sub taper. odd reaction. please read. coming out of opiates dark hole!

[gypsyanon]

Okay. So I am officially at 4mg a day. I was lethargic and tired for a few days...

However, now when I take my first dose of the day at around noon of 2mg, it gives me this boost of energy (almost like a slight opiate high)..

I am wwondering if all this time, I never needed to be up at 8mg a day in the first place.


What is causing this odd opiate high? The 4mg was definitely an easy taper from 6mg. Is this a foreshadow that my next taper to 3mg or 2mg will be easy?!

Or is this happening because I don't have as much bupe in my system, and when I take my 2mg dose, there isn't bupe filling my receptors?!

Help!

 

[phatass]

How fast are you tapering? 2-4 weeks minimum IME between eah drop in dose 4 to 2mg was ok, to 1mg, to 0.8 to 0.6, to 0.4 to 0.2mg (temgesic, not marketed in all countries ie.US) hardest for me was 0.2mg to 0mg, now 3+weeks clean off opiaes...(took a while, but minimal disomfort...) it can be done... for the last last part i got really drunk at a party, forgot to take my dose, passed out in my bed, slept through till early morning, worst hangover, vomited, but nodesire to dose my bupe, waited till evening, still no need/desire to dose, bupe, gainedconfidence, dealt with RLS with 1 gram paracetamol... Rx meds that can help a lot towards the very end are clonidine,immodium, gabapentin and valium IMO/ partly IME... ONLY taken for the minimum amountof time possible,especially valium...

You CAN do it!!!
All the best brother!

 

[gypsyanon]

Thanks phatass.

I am a sister, not a brother but nonetheless I appreciate your story, a success at that!.congratulations! When I hear of others who have tapered and 'won the battle' it gives me even more motivation and confidence in being able to do so.

It's funny you mentioned forgetting to take your dose. I switched from 8mg to 6mg but the reason I ended up down at 4mg was because I just didn't feel like taking my last dose of the night. So then the next day I just continued to take 4mg which is where I am today, and it is day 4 or 5, I think. See, I don't pay much attention to each day passing because I feel as though that puts attention on something that I don't want to spend time worrying about. Which, for me, so far is working.

To answer your question, I do not have an exact taper schedule. I do not have dates set where I will lower my dose. I don't want to do that because I don't want to get discouraged if I reach that date but am not ready to taper down. My only goal is to not be on any one dose for longer than 3 weeks, until I get down to 1mg. At 1mg I may allow myself 4weeks so that I can fully adjust with minimal discomfort, and get really used to the lowered dose from 8mg to 1mg if that makes sense.


I have no desire to take any opiates. I don't even want to take sub anymore. However, I know I got myself into this mess, and so I am trying to give myself time to get out of it.

I'd love to talk more if youre open to it. I read alot of threads but it's hard to keep in one-on-one touch with somebody.

Anyways, regardless, thank you again! I am not sure how to get clonodine.....

 

[phatass]

You sound very ready to stop opiates and or substitutes, with little chance of relapse, congrats, you have the right state of mind for it to work... It's normal to be apprehensive about the end of the taper. IME down to 1mg was painless, to adjust each taper dose, and because i have regular 1 month RDV's i went at that rythme. Actually from 0.8 i think i went down every 2 weeks, slightly more discomfort, but no pain or anything! What country are you in? Do you have Temgesic" (buprenorphine 0.2mg?

Clonidine is Rx, and normally the doc should check your "tension" / blood pressure and a couple of oher hings, it's used in hospials and outpatient programs for opiate W/D and recognized as making he last part of the taper far easier. Neurontin (gabapentin also helps a lot from what i have read.

You sound like a very good candidate to get clean, just take your time, and look into meds to help the last two or three steps when the time comes!

Keep the positive attitude sista!!!

(sorry not much time to go ito detail atm, gotta get ready for work soon... but will follow thread, feel free to PM if you have a specific question, i will answer when i have the time!)