i_am_helix
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2015
- Messages
- 7
Hi All,
im 36 years old male who has been on some kind of opiate for the last 21 years. In all this time i have have been clean for 9 months (jail) and then 18 months again now, the rest of the time from about 17 years old onwards i was either on heroin, methadone or bupe everyday. i would always go from gear to methadone and then back to gear at the start with no clean periods in between. Once i started bupe i was doing the same i would start using and then go back staright on to bupe with no breaks, except for when i was in jail.
I thought i would share my experience with getting off bupe and some tips to help anything thinking of jumping off.
i was on bupe (subutex not suboxone) for about 8 years, my highest dose was about 16 mg at one point but most of the time after i stablized i dropped to 6mg.
The first few times (3-4) i tried to quit i dropped to about 4 mg or just under for a few weeks and tried to quit. but even after 2 -3 weeks i was still wihtdrawing pretty bad so i started again as i had to go back to work.
last time i tried i took my time and taperd all the way down to 1.6mg and stayed there for about 2 months. so i was able to quit but the withdrawls lasted about 6 weeks. the first 4 weeks were pretty bad (not as bad as methadone or gear) but i could deal with them as i had someone helping me through.
But even after 6 weeks i was still only about 85% better the reamaining 15% took about another 6 months! i was able to sleep, and didn't have that much pain or anything just the really streessed feeling and hot and cold flushed and dry sweats that lasted this 6 months. Its tottaly liveable and i was working in those 6 months but i'm just warning you guys that have been on optiates for years like me to not expect a withdrawal of 3-4 weeks and you will be 100% again.
my tips if you are looking to quit bupe are:
1. go down to the lowest dose you can, like with me i tried 1.6mg but that was even high! if i was doing it again i would go down to a single .4 tablet for a few weeks and then quit.
2. also be prepared to have at least 1 month off work if you are working because the withdraws only really peak after about 2 weeks and then last about 2-3weeks before subsiding.
3. don't take ANY other opiates to help with the withdrawals, no codeine mixed with paracetamol or ibuprofen or anything as this will prolong the withdrawals.
4. get a script for imovane and valium for the first 4 weeks to help with sleeping and when you are in your worst period take some val to tone evrything down. don't take to much valium though becasue it can actually make you feel worse becasue you are already lethargic and the Valium will make that worse. On some of my worst days i was having a about 20mg of Valium spread out during the day and then at night drinking a few beers and having 5-10mg more val and a sleeping tablet as well if needed it at night.
hope this helps someone, message me if you have any questions.
i have been totally clean for about 18 months now.
im 36 years old male who has been on some kind of opiate for the last 21 years. In all this time i have have been clean for 9 months (jail) and then 18 months again now, the rest of the time from about 17 years old onwards i was either on heroin, methadone or bupe everyday. i would always go from gear to methadone and then back to gear at the start with no clean periods in between. Once i started bupe i was doing the same i would start using and then go back staright on to bupe with no breaks, except for when i was in jail.
I thought i would share my experience with getting off bupe and some tips to help anything thinking of jumping off.
i was on bupe (subutex not suboxone) for about 8 years, my highest dose was about 16 mg at one point but most of the time after i stablized i dropped to 6mg.
The first few times (3-4) i tried to quit i dropped to about 4 mg or just under for a few weeks and tried to quit. but even after 2 -3 weeks i was still wihtdrawing pretty bad so i started again as i had to go back to work.
last time i tried i took my time and taperd all the way down to 1.6mg and stayed there for about 2 months. so i was able to quit but the withdrawls lasted about 6 weeks. the first 4 weeks were pretty bad (not as bad as methadone or gear) but i could deal with them as i had someone helping me through.
But even after 6 weeks i was still only about 85% better the reamaining 15% took about another 6 months! i was able to sleep, and didn't have that much pain or anything just the really streessed feeling and hot and cold flushed and dry sweats that lasted this 6 months. Its tottaly liveable and i was working in those 6 months but i'm just warning you guys that have been on optiates for years like me to not expect a withdrawal of 3-4 weeks and you will be 100% again.
my tips if you are looking to quit bupe are:
1. go down to the lowest dose you can, like with me i tried 1.6mg but that was even high! if i was doing it again i would go down to a single .4 tablet for a few weeks and then quit.
2. also be prepared to have at least 1 month off work if you are working because the withdraws only really peak after about 2 weeks and then last about 2-3weeks before subsiding.
3. don't take ANY other opiates to help with the withdrawals, no codeine mixed with paracetamol or ibuprofen or anything as this will prolong the withdrawals.
4. get a script for imovane and valium for the first 4 weeks to help with sleeping and when you are in your worst period take some val to tone evrything down. don't take to much valium though becasue it can actually make you feel worse becasue you are already lethargic and the Valium will make that worse. On some of my worst days i was having a about 20mg of Valium spread out during the day and then at night drinking a few beers and having 5-10mg more val and a sleeping tablet as well if needed it at night.
hope this helps someone, message me if you have any questions.
i have been totally clean for about 18 months now.
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