Almost there! Need opinions and some advice.

[PerfectoPLease]

Okay, so heres the deal.

Ill start with a little background. Im 24, been doin opiates since I was around 17, starting with hydrocodone and moving to recreational methadone. I stopped that for a while, went back on the hydro, then oxy, for about 2 more years. At 22 I relocated to a new city and was clean for a year. Then I found a heroin connect.

My hydro dose was always around 50-60mg at a time b/c that was all the apap I could stand. That habit was pretty benign. The oxy was another story, I had easy access and due to a certain set of circumstances it was pretty cheap. I would usually start my day with an 80, work a shift like a fucking BEAST (im a cook, I work great on opiates) then end the day with either a couple 30's or another 80. The withdrawls I got then got pretty bad, but when I moved away I took some 10/350 norcos with me and weaned myself.

My current habit has been about a year, with daily use since about Thanksgiving. I dont know how bad the withdrawls would get, never went more than a day, and by the end of 24 hrs dry I was always pretty miserable. Anyway, thigs have been going good, and while my habit is not yet causing any personal drama, its wreaking hell on my wallet. I no longer hustle, so It all comes out of my pocket. A bag will get me high and keep me straight for a day (20 of mexican powder) and a half g of tar keeps me okay for two days. The bags felt almost equal in potency to an 80 (dont know if that helps anyone out).

My last bit of H was sunday night, stayed dry monday and when I felt dog ass sick I ate 2mg of Suboxone. Ive been on 2mg a day since then. I dont feel it but I dont feel any withdrawl at all. I feel great, doing good at work even without opiates, no depression/sweats/shits, NOTHING. Its really like a miracle. So heres the questions. How long should I stay on the suboxone? I know how it works, but not all the ins and outs of it. IE, since the heroin is now out of my system if I stop the suboxone now do I just get out scot-free? Should I go down to 1 mg for a while, then a half mg? I know I cannot possibly cut my pieces quite that small and be exact, but I think I can get it pretty close.

So yeah, I know thats not that bad of a habit at all, I hope no one thinks Im being a whiney bitch with my little 2 bag a day sniffed habit, Im aware that there are much much worse stories out there. None the less any advice would be greatly appreciated. Especially on the subject of how Ill feel after the suboxone is out of my system. Also, out of curiosity, any one out there use opiates responsibly? Id love to, I just dont know if I ever can, theyre so wonderful, but such an easy trap.

 

[Alex000]

You have been doing opiates for about 7 years, that is a long time to be doing them, and you started at a fairly young age. I might consider if I were you maintaining on Suboxone. You obviously feel well on it, and are experiencing no wd's, but you say "you don't feel it". I might suggest just thinking about Suboxone maintenance. If you feel you cannot deal without opioids (buprenorphine in Suboxone is an opioid), this might be in your best interest. If you feel like you CAN deal without opioids, a taper of the Suboxone might be in your best interest, however, there will be wd's, make no mistakes about it. The taper itself might not reflect the discomfort of kicking Suboxone completely, because you have been taking opiates for such a long time. You do sound, though, like you can live without opioids or at least could at one point in your addiction. I wouldn't make this decision on how bad the acute wd's will be, but how you will feel with no opioids after the acute wd's stop. Of course, you could always get back on Suboxone if you feel too miserable without opioids once the acute wd's have stopped for a while.

Wd's CAN be made less uncomfortable. Benzos and z-drugs, loperamide, DXM, non-benzo GABAergic sedatives, NSAID's, anti-emetics, clonidine and other drugs can help with acute wd's as can managing them with a positive attitude. Certain practices like frequently taking hot baths for example can help, too. Hope you the best.

 

[silentcowboy]

i got into 80s also, see if you can maintain with kratom, thats what worked for me

 

[badfish45]

Alex you said it well. Suboxone treatment seems to be very effective for you. Are you able to maintain suboxone without abusing it? If so then this should work very well for you, especially because your addiction wasn't nearly as bad, despite it still being difficult of course. But with all of that aside, congratulations for deciding to get clean off of heroin. TDS will be here to back you up the whole way and feel free to come to us for any questions. I'm happy you are trying to get your life back on track. Btw, you aren't a whiny bitch Any addiction is difficult to deal with no matter the magnitude.

 

[PerfectoPLease]

Thanks guys..Havent tried to stop the subs due to some major business going on at work right now, but soon I will. I appreciate everyones advice!

 

[Missykins]

It's unclear to me what your goal is. Do you want to stop using and use Suboxone to help you realize that goal? Or are you looking for something to use to stave off withdrawal between heroin binges?

If you'd like to get clean using Suboxone, I'd recommend that you do so under a doctor's supervision: go www.suboxone.com to find a physician who can prescribe it.