Hello everyone, im a 40 something single mom who has struggled with addiction for a good 20 years. My last bout was 4 years ago when i was sent to prison for a year. I came home never wanting to touch opiates again. Abut six months in, I took a part-time position at a restaurant.
As most addicts know, the behaviors at most late night restaurants is not conducive to being sober. I saw the writing on the wall and found myself seeking out people I believed used opiates and put my feelers out there. All the while I knew this would not end well. What makes me hate myself the most, is no matter how long I am off drugs, the pull that I feel tugging me back, no matter the destruction, usually wins out of my dilapidated self-control.
Fast forward a bit, I ended up using, I know where using ends, I go to jail, or ill die. I never wanted to go back to prison again. I sought out or local methadone clinic and began another wild ride. I was on mmt for 2 1/2 years. The highest I got was 160, and then I wanted off.
I got down to 90 and felt horrible everyday. I put on 80plus pounds, I sweat profusely, and overall, I hate life, no joy. I began chatting with someone a few weeks ago and they disclosed to me they take subutex and started it after methadone. He gave me his Dr info and I called and got in very quickly. I went in and I told him I had only stopped taking 90 of mmt just 2 days ago. He said that is very high, normally we want you lower before we switch. But he would give me an appointment 3 days later and they would see where I was at.
I go in 3 days to the dr. and they start me on 4mg of subutex, wait 30 minutes and then were going to check me out. I was fine, didnt feel good, didnt feel bad. The doc writes me for 1 week, taking 8mg twice daily of subutex. Okay, I go fill my script and look at the time and think well I should take the other 4mg. Holy hell unleashed on my body. I have since learned I was in precipitated withdrawal. For 12 hours I thought I was going to die.
I had read on the subutex site that doing the induction, if PW comes on administer 2mg of subutex every 30 minutes until symptoms subside. I started this somewhere around the 8-9hr mark of being in PW. I cannot tell you if that worked or the PW stopped but around the 12hr mark my exhausted body passed out finally. I woke up and realized my legs and arms were no longer twitching uncontrollably. Thank God! I did not feel good but it was no where near what I just felt.
Since then, I have managed to take 2mg of subutex every few hours, again not feeling great but I was able to wash the disgusting sweats off me, and even made a drive to the corner store, however, that took a lot out of me. I came home and collapsed. I think what I am looking to find out is, am I doing this right? I read methadone stays in your system anywhere from 5-10 days, if that is true, I am on day 5 now.
So will the subutex not work until all the methadone is gone? I thought that horrific W/D I experienced was the subutex knocking the methadone off the receptors, am I wrong? I will not take more than 2mg of subutex for fear of experiencing that awful P/W again. I am just at a loss of what I do now.
Anyone have any advice on this? I am not going back to methadone, but I'd like to know when it will be gone and I can start feeling normal again.
Thanks
As most addicts know, the behaviors at most late night restaurants is not conducive to being sober. I saw the writing on the wall and found myself seeking out people I believed used opiates and put my feelers out there. All the while I knew this would not end well. What makes me hate myself the most, is no matter how long I am off drugs, the pull that I feel tugging me back, no matter the destruction, usually wins out of my dilapidated self-control.
Fast forward a bit, I ended up using, I know where using ends, I go to jail, or ill die. I never wanted to go back to prison again. I sought out or local methadone clinic and began another wild ride. I was on mmt for 2 1/2 years. The highest I got was 160, and then I wanted off.
I got down to 90 and felt horrible everyday. I put on 80plus pounds, I sweat profusely, and overall, I hate life, no joy. I began chatting with someone a few weeks ago and they disclosed to me they take subutex and started it after methadone. He gave me his Dr info and I called and got in very quickly. I went in and I told him I had only stopped taking 90 of mmt just 2 days ago. He said that is very high, normally we want you lower before we switch. But he would give me an appointment 3 days later and they would see where I was at.
I go in 3 days to the dr. and they start me on 4mg of subutex, wait 30 minutes and then were going to check me out. I was fine, didnt feel good, didnt feel bad. The doc writes me for 1 week, taking 8mg twice daily of subutex. Okay, I go fill my script and look at the time and think well I should take the other 4mg. Holy hell unleashed on my body. I have since learned I was in precipitated withdrawal. For 12 hours I thought I was going to die.
I had read on the subutex site that doing the induction, if PW comes on administer 2mg of subutex every 30 minutes until symptoms subside. I started this somewhere around the 8-9hr mark of being in PW. I cannot tell you if that worked or the PW stopped but around the 12hr mark my exhausted body passed out finally. I woke up and realized my legs and arms were no longer twitching uncontrollably. Thank God! I did not feel good but it was no where near what I just felt.
Since then, I have managed to take 2mg of subutex every few hours, again not feeling great but I was able to wash the disgusting sweats off me, and even made a drive to the corner store, however, that took a lot out of me. I came home and collapsed. I think what I am looking to find out is, am I doing this right? I read methadone stays in your system anywhere from 5-10 days, if that is true, I am on day 5 now.
So will the subutex not work until all the methadone is gone? I thought that horrific W/D I experienced was the subutex knocking the methadone off the receptors, am I wrong? I will not take more than 2mg of subutex for fear of experiencing that awful P/W again. I am just at a loss of what I do now.
Anyone have any advice on this? I am not going back to methadone, but I'd like to know when it will be gone and I can start feeling normal again.
Thanks
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