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Bupe Does anyone have problems with Suboxone (side effects)?

xburtonchic

Bluelighter
Joined
May 17, 2011
Messages
1,004
I'm just wondering if I'm the only one. Maybe I should elaborate?

Like, when I first got on Suboxone it was great; I felt amazing. But maybe 4-6 months into it, I started waking up in the mornings feeling like shit. And I feel like it's just getting worse the longer I'm on it- not only do I wake up feeling horrible, it stays like that the rest of the day. I wake up with severe anxiety, I wake up in a cold sweat even though it's hot outside I'm FREEZING, my body is sore, dizzy, my head feels really cloudy and clogged (I don't know how to explain it properly?) and it feels strange to walk. Plus I have zero energy. I'm not sure how to describe it perfectly; it's not a feeling I've experienced before taking Sub. Everything just feels off and... not right. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? And if so, what do you do about it?

Oh, another thing. My body temperature is always off now. I get chills and hot flashes, chills more than anything. Even sitting out in the sun. It's weird. And I HATE being cold. I think that, and having cold sweats all the time, are the worst parts. Lastly, ever since I started Suboxone, I've had several episodes of sleep paralysis... again, not a problem I had ever experienced before. It was just one of those things I enjoyed reading about but detached myself from because it didn't apply to me. But now that I've experienced it, I completely understand where people are coming from when they say it scares the shit out of them lol.
 
Well it could be the beginning of withdrawal. Has anything changed in your life (weight, diet, meds) or with the bupe (preparation, dosage, ROA).

The other thing is what kind of dose are you on? Buprenorphine is very powerful stuff and you could drop fairly easily down to 2mg or so if you are on something higher than that which might help with the symptoms.

Finally I hate to say it but it could be unrelated to the bupe and be some other problem. In other words definitely worth seeing a doctor about so you can discuss the symptoms and even if it is related to the suboxone try switching something up.

There are a lot of megathreads regarding suboxone which would definitely be worth a read through. This topic would fit well into the purpose of the main megathread, but I think it might get lost in some of the shorter quick questions so I'll leave it alone for now. Just so you know I don't think anybody is going to be able to diagnose you over the internet and there is going to be a lot of speculation about what it might be which is generally not appropriate, however looking for people who have been on it and experienced the same thing is fine.

Good luck!
 
Bupe seems to cause pretty serious body temperature fluctuation problems, usually in w/d though as amapola mentioned. However, many of us have experienced this even while on bupe at a stable dose. I really don't see it listed as a side effect by any major source, I see lots of talk about this here on BL though.
 
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^true. i was on 16mgs for over a year and after a while it started to make me feel like complete shit all the time. i also took .1mg of clonidine x3 daily and that actually used to help make me feel better, but it also made me nod and be really zapped all day. Not to mention the GI problems with it, stopped me cold, it sucked.

i ended up going back on methadone and have never been happier. plus i found the bupe to be a killer on my sex drive, made it impossible to finish sometimes. the methadone was like that at first but i got used to it quickly.

i know bupe works great for some people, but i think a full agonist works better for me.
 
I have been on bupe for about 2 years now and I have just recently started getting severe headaches. I have noticed that it is usually in between doses, I take a half in the morning, afternoon and at night. I was in 4 8mg strips a day and now I am on 1 1/2. The doctor did not taper me down and I think I am in withdraw from it. I have had one doctor tell me that you will not experience withdraw unless you are cut down to at least half the dose you were on the day before. So if you are taking 16mg and cut down to 8mg or less that is when withdraw happens. Why would a doctor do that on purpose though? Sometimes I wish they would experience it just one time, I bet they would think twice before putting others through it again. Good luck and yes I also think you should see your doctor about this. It could be anything.
 
It's definitely the Subs. :( I have gotten checked out- blood tests, urinalysis, the works... everything came back saying I was in top shape, albeit low iron levels and low blood pressure... another problem I never had B.S. (Before Subs). I am otherwise a perfectly healthy individual. Life is a mystery, who knows why Subs would have this effect on me but not other opiates... my doctor can't even figure it out.

About the change in diet: I was never big on sugar... I've always been more of a salt person. I have a weakness for french fries and vegetables with salt lol. OMG and cheese. I've just always been more of a fan of saltier tasting foods. Sugary foods... that was never appealing to me. But then I got on Subs and all of the sudden I had the most intense cravings for things like cake and muffins and cheesecake... things that had all but repulsed me before. So I suppose there has been a sort of change in diet. I've always had a fast metabolism, so there hasn't been any change at all in weight... I've maybe lost one or two pounds, but nothing extreme. Idk, could the sudden extreme intake of sugar have anything to do with it?

As for your questions about tapering: I definitely have. Started off on 16 mg (8 mg x 2 a day) about a year ago, am now down to .5 mg once in the morning (2 mg strength broken into 1/4's). I'm at pretty much the lowest dose I can possibly be on. My cut in dosage wasn't extreme though? I've been on this dosage for about two months now, preparing to jump off completely on the 8th... for which my doctor plans on prescribing me Valium and Clonodine, which I plan to supplement with Valerian root, Melissa lemon herbal tincture, Immodium, St. John's Wort, and 5-HTP. Plus tons of coconut water and fish oil and bananas.

Either way, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who Subs have had an adverse effect on after long term use. Well, not glad exactly... that's a shitty thing to go through and I feel for you guys, and I sincerely hope it gets better for you all soon too. I completely agree with you, wvskinbyrd, if doctors only knew the half of what physical pain and discomfort we go through, I truly feel they would think twice about some of the things they do. But opiate addiction isn't something I would wish on anyone, not even a doctor just for the purposes of understanding. I mean, I know they THINK they know what it's like because we all tell them about it... but opiate addiction and withdrawal is a concept of hell you can't truly grasp unless you've been there yourself. I don't care how many times it's explained to you. I've thought on more than one occasion "this must be exactly what hell feels like." No joke. But I digress. Sorry for rambling; I tend to do that lol.

