I think you got the jist of it, OP, the only thing I could offer about bupe is LESS IS MORE, my opiate tolerance is nowhere near 1 gram of heroin though, but still, I get withdrawals and have pain if I don't have a few grains of morpine or something. But what I've noticed about subs, is that everybody has a different dose needed to STOP WD's, but most people go wayyyyyyy over that, even 8mg is really a fuckton, and I think most people taking THAT MUCH SUB are just trying to get back that full Mu agonist high, and really are not recovering.
It may not be as easy to maintain a habit with a full agonist due to stingy docs, high street prices etc etc...but those folks that take more than 8mg of subs/day would, in the long run, be much better off on a SHORT-ACTING full agonist, due to the fact that about 75% of the "classic" opiates/oids have a MUCH better, well established safety profile, barring I.V. use etc..Bupe is a pretty new drug, and has only really started being Rx'd in the last 20 years or so, before subs, temgesic etc.. all they used was Buprenex, injectable, and that was at the dose of .375mg for pain in a hospital setting, and that's what I try to aim for doseage wise..
IMHO withdrawals are the EASY PART, when you have chronic pain, it's pretty fucking hard to NOT feel like i'm supposed to take opiates, I mean withdrawals are a cakewalk compared to what comes after that, so assuming you don't have severe chronic pain, it might be a better idea to do a fast taper, or even cold turkey, but nobody seems to be a fan of that last option.
But subs are not benign, they are NOT a miracle drug, they do more harm than good in the long run, despite what inscrupulous docs and desperate pill heads craving a "socially acceptable, & easily prescribable fix" if you will, may have you believe.
The fact is, the less time you spend on subs, the better you will do, but If you get a bad case of PAWS, subs would come in really handy.
HOWEVER if you're a lucky one, who can kick either CT or fast taper, and not experience prolonged cravings, or symptoms of withdrawal pretty much (like PAWS) then you have a good motherfucking chance of kicking the stuff for good, and staying clean.
I personally think subs are garbage, and that junkies should be given MS CONTIN, just because of the well established safety profile of MS...subs really aren't any safer at all despite common belief about it being hard to OD on, but that's neither here nor there.
I just spent 5 pretty damn good days on low-med dose Morphine,running out of my hydros, and TBH I think morphine makes a much better taper tool, only I blew it and doubled up yesterday, so being without today, I had no choice but to take subs, and I only took around 1mg paired with 150mg tramadol, and i'm doing OK, withdrawal free anyways, although I FELT much better on the plain MS, and performed tasks much better, good luck getting a doc to believe me right??!!!
Anyways godspeed OP, you can do it but you have to WANT to do it, really WANT TO DO It, and you've got a good shot at getting clean just remember with subs, less is more(there is no "high" to be had by taking more bupe, there may be a little buzz but it won't hold a spark to any true opiate, not even codeine or hydrocodone IMHO, so don't even waste your time and money trying, believe me I've tried ALOT to get a buzz from bupe, but TBH the less I take, the better I feel, and IT's OK TO SKIP days, if you can, and use tramadol or something in-between days if you need to...)
