On MAT (methadone/sub) for 10 years..jumping off

[Stefanierose88]

Hey there. I am 29yrs old and I started my dope habit at 14. I got on methadone at 19, then suboxone at 21. I almost got off suboxone a few years ago but slipped up on crack (after 5 years clean) and quickly went back on. I have 4 small children and I'm married and in school for nursing. I'm very busy, but desperate to get off suboxone. I was on 14mg after my son was born 10 months ago, I'm down to 2mg. I feel crappy. Muscle pain and irritability. I no longer feel good on ANY dose. I am always sick in the morning and night. I am done with it. I want off. Problem is that life doesn't stop. My mom and husband can give me 2 weeks starting next Monday to detox. Is that enough time for the severe stuff? I will stop taking it 72 hours before their help. I start school again in September and I have to care for my children. I fully expect to feel like shit and have mood swings, but I hope I can function after 2 weeks. It is difficult to find stories from people who got off after several years or more of sub use. My body has been on opiates every single day for 10 years and the majority of the time for 6 years before then. I know this will be extremely hard, but can I power thru after 2 weeks? Also, any advice for the emotional difficulties? I am concerned about depression and mania. Thanks.

 

[mrsnowygrainius]

why get off the subs at all? I've been on it for years myself and i could never imagine getting off it as it is saving my life... what do you mean when you say "i no longer feel good on any dose"? If i were you i would say on the 2mgs for at least a few more weeks then if you really still want off, slowly start to ween down from the 2mgs but like i said you should try to stabilize on the 2mgs for a little while.

2 weeks to feel normal again after years of suboxone maintenance? I'm sorry but thats just not going to happen lol, sure you may feel a bit "better" after 2 weeks with nothing, however you won't feel "normal" for many many months. For suboxone you won't be hit with the hard withdrawals until about day 5 or 6, so thats 1 week right there and the detox will have just started...Be prepared for the crippling depression that comes after the initial detox, be prepared for the overwhelming cravings to get high- I'm sure you get some cravings now but they are manageable due to the subs. Once you are off completely... there will be nothing keeping those cravings under control...

I'm just trying to help you out and make sure you prepare for the worst because it will be very difficult. Good luck to you I'm here on BL every morning!

 

[simco]

Hi, Stephanie. One thing leapt out at me in your original post...you've tapered from 10mg to 2mg in 10 months. That's a pretty aggressive taper, so it's not surprising to me that you feel awful. But you mentioned (as mrsnowygranius commented on) that you feel bad on any dose at this point...just out of curiosity, have you tried a larger dose for several days in a row recently? I wonder if that might not bring you some relief.

But anyhow, to your question.

Given the length of time you've been on opioids and/or MAT, mrsnowygranius is right that it's going to be rough coming off the subs at this point. Personally, though, I think you may have a slightly easier time than snowy foresees. I mention that because it sounds like you've tapered to a place where you're already straddling detox...it'll be worse once you jump off, but I think you're already experiencing some of the discomfort you need to get through. So I suspect the lag time between jumping off and getting into the thick of the detox will happen quickly. And hopefully, your body is already trying to recalibrate to life after opioids due to the taper, which may also abbreviate the detox a bit.

Everyone (and every kick) is so individual, it's really hard to forecast how a detox will go down. But I think you have reason to hope that after two weeks you'll feel good enough to carry on with daily living.

With that said, I'll reiterate snowy' caution: the depression and cravings are likely to be intense. Putting together a good game plan before you get to that place is really important. It's likely to get pretty rough; please be careful.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Check this thread out OP. Slightly different situation, but the way this BLer is going about getting off ORT is pretty stellar (I mean, it's a great example of someone who's doing it successfully). When I am sitting down at my computer I'll type out a proper response to your questions though. In the meantime:

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads...ne-transfer-way-any-advice-is-highly-valuable!

 

[CfZrx]

You'll be too exhausted to do anything too dangerous with that kind of low grade opiate withdrawal mania Try to write some intense lyrics.

 

[Stefanierose88]

I have many reasons for wanting to get off. Some of it is physical, and then there is the stress of seeing the doctor every month, insurance and money issues, etc. When I was 19 I went cold turkey off risperdal, I was told by everyone that I'd fail and I needed it for life (yes, some people do) but I just *knew* I didn't need it.
Simco is right that I've been in withdrawal already basically for 10 months. I've been sick every single damn day. Obviously, I'm not too sick to function. .but the muscle aches and insomnia and irritation is my norm. I am ready to be done for good.
I am concerned about the cravings. I'm taking that criticism seriously. I have a good support system with my husband, mother, extended family. I can say that if I feel like I will use, I'd go back on it for life. I won't risk my life. So many people are dying out there from dope, it seems stronger than it was when I was out there years ago. My close friends sponsor died after getting off sub because she relapsed, so I will be extremely careful. Addiction can be so scary, but I feel that after 8 years of being 99% clean (other than 2 days of using cracking 3 years ago) I am in a place where I can control myself.
I expect PAWS to last for about a year honestly, and some symptoms maybe even longer. I just need to be able to function! I plan on a very good diet, lots of coconut water and tea, exercise.
I am very thankful for the responses everyone.

 

[Scoobb]

Hello, I just wanted to say I was addicted to all kinds of opiates for a long long time. I tried the bupe and went out and had a drink and thought i was going to die, so anyway I was done with the bupe and back on opiates. Then I had a guy that talked me in to going to the methadone clinic, and after years of going there, it was literally like liquid handcuffs.

Honestly I just got so sick and tired of going there, my regular methadone dose was at 150 and at first i could go down 10mg or so. You really have to listen to your body, i went down somewhat slow still sucked a lot. Once i got down to 20mg i had to slow it down, so i would have like 18mg for three days, then 16, etc...

I'm not going to say it was fun, but I feel so much better being off that shit.

Actually on all that methadone i gained so much weight, Also had brain cancer at the time.

I guess I'm just rambling because I cannot sleep, i'm just saying listen to your body.

I was actually just so down on myself being addicted to this stuff

 

[twang]

If there's no supply issue my advice would be to wait until you stabilize at 2mg, and just keep tapering. ask your doctor for the 2mg strips as they are the easiest to accurately cut into smaller pieces. I would cut them into 8 equal pieces so each piece is .25mg. Once you feel ok on 2mg/day, take it down to 1.75mg, stay on that for 2 weeks, then take it down to 1.5mg, and so on. Once you're down to 1mg take it a little slower if you feel like you need to. Go all the way down to .25mg per day, once you're comfortable at .25mg/day, start skipping a day, or instead of taking it once every 24 hours, take it once every 36 hours, then 48hrs, then 50hrs, and so on. And actually, you could even cut those .25mg pieces in half to make them .125mg if you feel like you need to.

I know exactly how you feel about just wanting to be done, but can't because real life doesn't stop just so you can get off your meds.
If you can get access to the 2mg strips it makes it very convenient to taper your way down, but you can still do the same thing with the pills, it's just a little harder and you can't be quite as accurate when you get down to fractions of a milligram, but it can be done.
If you slowly taper with subs it can be relatively painless so as not to affect the demands of everyday life stuff. This is from experience btw, not just an educated guess.

Obviously doctors think patients getting off suboxone should be able to go from 2mg to nothing at all, otherwise why not make a smaller dose? It's absolutely ridiculous because 2mg of suboxone is still a huge dose of opiates to the average person with no tolerance. If you're dead set on just getting off them, then by all means go for it if you have the will power and time to do so. theres really no reason to do that though when you could do it much more comfortably with a taper like I mentioned above