Oh and amapola, yeah I came very close to posting in one of the mega threads but you pretty much hit the nail on the head lol. I saw quite a few questions get lost in the chaos and decided against it :)
 
^Yep, opioids, bupe and methadone in particular really increase desire for sweets in many people. I pretty much have only eaten sweets regularly when I've been on methadone/ bupe maintenence.
 
That's really weird. Do you happen to know the actual process behind this, like what causes it? I'm curious now!
 
^^its pretty well known, google it it happened to me all the time on opiates and bupe

I think your probly feeling that way b.c you've been on it for so long, and .5mg isn't a whole lot, how long have u been taking that cause I suspect your body's used to a higher dose. I never had the sweats or anything I felt great the whole time almost an opiate-like high

The valerian and immodium do work, but u shud get some bud altho i don't think ur into that. I jumped off at 2mg and the first 4 days were bad, today's day 5 and I feel pretty fuckin good, altho I think the weed and valerian have something to do with it
 
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I got the same sideeffects from Suboxone too. Sweats, bad anxiety that would come from nowhere, withdrawaling myself from social events, don't answer my phone and stuff like that.
It really got bad, I can function fine in the beginning but every time ive been on Bupe for like 3 maybe 4 months i start to get these sideeffects and then they would just grow bigger and bigger.

I switched over to Methadone, not only of that reason. Well see if Methadone helps me any better than the subs -
this far 1½ month on Methadone I feel a lot better than on Subs..

I got more munchies of Suboxone than methadone my desire to eat almost fades away. Maybe its because im on a pretty low dose still? (80mg)
 
Damn that is a shitty situatuin O.P. And ^^^.

It really sucks because you're trying to get clean and you're still feelin like shit! Like everyone before me said, suboxone is a very powerful drug! Long term use and high doses lead to a higher tolerance and essentially suboxone w/d's. I would suggest lowering your dose but it sounds like you're at the lowest dose possible... When I was on the subs I would wake up in the morning with similar feelings... Sweaty, cold, and just overall feeling tired and sick.

Maybe you should just straight up come off of it all together. I would of course consult your doctor before doing anything with the medicine but just imagine how much better you will feel completely off the suboxone! Sure yOu will feel crappy for a week or so but after that you will be completely free from the suboxone blues you are feeling now.

That's just my .02$$ but give it some thought and of course talk to your doctor before you make any decisions. Good luck with everything though dude. I have a feeling tgat youll be alright though seeing as how you have gone this far successfully on the subs. Good luck and take car brotha!
 
I've had a monthly ritual of getting high on oxy/roxis for a week or so, and taking subs for the other three weeks for a couple of years, now.

I've noticed that the transition back to subs has been getting harder and harder, tho...more brutal as far as side-effects. Like, the last two times (most recent just this morning) I've gotten HELLISH stomach cramps and puking of pure bile. It doesn't feel the same as w/ds: I have none of the feelings of mental anguish and none of the leg twitchiness/discomfort...but the stomach cramps are serious and barely tolerable. I took 4mg of sub this morning at about 8 am and was rolling around in bed, begging for death, by 10 am. Now it is 8pm and the cramps and puking have subsided, but my stomach still feels like it's in a vise.

I did a search on here and didn't find anything. Has anyone else experienced this??

P.S. I DO get the sweats on subs...especially at night.
 
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Plus I have zero energy.

This is one problem I personally have had with suboxone. I've been detoxing from a 90-120mg/day oxycodone habit without the use of a doctor because i am knowledgeable enough about withdrawal and suboxone/buprenorphine and have access to boatloads of it. But like you, I also feel extremely droopy and tired everytime I take it in the morning for the rest of the day. Sometimes I even take it, sit down to watch tv, and fall asleep within minutes.

But I have heard that this is normal with suboxone users, so I wouldnt be worried or anything. Maybe just try lowering your dose until it doesnt work anymore so you can figure out what your lowest effective dose is, and maybe that will make you less tired
 
I'm amazed that bupe makes people have no energy! At what doses are we talking? IME bupe has always given me a surge of energy, 100% of the time. Everyone is different and all, but I've read many other experiences that describe bupe (and other thebaine derivatives to a lesser extent) as "speedy"...
 
I get a shitty side effect from suboxone; I will call it "being technichally and physiologically 'addicted' and getting all the shitty things out of addiction without getting even the tiniest bit of something positive'. I hate suboxone, and I'll be off it in 2 weeks yeeer.

S
 
^^its pretty well known, google it it happened to me all the time on opiates and bupe

I think your probly feeling that way b.c you've been on it for so long, and .5mg isn't a whole lot, how long have u been taking that cause I suspect your body's used to a higher dose. I never had the sweats or anything I felt great the whole time almost an opiate-like high

The valerian and immodium do work, but u shud get some bud altho i don't think ur into that. I jumped off at 2mg and the first 4 days were bad, today's day 5 and I feel pretty fuckin good, altho I think the weed and valerian have something to do with it

I ordered some Valerian online like two weeks and that shit hasn't come yet and I'm already into the w/d's... it was supposed to be here, like, yesterday :X
 
I'm amazed that bupe makes people have no energy! At what doses are we talking? IME bupe has always given me a surge of energy, 100% of the time. Everyone is different and all, but I've read many other experiences that describe bupe (and other thebaine derivatives to a lesser extent) as "speedy"...

I think when some people are in PAWS, buprenorphine isn't "enough" to give them stimulation until they are out of the PAWS. :) This is my best guess.
 
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