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Bupe Quitting Butrans Patches + Fentanyl

Ohayou

Ohayou

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
399
Location
Toyama, Japan
Hello, I'm new here so please excuse any minor posting violations...

Anyway, I've been on buprenorphine maintenance for almost 4 years. For 3 years I have been on 16mg/24hrs Suboxone tabs then gradually weened down to 1mg/24hrs. I was then put on the new sublingual 2mg/0.5mg sublingual strips which I cut in half and took once daily.

I finally was put on the new Butrans 10mcg/hr transdermal patches, reason being because a friend of mine said quitting from the patches was much easier (but so incredibly expensive) so my doc agreed. I really want to get off bupe so (and I know this sounds awful) I can get high on opioids once more.

As most of you might know, buprenorphine's profoundly high binding affinity for opioid receptors will block any other opiate you may take, except for perhaps sufentanyl, an opioid that can potentially defeat bupe.

Before switching to the patches (was still on the strips), I tried relapsing with a 1200mcg fentanyl lozenge 48 hours after my last Suboxone dose. The fentanyl was completely blocked and only had side effects, no euphoria.

I finished off the remaining 400mcg or so of the lozenge the next day and still had no effects. I was under the impression buprenorphine could only block other opioids for 36-72 hours.

This all brings me to this point: I rapidly weened down to 1/4th of a patch per week (2.5mcg/hr, I know you shouldn't cut up the patches but I don't understand why not, it's not the gel type, it is a polymer matrix delivery system).

I had acquired another 1200mcg fent lozenge as a treat for getting through some WD. I waited 72 hours after taking the patch off and applied roughly 350mcg of fentanyl buccally. I experience very brief and minor euphoria, and it is quite possible it was simply placebo.

It did however completely alleviate the bupe withdrawal for about 6 hours. I was very disappointed so decided to try again in another 24 hours. I consumed a bit more this time, and simply got sleepy from the fentanyl...still no euphoria.

My first question is this...How long will it be before I can feel the desired effects from the fentanyl? I only have maybe 350mcg of the lozenge left and want to be sure I get a worthy high and not waste it like I did the rest of it. How long will the bupe keep blocking opioids?

I feel like I'll never be able to get high again. Keep in mind I've been on bupe daily for 4 years, and am quitting from butrans 2.5mcg/hr transdermal patches, having eaten it (yes eaten it) after taking it off. It has been 96 hours since then and fentanyl is still NOT working. What is going on? When will it work?

My last question is: has anyone quit from the Butrans bupe patches? Is it easier? Tell me about it.

Any advice and info would be helpful, I truly appreciate all the wisdom this forum offers.
 
Okay, it has been about 102 hours since my last buprenorphine dose and the WD's are getting really bad. As per usual the worst symptom is that weird RLS that gets inside your arms and legs; that strange horrible anxiety feeling, probably the worst but hardest to describe WD symptom for me. I am using the last 350mcg or so of the Fentanyl for relief. I hope it comes with euphoria but I really doubt it.

UPDATE: What a complete and utter disappointment. I felt nothing, just alleviation of WD symptoms. Why didn't fentanyl get me high? Is it tolerance from bupe? Was bupe still blocking the fentanyl, or does fentanyl just suck? Was the dose too low? I feel like nothing will ever get me high again.
 
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I've used the Butrans patches for tapering off hydrocodone. If I was running low before a refill, I'd throw on a 10mcg patch to help me stave off WDs. That always worked. The WD symptoms would be little to nothing and then when I got my Rx for 10mg Hydro refilled they'd work just fine.

From what I've read, and experienced, the low dosage of bupe in the 10mcg/hr isn't enough to sufficiently create a blockade effect against other opiates. I've taken hydro, oxy, and methadone while wearing a bupe patch and could feel them coming on.

To answer one of your questions directly though; quitting the bupe patches for me was really easy. It's such a low dose that the WDs seem like nothing compared to when I've quit heroin and hydro cold turkey.

I can't help you with the fentanyl since I just got my Rx for the 50mcg patches today and haven't used them yet.

I'd say just give it time. After being off heroin for about a month I took 15mg of hydro and it floored my ass. Just shows you what have high/low tolerance can do.
 
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So you think it might be tolerance then?

Well thanks a lot for sharing it will actually very helpful, I'd love to hear what others may have experienced with Butrans.
 
Yeah, I think it's tolerance related, plus you're mixing and matching a lot of different things. If you can, take some time off and start fresh and clean. That's always worked for me.

The added bonus is that it gives you a little time to reflect and see what it's like being clean and then deciding what you want to do. For me, I'm glad to be off pills, needles, and the pipe and be on a patch. It makes me feel like less of a junkie and more like a legitimate patient that has chronic pain. It's nice to be honest with my doc and not having to take all the risk of going out to score dope and worry about getting bunk shit or arrested.

I wish you luck and hopefully you kind figure out what opiates you want, and use them safely.
 
Thanks you've been extremely helpful, now I just have to finish this buprenorphine WD. It's not nearly as bad as coming off of the Suboxone tabs or sublingual strips was though.
 
There's no way a dose of 1 mg or less could block ime. Even at four mg I can still get high off of a three bag shot. I really don't know why you're not getting high, though in my opinion fentanyl is not the most euphoric opioid compared to oxymoron one or heroin
 
The Bupe has naloxone it blocks other opiates and it can be used for ODing would recommend the pure iv shit but....
 
I was on subutex 24 mg a day for a year and a half and it would take about a week before i could fully feel some heroin. After about 3 days or so i could start feeling it and would nod out a bit after 4 or 5 days and i definitely didnt withdraw from the bupe since i was using heroin. But it does take a while for bupe to get off your receptors. Oh yeah and fentanyl does suck ass at least to me.
 
Butrans patches don't have naloxone in them. Not all buprenorphine preparations have naloxone in them.

There's no harm reduction in telling people to IV things if they're not discussing it already.
 
Okay well it probably was just my inability to acquire anything more euphoric than fentanyl...and that sounds about right for me for it taking a week to get high again after stopping, but I am on a much lower dose of bupe. It's probably because I've been on the stuff so damn long, I feel like my receptors have been permanently deformed by bupe, I certainly hope this is not the case.

I'm going to try some morphine via PPT for the first after a little more time off the bupe and see how that goes, I guess I'll try 5 pods for my first time. Why is relapsing so damn hard for me? >.<
 
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