Bupe Suboxone Low dose tiredness

[OHUSRGT80]

I’ve been on Suboxone for about 12 years.
I’ve been on and off Suboxone for an additional 6-8 years basically since it first came out.

I’ve been on a daily dose since 2013. I started at 16 mg and everything was freaking awesome. Plenty of energy mood was great and my heroin cravings were gone.
But as time went on I’ve been weaning down. I’ve been on 2 mg for the last three years.
But for whatever reason I can’t make that final step down.
Since getting to 2mg something I’ve noticed is that over 3yrs +/- I feel like I’m getting more and more tired like I just can’t get enough sleep.
I used to have a day here or a day there where I just crashed out for the entire day. Once a week or once every other week.
Now it’s every day all day I can sleep 4 or 6 or 8,12 hours. I wake up and within an hour or two (with or without caffeine small doses or huge doses) I’ll go back to sleep for an additional 6-8 hours. Then wake up make a bite to eat and sleep 4-6 hours. Basically 16-20hrs. And do this day after day.

It’s not depression!!! Everyone says that right off the rip.
I know it depression is I’ve been hospitalized for it during my heroin addiction.
This is not it.
It is affecting my quality of life, that may be causing some.
I can force myself to go to work, but I’m just in an absolute fog. I can’t remember what I did day-to-day.
I feel like I never got any sleep. This might be sleep apnea or is anybody else experiencing this where long-term Suboxone use causes extreme fatigue, low energy and extreme tiredness.

Please help I was sober for 12 years and I recently started buying cocaine to self medicate to give me some energy to get through the days. I don’t know what else to do.
I was tested for testosterone levels. I had low testosterone 130. Should be 600-1000

The T helped a little bit, but it wasn’t the cure all I was hoping for. If there’s anyone out there reading this that has experience in long-term use of Suboxone. I really think this might be my problem that and potential sleep apnea.
I’m afraid to get to sleep apnea sleep study because if I do have sleep apnea and it still doesn’t fix the problem. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’m losing my mind. Losing my life to sleeping nonstop and experiencing the fatigue.

But I’ve tried taking higher dose of the Suboxone and it doesn’t help. Don’t even feel like I took a higher dose. I don’t know if it’s messing up my brain, chemistry or vitamin levels. I’ve been taking multivitamins and even had vitamin D prescribed to me and that did little to nothing at all. Sorry for the rambling.
Can somebody can relate.

Please message me, please!!!
If you have this you buddy any!

I’m starting to get worried and desperate for relief!!

 

[Painful One]

Sorry to hear this. Hugs.
My first thought was depression.
Depression can take different forms.
When you’re doing something fun that you enjoy, do you still have to leave and go sleep or lie down somewhere?

I have the opposite problem due to chronic pain.
My sleep is broken and I have very short times of just passing out from absolute exhaustion.
Only to be awoken by pain.

You may have cancer.
I hate to tell you that, but what you describe is one of the first and only symptoms for most.
I’m not a doctor and am just taking an educated guess here.

Sleep Apnea is when a person stops breathing while they sleep.
So I don’t think it is that.

You need to go to a good doctor (good luck finding one) that can do blood tests and other tests to try and determine what is going on.

Please don’t turn to cocaine to try and self medicate this problem.
Cocaine isn’t even cocaine anymore.
Most of it is fentanyl and god only knows.
You’re going to end up in a world of hurt friend.

Seek medical help.
Immediately.
Call and get an appointment today!

You will be in my prayers.
Please let me know what you find out.

 

[maryanne77]

I’ve been on Suboxone for about 12 years.
I’ve been on and off Suboxone for an additional 6-8 years basically since it first came out.

