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Bupe Subutex Withdrawal [[HELP]]

rosiebaybie

Greenlighter
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
15
My name is Rosie & I'm new here so not sure if I'm posting this in the right place or not. I've been on IV Subutex (16-20mg) daily for the past 2 years, and on & off for a year before that while I was doing other drugs (Heroin & Opanas). I recently decided that I want to come off if it (and cant afford to go to the doctor anymore). I started tapering down about a month ago & have been doing .5 - 1mg for the past couple of weeks with no problems at all. I have noticed that when i wake up in the morning I'm sneezing, hot & cold and have goosebumps as if im in w/d already, is that possible with me doing a smaller dose? I waited until 3 in the afternoon today to do my dose & broke & did the rest of what i had left so there wouldnt be any more temptation. I have a couple of xanaxes to help me with w/d & help me sleep. I'm wondering with me only doing .5-1mg a day is it possible for w/d to start within 12-24 hours (cause it sure feels like it does) and what kind of w/d can i expect? I've read around online about Subutex withdrawals but wasn't sure if tapering to the dose i did is gonna make it a less intense experience. I think the unknown of whats to come is what scares me the most and with 3 kids that i have to take care of through all of it i want to know all that i can. I don't have anyone to talk ro about this so any response will be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!
 
Hi Rosie and Welcome to BL :)

16-20mg is a fairly heavy dose so dropping to .5-1mg is going to be a bit rough but seems like you have a couple weeks in and that's great. In my opinion I would try to tough it out as best you can and even add in some mild OTC meds like Diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine to help with watery eyes / nose or similar symptoms before going back up with the Subutex. If you have Gabapentin or Lyrica a conservative dose for a short period of time can also be helpful to get you over the hump after a drop. When searching remember that Subutex and Suboxone have the same main ingredient and that Suboxone threads are more plentiful.

Best of Luck and here's some threads that might help..


https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/837784-Suboxone-taper-(After-3-months-of-maintenance)-help

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/482413-Tapering-Plan-Mega-thread-community-project

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/837561-Coming-off-Subutex-After-9-Years?highlight=subutex

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/838094-Guys-I-need-help-suboxone-withdrawal?

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/835259-Suboxone-Help!!!!-Please-help!!!!!

This one illustrates the need for tapering below 1mg..
https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/837972-Almost-50-days-no-subs-PLEASE-help-need-guidance

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/628369-Quitting-Tapering-Thread

https://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/837613-7yr-suboxone-use-tapering-off

AND the MegaThread:


http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/659693-Suboxone-Buprenorphine-Mega-Thread-and-FAQ-v15-0
 
Last edited:
Thanks for replying! Im not going back up with my dose. I'm stopping completely (today is day 1) I did my last dose yesterday morning & already feel like im in w/d.. Is that possible? Im hot/cold, goosebumps & diarrhea so far this morning. And since i did get down to .5-1mg a day (from 16-20mg a day) will it make my symptoms easier to handle?
 
If you're jumping off I'd avoid the diphenhydramine as it can worsen RLS, restless leg syndrome. Are you going to be able to continue at .5-.25 for a little while if things get worse? I'd read over the taper journals a bit as three years might be rough from 1mg.

This is a very fast taper from 3 months of use and the .25mg dose was still utilized.

day1: 4mg
day2: 2mg
day3: 2mg
day4: 2mg
day5: 1.5mg
day6: 1.5mg
day7: 1.0mg
day8: 1.0mg
day9: 1.0mg
day10: .5mg
day11: .5mg
day12: .25mg
day13: .25mg
day14: .25 mg
 
Ive got one 8mg pill left but really just want to be done with it! Im pretty sure i was doing less than 1mg but its hard to tell since i was just scraping a little powder off each day. Could i be in w/d already if i did my last dose 24 hours ago?
 
Oh yeah my taper was a lot slower than that... And i went from 16-20mg straight to 4mg with no problems at all. Then started going down .5-1mg every 7-5 days til i ran out yesterday.
 
Just saying the last few weeks at ,25 can help immensely. If you could continue to scrape off what you can estimate to the best of your ability to be .25 it might help a lot and last for a couple weeks. Bupe is very potent by weight. It's active down to .125, some think even lower but it's nearly impossible to measure. In the UK they have Temgesic and it contains 200 micrograms or .2mg per pill so it's def working at minute levels.
 
Ive been scraping off smaller amounts & gonna try to stop (or skip days) when i get "stable". But im still trying to figure out if withdrawals start sooner with lower doses. By 24 hours im hot & cold, stomach problems & sore all over. Also does getting down to lower doses actually make the withdrawals easier?
 
Lower doses or tapering doses does help. It's all about a balance of not dying but not being high. If you can keep dropping to where you can barely stand it but still function you will get through it quicker than suffering just a little for weeks doing tiny drops.

Remember to eat, hydrate, sleep if possible and get some vitamins. When you feel a little better try a small walk to burn off some of the built up anxiety and restless legs. Magnesium and B complex vits are good too.
 
I've got prenatals & b12 vitamins and also a couple xanax to help me sleep. Will those help? Also is there anything that helps the hot & cold? Thats the hardest for me to get through. Its like im frozen to my bones!
 
Also if i go a couple days with nothing then end up doing a tiny bit will it restart the withdrawal process instead of helping to get through it?
 
You won't start withdrawing with one used completely, but you'll notice it when it wears off
 
I've got prenatals & b12 vitamins and also a couple xanax to help me sleep. Will those help? Also is there anything that helps the hot & cold? Thats the hardest for me to get through. Its like im frozen to my bones!

Hi Rosie, and again welcome to Bluelight..

If you can get some clonidine (not klonopin) it will help with the hot/cold thing ..its a blood pressure med and doctors have no problems prescribing it...

Save your Xanax for when you're li teally crawling out of your skin with anxiety...

And yeah, if you're dose is very and you've come down too quick, its possible that it wont hold you for 24 hours and youll feel some withdrawl before you take your next one.
 
I thought maybe i was going crazy! Doing the dose i was prescribed id wake up in the morning feeling fine but since i got to such a low dose by the next morning i feel AWFUL! I usually wake up soaked & freezing.
 
I thought maybe i was going crazy! Doing the dose i was prescribed id wake up in the morning feeling fine but since i got to such a low dose by the next morning i feel AWFUL! I usually wake up soaked & freezing.

When I was going through opiate withdraw, first thing in the morning was always by far the worst time of the day ...I'm sure their is a physiological reason for this but I'm not exactly sure what it is....maybe someone more clues on biochemistry can chime in with the exact reason for this but I'm sure it's sonething to do with bt ain chemistry when you've just woken up.

But yeah if you canb get some clonidine it will help with that....makes you very tired thoigh
 
Pain is worse in the morning I know that... Waking up was the worst no matter what time. It's like going from no pain to FML pain
 
Getting clonidine isnt an option for me right now. I dont have insurance, and dont have the money to pay out of pocket. Is there anything over the counter to help with hot/cold flashes & RLS? That has always been the symptoms that are hardest for me. I plan on stopping completely after today.
 
Also will exercising help me get through the beginning withdrawals? I've been reading light exercise helps create the chemicals your brain is lacking & that it helps make w/d's a little easier but does that mean the initial symptoms also? (If im feeling up to it that is)
 
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