Detox from heroine using suboxone, what to expect?

[Micahtheother]

So I am detoxing from heroine using suboxone sublingual strips.
Some history: I never had substance abuse problems before and I am 35 female, in ok health. Had a couple of bad traumatic things happen (divorce, death of a parent) and it caught up with me. I have started eight months ago snorting the TINIEST amounts of heroin 3-5 times a week. Like, a dot the size of a pin head would be enough. It progressed until I am snorting about $40 worth of not very pure heroin every day. I thought it was a small enough habit that I could cold turkey, I tried that a few time and the withdrawal symptoms were so unbearable I failed. I want very badly to be clean, am in therapy for support and to prevent relapse once I do quit. I have access to suboxone. So two days ago I started by just washing my junk down the sink. I waited until my withdrawal symptoms were unbearable (and this point I always fell off the wagon but I had washed my junk down the sink for that purpose!) so I took 4 milligrams of suboxone, and am feeling very ok, not fully healthy, but not in agonizing withdrawal. Today is day two and I woke up after ten hours sleep! Feeling jittery and a little ill, took two milligrams and feel again, very ok. Not well, but not miserable at all!!
So.... My plan is
Tomorrow (day 3 detox) 1 milligram
Next day (day 4) .5 milligram
Next day (day 5) .5 milligram
Next day ?

I don't really know how to taper? I have zero craving or desire to get high as of now, and am not too sick. I want to taper as fast as I can so I am not on suboxone at all, but if I have severe withdrawal (body pain, jittery, restless legs) too hard I am afraid I will relapse. I have access to: Ativan, flexeril, ambien. I don't really want to try use anything else except over the counter (andnimmodium out of the question because it cause me too much trouble, um, going). Does anyone have any jumping off or tapering advice? Thank you for taking the time to read!

 

[thelung]

here is the suboxone mega thread http://bluelight.org/vb/threads/733002-Suboxone-Buprenorphine-Mega-Thread-v-19

 

[Phil.McKeer]

Micah, your plan seems good to me. normally I would only recommend CT for small habits, but it sounds like you tried that and it was too unbearable.

I like your minimalist approach to the buprenorphine and it is what I often recommend. A rapid taper utilizing as little buprwnorphine as possible is the way to go for most.

You might want to taper further to 0.25mg/day for a couple days before jumping off.

Let us know how it goes! Also, gabapentin, pregabalin and clonidine are excellent non-psychoactive, non-habit forming adjuncts to look into.

Edit: I forgot you mentioned you had ativan + flexeril. I don't have much experience using those for detox, but I remember having flexeril before and it made me VERY lethargic. Just throwing that out there so you know what to expect. It should help withsleep if you find insomnia rearing iits ugly head...

 

[thelung]

... Also, gabapentin, pregabalin and clonidine are excellent non-psychoactive, non-habit forming adjuncts to look into.

Pregabalin is absolutely habit forming . its a controlled substance: Schedule V in the US.

 

[Phil.McKeer]

Pregabalin is absolutely habit forming . its a controlled substance: Schedule V in the US.

Oops, I stand corrected, my apologies. I was under the assumption that because pregabalin is so similar in structure to gabapentin, it is non-habit forming and nearly impossible to OD on. I guess that was a bad assumption XD

OP, please disregard what I said about pregabalin.

Lung, am I correct that gabapentin is non-habit forming and non-toxic (in terms of OD danger)?

 

[w0w0mg]

OP I know the feeling I am currently doing a suboxone taper from IV heroin..The suboxone has helped me alot with most of my WD symptoms - I still have anxiety (which could be due to benzo WD which I am taking small amounts of xanax to taper off of that too)and over all tiredness, lethargic feelings and just feeling crappy.I started with 2MG of suboxone this morning and I felt like it was not really working too well so I just took another 1MG.Tomorrow I will drop to 1MG and if needed take an additional 0.5MG and then drop lower the next day and so on.It's hard getting off heroin from my own personal experience and you get so much support here so do not give up hope my friend.Nobody here judges you and that's why I love Bluelight.Just keep on doing what you're doing. You're not going to feel 100% but it will help you ALOT I promise.It's soooooo worth it in the end.Much love to you.

 

[thelung]

Oops, I stand corrected, my apologies. I was under the assumption that because pregabalin is so similar in structure to gabapentin, it is non-habit forming and nearly impossible to OD on. I guess that was a bad assumption XD

OP, please disregard what I said about pregabalin.

Lung, am I correct that gabapentin is non-habit forming and non-toxic (in terms of OD danger)?

Gabapentin is non-narcotic , but I've seen plenty of people develop addictions to it. its pretty much a safe way to go for heroin w/d though. sorry if I came off as a snob, I didn't mean to

 

[JohnW86]

I recently withdrew from Heroine for 36 hours I had a bad habit, was still withdrawing and used today about 10 am. am I going to have to start my withdrawals over again if I just used this one day? Please help.

 

[JoeJunky]

Going from 4mg to 1mg the next day is quite a leap for someone dependent. As long as you keep decreasing you're making progress and it's up to you when to jump.

I know people do rapid taper but for me going from 12mg of sub to 2mg was easy, 2mg to .25mg was difficult.

Jumping off .25mg was mild WD and relatively easy, it still sucks, just not intense. I could have gone to work being mildly sick.

I also jumped off at 2mg, but I was really glad I had a week off from work. Moderate WD, no energy.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I recently withdrew from Heroine for 36 hours I had a bad habit, was still withdrawing and used today about 10 am. am I going to have to start my withdrawals over again if I just used this one day? Please help.

No, it won't be like starting from day 1. It will prolong the acute withdrawal (instead of lasting a week, it may last, say, ten days), but it doesn't totally reset the clock.