I’ve been on a daily dose since 2013. I started at 16 mg and everything was freaking awesome. Plenty of energy mood was great and my heroin cravings were gone.
But as time went on I’ve been weaning down. I’ve been on 2 mg for the last three years.
But for whatever reason I can’t make that final step down.
Since getting to 2mg something I’ve noticed is that over 3yrs +/- I feel like I’m getting more and more tired like I just can’t get enough sleep.
I used to have a day here or a day there where I just crashed out for the entire day. Once a week or once every other week.
Now it’s every day all day I can sleep 4 or 6 or 8,12 hours. I wake up and within an hour or two (with or without caffeine small doses or huge doses) I’ll go back to sleep for an additional 6-8 hours. Then wake up make a bite to eat and sleep 4-6 hours. Basically 16-20hrs. And do this day after day.

It’s not depression!!! Everyone says that right off the rip.
I know it depression is I’ve been hospitalized for it during my heroin addiction.
This is not it.
It is affecting my quality of life, that may be causing some.
I can force myself to go to work, but I’m just in an absolute fog. I can’t remember what I did day-to-day.
I feel like I never got any sleep. This might be sleep apnea or is anybody else experiencing this where long-term Suboxone use causes extreme fatigue, low energy and extreme tiredness.

Please help I was sober for 12 years and I recently started buying cocaine to self medicate to give me some energy to get through the days. I don’t know what else to do.
I was tested for testosterone levels. I had low testosterone 130. Should be 600-1000

The T helped a little bit, but it wasn’t the cure all I was hoping for. If there’s anyone out there reading this that has experience in long-term use of Suboxone. I really think this might be my problem that and potential sleep apnea.
I’m afraid to get to sleep apnea sleep study because if I do have sleep apnea and it still doesn’t fix the problem. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’m losing my mind. Losing my life to sleeping nonstop and experiencing the fatigue.

But I’ve tried taking higher dose of the Suboxone and it doesn’t help. Don’t even feel like I took a higher dose. I don’t know if it’s messing up my brain, chemistry or vitamin levels. I’ve been taking multivitamins and even had vitamin D prescribed to me and that did little to nothing at all. Sorry for the rambling.
Can somebody can relate.

Please message me, please!!!
If you have this you buddy any!

I’m starting to get worried and desperate for relief!!

I am no expert and was only on a few months . I had insomnia before I ever took subs ,bad bad insomnia. Subs did make me feel exhausted. Maybe they are doing something new with them I was expecting a huge mood lift but instead exhausted. I hope more people comment.

 

[notsmokeymcpot42088]

I am at 2 mg -- well between 1 and 2 (some days 3) so we will go with 2 mg's a day -- also down from about 12 mg

2 mg is actually still alot - check out an equivalency chart -- you are gunna want to continue to taper down to about .5 .25.

Due the nature of the beast I have a really tough time getting under 1mg ever --- if you have a similar problem there are (My words) 'self tapering' bupe injections.... I have heard of more ppl having luck with that than the pills or strips. (Permanence wise at least)

Than there is some research chem out that supposably can get you off opi's with they say 0 w/d's but that doesn't feel possible at all to me. SR some #'s its called i forget the #'s 12 somethin I think

 

[OHUSRGT80]

Sorry to hear this. Hugs.
My first thought was depression.
Depression can take different forms.
When you’re doing something fun that you enjoy, do you still have to leave and go sleep or lie down somewhere?

I have the opposite problem due to chronic pain.
My sleep is broken and I have very short times of just passing out from absolute exhaustion.
Only to be awoken by pain.

You may have cancer.
I hate to tell you that, but what you describe is one of the first and only symptoms for most.
I’m not a doctor and am just taking an educated guess here.

Sleep Apnea is when a person stops breathing while they sleep.
So I don’t think it is that.

You need to go to a good doctor (good luck finding one) that can do blood tests and other tests to try and determine what is going on.

Please don’t turn to cocaine to try and self medicate this problem.
Cocaine isn’t even cocaine anymore.
Most of it is fentanyl and god only knows.
You’re going to end up in a world of hurt friend.

Seek medical help.
Immediately.
Call and get an appointment today!

You will be in my prayers.
Please let me know what you find out.

My friends and ex GF’s that have slept in the same room/tent as me all tell me I stop breathing a lot.
I’ve even woke up gasping for air. The energy and tiredness issue seemed to be before apnea was on the radar. I have a doc appointment this Monday hopefully they listen.

