Bupe My Suboxone Taper Schedule - Questions/Comments Requested

[margolik]

A bit of history, then I'll post the Suboxone taper I've worked out.

I've tried to come off Sub before after having my supply cut off abruptly, and made it to day 4 before I went back to using Oxy and Smoking H. It got to the point where I was driving around downtown, right around a police sub-station, smoking H in my car, passing cops, and then hitting it again. I ended up checking myself into detox. I was in detox for 5 days, where they are ignorant assholes where Suboxone is concerned. Their blanket answer is 16mg of Sub a day, at 4mg doses every 6 hours. This is INSANE! I've never done more than 8mg of Sub. If you shot 30+ bags of dope a day, maybe you'd need 16mg. There were people in there who'd never tried Sub before, and proceeded to spend the next 3 days nodding off all day. So they gave me my 16mg /day for the first 4 days, then the last day I was there they changed my dose to 4mg/8hours (12mg/day). They sent me on my way with a script for 24x2mg strips, with a taper schedule for 6 days. They also prescribed me Naltrexone (just the blocker). So I'm looking at their insane 6 day taper thinking, "in 6 days I'm going to be a fucking wreck." I sat in there and spent a few hours trying to work out a longer taper, as I've experienced jumping off 2mg, and they want me to jump off 4mg.

So here's their suggested taper, and here's mine. Any comments or questions on it would be greatly appreciated, as I'm trying to weight the pro's/cons of them. I no longer have a job after my stint in rehab, so part of me wants to do the 6 day and deal with the W/Ds so I can be free from everything, but part of me worries my mind needs time to heal too, and a long taper would be good for that.

The hospital's taper:

4mg Every 8 hours for 2 days
4mg Every 12 hours for 2 days
4mg at Bed time for 2 days
DONE

That taper seems ridiculous.

Here's the taper schedule I've worked out with 2mg x 24 strips (total of 48mg) - NOTE: I've started this taper, and have taken 2x 2mg doses over the last 2 days.

My taper (Starting with 48mg):

2mg Daily for 4 days
1.5mg Daily for 5 days
1.25mg Daily for 5 days
1mg Daily for 6 days
.75mg Daily for 7 days
.5mg Daily for 14 days
.25mg Daily for 14 days
.125mg Daily for 20 days
.125mg Every other day for 24 days
.125mg Every 3 days for 15 days
DONE

This is a 114 day taper schedule (~3 1/2 months).

I have my girlfriend who is willing to control the Suboxone for me. Not too much of an issue at 2-1mgs, but it will be when I get lower I'm sure. I know I'll probably have some WD after this taper, but my hope is that when I'm taking .125 every 3 days, that I'll start forgetting my doses, and that the WD will be manageable with Work, ETC.

So again, any thoughts on this, questions, or suggestions I'd love to hear them. I'm debating which taper to use because of my circumstances, but I'm going with the long taper at the moment.

I'd also like to note that whichever taper I'm doing, I'm going to NA meetings daily, talking to my sponsor, reading the literature, and am going to begin working the steps. Last time I was clean, I went to meetings, but didn't participate, and didn't listen, and didn't do anything else. I thought I was different. I thought I was in control. It took this experience to admit to myself that I am not in control, and that I want what the people who came into rehab to talk to us have.... sobriety and happiness.

Thanks everyone.

 

[darky185]

...

The hospital's taper:

4mg Every 8 hours for 2 days
4mg Every 12 hours for 2 days
4mg at Bed time for 2 days
DONE

...

This is a 114 day taper schedule (~3 1/2 months).

I would highly advise against tapering for 114 days, its just going to get you more dependent on the Subs and make the withdrawls much worse, they get worse the longer you use sub. I would think 30 days or less would be more appropriate, the hospital's tapper is also silly, 6 days isn't very long to taper down, how much were you using before?

Plan your taper to reduce every 72 Hours.

Can you get proscribed other meds? Some clonidine would be very helpful, something to help you sleep and muscle relaxers would get you to bearable withdrawls, then you need to just watch a lot of tv and exercise for about 5-7 days and you'll be feeling a bit more normal.

