for months.

IBprofen or naproxen for the joint aches.
Loperamide for stomach issues.
Benydral to help him sleep.

But he's still going to be in a lot of discomfort. Hope he really wants it.. because kicking bupe after being on it that long is a real bitch and causes many people to fully relapse on their original drug of choice. Happened to me.
 
Ok. Thanks a lot for the responses. Ill pass it along. I'm hoping he's able to get through this. We all know that tough people last, tough times don't. Some make it off their ass and some just wont.
 
Benzos can be a godsend for sleep. If he hasnt used them before he'd be better off only buying 1 or 2 strips. And 2mg before bed should help him sleep easily. Great caution is needed with these though, they are highly addictive in their own right, and should not be taken on a daily basis for more than a week or so. 2 absolute max or he'll end up replacing 1 addiction with another.

There are also a few first generation anti-histamines that are great sleep aids.

I have to disagree with you on the benzos. there are many sleep aids that aren't as addictive, I don't think this person needs to throw a whole new equally as addictive drug into the mix if he's trying to get off one. people say "benzos for sleep" without batting an eye, but what happens when paws last longer than expected and he takes benzos to help how sleep because he was advised to do so. I've been through both opiate and benzo withdrawl and I will never take a benzo again after the help I went through.

your friend should stick to non "narcotic" (i use quotes since as we all now benzos aren't narcotics) sleep aids
 
benzos xanax specifically makes me feel a quite a bit better when i'm in withdrawals from opiates only for the first week when it's the worst of the withdrawals
 
Seroquel was a real life saver for me after my latest detox. I had a seizure on day 8, mainly due to insomnia and a sky rocketing blood pressure. No other sleep meds had worked on me, so when they realized how imperative it was to put me down at night, at least for a few hours.. they switched me to 100-200mg's of seroquel instant release. It worked. And like Z said, it doesn't have the danger of being a benzo. If you're friend can get it, it really helps with the sleep thing.. at least it did for me and I was kicking a 4 bundle a day 12 month H habit.. At lower doses, seroquel has even been known to directly aid with overall withdrawal symptoms. You just need a bigger dose if you want to use it for sleep also. It's not 100% safe and addictive free... but it's light years better than any benzos as far as potential for abuse and dependency.
 
My suggestions for coming off Suboxone: Definitely find some Lyrica (pregabalin) or Neurontin (gabapentin), will help with anxiety, aches/pain, restless legs, overall a broad spectrum of symptoms, Benadryl (diphenhydramine) for nausea and/or sleep, loperamide, Aleve (naproxen sodium) works wonders for aches, stay hydrated at all times, eat healthy as possible and include a good amount of protein, and try taking some vitamins (magnesium, vitamin B complex, l-tyrosine, and vitamin C & E)
 
My suggestions for coming off Suboxone: Definitely find some Lyrica (pregabalin) or Neurontin (gabapentin), will help with anxiety, aches/pain, restless legs, overall a broad spectrum of symptoms,

I second this. These two medications are so helpful and should be pretty easy to get prescribed. The downside is that they are addictive too. Not that much as Benzos and very variable between different individuals but nevertheless.

And the standard: Physical education! Sport really helps even if it is hard to get started.
 
i am jumping off 4mg subutex (tapered down from 12mg) which should cause a pretty nasty wd. i am on lofexidine which has blocked all of the withdrawals. i am on day 4 ct and the only symptom i have is fatigue, which is mild. i don't know if you can get it in the states but if you can i would highly recommend giving it a go.
 
Seroquel was a real life saver for me after my latest detox. I had a seizure on day 8, mainly due to insomnia and a sky rocketing blood pressure. No other sleep meds had worked on me, so when they realized how imperative it was to put me down at night, at least for a few hours.. they switched me to 100-200mg's of seroquel instant release. It worked. And like Z said, it doesn't have the danger of being a benzo. If you're friend can get it, it really helps with the sleep thing.. at least it did for me and I was kicking a 4 bundle a day 12 month H habit.. At lower doses, seroquel has even been known to directly aid with overall withdrawal symptoms. You just need a bigger dose if you want to use it for sleep also. It's not 100% safe and addictive free... but it's light years better than any benzos as far as potential for abuse and dependency.

SEROQUEL! I had not one issue sleeping during my last detox, which is bizarr for me. It can make you hungry too. And yeh, not addictive!!!! You can get some rebound insomnia if u take it long enough and stop it. I was only on 25mg
 
As said Lyrica is good but also addictive. And if not want benzos or other physically addictive then what comes to my mind would be DXM. I suggest you to read my experimentals with DXM on my blog. I have also written my experiences with it here but they are mainly with DXM&benzo withdrawals but this last is DXM effect on tramadol withdrawals. Not nearly as strong as suboxone I know but maybe worth of trying!

For restless legs and anhedonia I've found that sometimes L-DOPA helps quite a lot and I can continue my sleeping. I have pure powder but there is ex. Now L-Dopa from mucuna pruriens. It's good also. Definately worth of trying. Sometimes it seems to make even euphoric feeling if taken enough! (ex. 200-400mg of pure L-DOPA). Especially when I consume that L-DOPA with strong (pure) cocoa powder of about 4-5 teaspoons (which contains MAO-B inhibitors etc.) it seems to work.

Edit: Oh, I wouldn't recommend that L-DOPA and cocoa in acute phase if blood pressure is skyhigh and there is severe insomnia. No. I meant it would be good for phase when the physical vitals are ok but there is mainly mental symptoms and some insomnia left. Altough cocoa have been found in studies to be very healthy by relaxing blood vessels and thus lowering blood pressure.

Seroquel was a real life saver for me after my latest detox. I had a seizure on day 8, mainly due to insomnia and a sky rocketing blood pressure. No other sleep meds had worked on me, so when they realized how imperative it was to put me down at night, at least for a few hours..

Did you have any other meds than seroquel? They gave it to you even you had just seized? Sounds strange especially if they didn't give you any benzo with it.

SEROQUEL! I had not one issue sleeping during my last detox, which is bizarr for me. It can make you hungry too. And yeh, not addictive!!!! You can get some rebound insomnia if u take it long enough and stop it. I was only on 25mg

Yeah, definately rebound insomnia at least. I think it might have been one reason for my psychosis during benzo withdrawal. It had been a week when I didn't sleep or did sleep some night about two hours so I tried that quetiapine and it didn't help me to get sleep (took 125mg over the night) instead it just made restless legs/akathisia and made me fear more of seizure (it can cause seizures). So by the next night I was getting rebound dopamine from that quetiapine + benzo withdrawals which might have together lead to that psychosis.

Just saying that it definately has some rebound effects and might cause addiction to sensitive people. That rebound isn't necessarily a good thing, according to wikipedia:

"Withdrawal symptoms reported to occur after discontinuation of antipsychotics include nausea, emesis, lightheadedness, diaphoresis, dyskinesia, orthostatic hypotension, tachycardia, nervousness, dizziness, headache, excessive non-stop crying, and anxiety.[31][32] These withdrawal symptoms may be caused by irregularities in oxytocin levels. Some have argued that additional somatic and psychiatric symptoms associated with dopaminergic super-sensitivity, including dyskinesia and acute psychosis, are common features of withdrawal in individuals treated with neuroleptics"

"This has led some to suggest that the withdrawal process might itself be psychosis-mimetic, producing psychotic-like symptoms even in previously healthy patients, indicating a possible pharmacological origin of mental illness in a yet unknown percentage of patients currently and previously treated with antipsychotics. This question is unresolved, and remains a highly controversial issue among professionals in the medical and mental health communities, as well the public"
 
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