I don’t think it’s depression but I base that off the depression I’ve experienced in the past.

You made a valid point saying depression comes in many forms.

I’m just tired of people and doctors saying you sleep a lot? You feel chronic fatigue? You’re depressed, take this bottle of chemicals.

Taking meds for depression has been the worst treatment in past situations.
A. No medication ever seems to work and every 4-8 months we were trying something different.

B. Every morning I say to myself “oh I need to take my medicine because I’m depressed” it’s a horrible affirmation either consciously or subconsciously. I think I’m depressed every 24hr without any reason to other than taking the daily medication.

My ex is on subs and she seems to be extra sleepy as well. Not as chronically as me but I have many many years longer on this train than she does.


I appreciate you and everyone Who took the time time share!!

I’m responding to everyone.

Cheers
Ross

 

[OHUSRGT80]

I am no expert and was only on a few months . I had insomnia before I ever took subs ,bad bad insomnia. Subs did make me feel exhausted. Maybe they are doing something new with them I was expecting a huge mood lift but instead exhausted. I hope more people comment.

I felt great at first being on them. Not high but a lifted sense of contentment and small energy spike.

Thanks for sharing.
Loving the Bluelight community!

Cheers
Ross

 

[OHUSRGT80]

When youre on bupre' that long 2 mgs is still
way too much
look up the titration method
you need to get down to around .25 to break away from it

remember
at least half the battle is in your head

When youre on bupre' that long 2 mgs is still
way too much
look up the titration method
you need to get down to around .25 to break away from it

remember
at least half the battle is in your head

I am at 2 mg -- well between 1 and 2 (some days 3) so we will go with 2 mg's a day -- also down from about 12 mg

2 mg is actually still alot - check out an equivalency chart -- you are gunna want to continue to taper down to about .5 .25.

Due the nature of the beast I have a really tough time getting under 1mg ever --- if you have a similar problem there are (My words) 'self tapering' bupe injections.... I have heard of more ppl having luck with that than the pills or strips. (Permanence wise at least)

Than there is some research chem out that supposably can get you off opi's with they say 0 w/d's but that doesn't feel possible at all to me. SR some #'s its called i forget the #'s 12 somethin I think

0 WD is a myth.
That’s what all the labs say.
Said it about subs. About methadone. Shoot even said OxyContin is non addictive. Smh

Fact is like you said. How strong is it?
Bup lack euphoria and have low ceiling.
The had Buccal I believe it was call pre suboxone.
My friend was on 600 ųg or 800 ųg
Like a corn bandage for toes but stuck inside mouth on your cheek.
Subs are potent we just don’t feel it.

 

[tujennifer]

Yeah, I’ve seen this up close. A close friend of mine was on a very low dose of Suboxone and still dealt with that heavy, drained kind of tiredness that doesn’t feel like normal sleepiness.

What stood out was that the fatigue wasn’t constant—it hit harder a few hours after dosing, almost like a mental “flattening.” No nodding, just zero energy or motivation. At first they assumed it was depression or just early recovery stuff, but it stuck around longer than expected.

A few things that helped somewhat (not a fix, just harm-reduction observations):

• Timing mattered – taking the dose later in the day made the tiredness worse the next morning.
• Sleep quality was the real issue – turns out opioids (even partial agonists) can mess with deep sleep. They were “sleeping” but not restoring.
• Other meds stacked the effect – antihistamines and even melatonin made the daytime fatigue noticeably worse.
• Dose sensitivity is real – dropping the dose slightly actually improved energy for them, which was counterintuitive.

Also worth saying: if someone has underlying sleep issues (like sleep apnea or chronic insomnia), Suboxone can make the fatigue way more noticeable, even at low doses.


Not saying anyone should change their dose on their own—just sharing what I’ve seen. For my friend, it wasn’t a sign the medication was “wrong,” just that the tiredness side effect can show up even when everything else looks fine on paper.