 

[brighton]

great idea tapering down to 0.125mg.

you could make it a bit shorter. though. there will be tough times tapering no matter how long you taper for.

clonidine, benzos, loperamide, and an anti inflamatory will help towards the end of you taper.

 

[TMoney11111]

I've been in your situation many times, looking at a taper schedule on subs, trying to plan it as cautiously as possible. I have experienced coming off 1 mg and coming off .25 mg and the 1 mg was actually easier because by the time I got under that dose I was sick anyways, but for weeks when I went lower instead of just 1 week when I said screw it and stopped while still on 1/2 of a 2mg sub a day. Its all about your state of mind, willpower. If you work or have children or any major responsibilities than I would suggest trying to taper slowly at first and then quicky, rather than waiting 4-5 days while still on a full mg and then waiting weeks to lower your dose once you are very low! I'd try doing it over no more than two months, perhaps do 10 days from 2 to 1.5 then 5 days per for the rest of the way, and every other day .125 for the last 16 days or so! By day 6 of No sub at all coming off .25 like that, I felt normal.

 

[TMoney11111]

And yes once you stop completely, agreed with brighton, (which oddly enough is the name of the rehab I went to twice that saved me, #1 in the country in brighton,Michigan) weed benzos loperamide (aka immodium) and tylenol/ibuprofen will be your best friends, but avoid caffiene and any kind of stimulant for sure...

 

[brighton]

And yes once you stop completely, agreed with brighton, (which oddly enough is the name of the rehab I went to twice that saved me, #1 in the country in brighton,Michigan) weed benzos loperamide (aka immodium) and tylenol/ibuprofen will be your best friends, but avoid caffiene and any kind of stimulant for sure...

wow who knew i was so famous

 

[OEandricearoni]

And yes once you stop completely, agreed with brighton, (which oddly enough is the name of the rehab I went to twice that saved me, #1 in the country in brighton,Michigan) weed benzos loperamide (aka immodium) and tylenol/ibuprofen will be your best friends, but avoid caffiene and any kind of stimulant for sure...

Hey i went to brighton too man. I wonder if you were in there with me.

 

[margolik]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to try to work out a quicker taper. I'll post it up when I have something worked out.

 

[margolik]

Ok i've worked out a bit of a better and quicker taper I think.... cutting the time by 2/3rds almost.

Starting with 40mgs I have left.

4mg/day - 2days
2mg/day - 5 days
1.5mg/day - 5 days
1mg/day - 5 days
.75mg/day - 5 days
.5mg/day - 5 days
.25mg/day - 5 days
.125mg/day - 6 days
.125mg/every 2 days - 20 days = 40mg used

 

[margolik]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who commented. I've been on sub before, and I realize that a 114day taper is just too long, and it would be pretty tough to come off, regardless of my taper. I hope that this faster one does the trick, and that as long as I stick to it and don't slip up, I should be able to manage coming off with a few sleepless nights, restless legs, and exercise.

I'll post my progress as I go through this.

I've been going to meetings daily, and they've helped significantly. This is the first time I've actually embraced recovery, and I think it has a lot to do with checking myself into rehab, instead of being forced to go to shut up family members and the girlfriend. My mind is open to a new way of thinking, and even though part of me wants to just stop taking the subs and face whatever W/Ds I'll have, I know I need at least 30 days to get my head right, then I can worry about my body.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[GATmobile]

I've been in your exact situation about 6 months ago. I was originally on 24mgs of suboxone a day and tapered to down to about 12 mgs over a course of a year. I switched clinics because the taper lasted so fucking long and went to this new doctor who wanted me to taper from 12mg to 0 in twenty days... Let me tell you it didn't work for shit because I had terrible w/ds. I then went to a new doc who helped me do it more gradually. I would say your best bet would be to do it in roughly 40 days, for me the hardest was going from 1mg to .5. Anyway let me know how it works out, I was on that shit for way to long