Curious if others notice it more as physical exhaustion vs. mental fog.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I was gonna contribute but you guys have all done such a great job I've got nothing to add. Higher dosages of Buprenorphine and Opioids in general, when used chronically are fairly well-documented for producing symptoms resembling Major Depressive Disorder.

 

[maryanne77]

Really ? I had major depression before the subs . I guess I still do but with anxiety.

 

[thurston]

I didn't read everything bit you need to be checked for sleep apnea, getting a CPAP was a major life changing event for me, I wish I would have done it years ago.

 

[AlexPK]

I am at 2 mg -- well between 1 and 2 (some days 3) so we will go with 2 mg's a day -- also down from about 12 mg

2 mg is actually still alot - check out an equivalency chart -- you are gunna want to continue to taper down to about .5 .25.

Due the nature of the beast I have a really tough time getting under 1mg ever --- if you have a similar problem there are (My words) 'self tapering' bupe injections.... I have heard of more ppl having luck with that than the pills or strips. (Permanence wise at least)

Than there is some research chem out that supposably can get you off opi's with they say 0 w/d's but that doesn't feel possible at all to me. SR some #'s its called i forget the #'s 12 somethin I think

I recognize this name. What’s good, notsmomeymcpot? Anywho, I’m one of the people being referenced here. I was on similar doses of subs for about 6 months. Tried to self taper and felt like death. So I tried one shot of the lowest dose of Sublocade after leveling out at 2mg.

First off, it was one of the worst 30 seconds of my life. Insane pain from the shot. I’ve heard others say it’s not bad. It was for me. Not much fat on my belly to absorb or something. But anyone can take 30 seconds of pain to be done with bupe.

Anyway, after almost exactly 30 days I had a very strange withdrawal. Crazy sweats, but none of the intense pain from trying to walk off 2mg of subs. I took a couple of kratom gummies. Back to normal. Woke up every day for about 3 more weeks in a very minor withdrawal. Took 2 more kratom gummies. All good.

One day I just woke up and felt normal. Didn’t take anything for about 5 days and felt great. Then woke up and had a wildly strong depression that I’ve never experienced. Took a couple of kratom gummies, and I was fine. You may be sensing a pattern.

Long story short, the Sublocade shot followed by kratom gummies got my off of bupe with very little trouble. I am still taking daily kratom gummies because I haven’t done what it takes to kick that habit (go to detox, sit in bed for a few days, etc). I just have too much going on with life and kids and work. So I still have a habit. But not the bupe habit.

I didn’t fee what you felt sleeping crazy hours like that. But I’ve never been so tired in my life as I was on bupe after the ecstasy of the first couple of weeks. I would constantly nod off while driving or being in church. If I wasn’t really involved in an activity, I would struggle. Driving was definitely dangerous.

I wasn’t a long term user like you. But that 6 months on bupe changed my body and brain chemistry in an absolutely shocking way. But I’ve been fully bupe free for 8 or 9 months now. For the time being, I’ll take my little kratom habit any day. No tiredness or terrible sexual side effects. Just my body telling me I need it.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat through my story a bit more. But I honestly can’t see another way that I would’ve been able to walk off 2mg

 

[OHUSRGT80]

Yeah, I’ve seen this up close. A close friend of mine was on a very low dose of Suboxone and still dealt with that heavy, drained kind of tiredness that doesn’t feel like normal sleepiness.

What stood out was that the fatigue wasn’t constant—it hit harder a few hours after dosing, almost like a mental “flattening.” No nodding, just zero energy or motivation. At first they assumed it was depression or just early recovery stuff, but it stuck around longer than expected.

A few things that helped somewhat (not a fix, just harm-reduction observations):

• Timing mattered – taking the dose later in the day made the tiredness worse the next morning.
• Sleep quality was the real issue – turns out opioids (even partial agonists) can mess with deep sleep. They were “sleeping” but not restoring.
• Other meds stacked the effect – antihistamines and even melatonin made the daytime fatigue noticeably worse.
• Dose sensitivity is real – dropping the dose slightly actually improved energy for them, which was counterintuitive.

Also worth saying: if someone has underlying sleep issues (like sleep apnea or chronic insomnia), Suboxone can make the fatigue way more noticeable, even at low doses.


Not saying anyone should change their dose on their own—just sharing what I’ve seen. For my friend, it wasn’t a sign the medication was “wrong,” just that the tiredness side effect can show up even when everything else looks fine on paper.


Curious if others notice it more as physical exhaustion vs. mental fog.

Thanks!!
I really appreciate it. I’m going to try this out.

 

[OHUSRGT80]

I recognize this name. What’s good, notsmomeymcpot? Anywho, I’m one of the people being referenced here. I was on similar doses of subs for about 6 months. Tried to self taper and felt like death. So I tried one shot of the lowest dose of Sublocade after leveling out at 2mg.

First off, it was one of the worst 30 seconds of my life. Insane pain from the shot. I’ve heard others say it’s not bad. It was for me. Not much fat on my belly to absorb or something. But anyone can take 30 seconds of pain to be done with bupe.

Anyway, after almost exactly 30 days I had a very strange withdrawal. Crazy sweats, but none of the intense pain from trying to walk off 2mg of subs. I took a couple of kratom gummies. Back to normal. Woke up every day for about 3 more weeks in a very minor withdrawal. Took 2 more kratom gummies. All good.

One day I just woke up and felt normal. Didn’t take anything for about 5 days and felt great. Then woke up and had a wildly strong depression that I’ve never experienced. Took a couple of kratom gummies, and I was fine. You may be sensing a pattern.

Long story short, the Sublocade shot followed by kratom gummies got my off of bupe with very little trouble. I am still taking daily kratom gummies because I haven’t done what it takes to kick that habit (go to detox, sit in bed for a few days, etc). I just have too much going on with life and kids and work. So I still have a habit. But not the bupe habit.

I didn’t fee what you felt sleeping crazy hours like that. But I’ve never been so tired in my life as I was on bupe after the ecstasy of the first couple of weeks. I would constantly nod off while driving or being in church. If I wasn’t really involved in an activity, I would struggle. Driving was definitely dangerous.

I wasn’t a long term user like you. But that 6 months on bupe changed my body and brain chemistry in an absolutely shocking way. But I’ve been fully bupe free for 8 or 9 months now. For the time being, I’ll take my little kratom habit any day. No tiredness or terrible sexual side effects. Just my body telling me I need it.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat through my story a bit more. But I honestly can’t see another way that I would’ve been able to walk off 2mg

Thanks
Careful with Kratom. A few of my buddies got in deep on that stuff and they said it was ended up being a worse withdrawal than H/fetty

 

[AlexPK]

Thanks
Careful with Kratom. A few of my buddies got in deep on that stuff and they said it was ended up being a worse withdrawal than H/fetty

Thanks for the note. I can’t believe someone said kratom was worst withdrawal than those. Perhaps they were on massive doses of 7OH or something? I take concentrated gummies, but acknowledge that powder is safer. Just have to take A LOT to get the job done.

The main points with kratom vs subs are this:

1- kratom side effects are generally minimal compared to bupe. Again, kratom or even kratom extracts. Just the amount to not be in withdrawal. Not stockpiles to get high

2- half life of kratom is 1/12 what bupe is. So whatever withdrawal symptoms you decide to take on, I imagine you’d prefer 3 hour half life to 36. You can deal with anything for a few days. Can’t say the same for a few weeks.

Hit me up if you want to chat in greater depth. Good luck, my friend.

 

[toe]

Subs can really do a number on your sleep. Are you getting good sleep? I've been flogging social rhythm therapy recently because it treats the circadian/hormonal cycle suspect in bipolar disorder. Really digging in to sleep hygiene (please click the link, I'm high and useless right now) has made ALL the difference in my lifelong chronic insomnia. And whoever said "sleep apnea" is on the ball! I wear a CPAP every night and it makes a world of difference. You don't have to be overweight to have sleep apnea, but it definitely contributes to it. (My BMI is like 18)