Opioids Suboxone regiment for quitting heroin and pain killers

[cay]

Hey guys, I've been on opiates for almost 8 years now. I want to get off of them and live a normal life, I've picked out a therapist that specializes in drug addiction that I'm setting up a meeting with. However, my pain doctor doesn't want me to get off the pain meds and won't give me the Suboxone but I have a friend who can get them for me. I take about 500mg of heroin a day IV, so I'm trying to figure out a regiment to step down using Suboxone. I know you guys aren't doctors, but maybe some of you have been here before and had success, I can step down my opiate use to 300mg IV a day at best but that's really hard (before hand) if my current dose is too high for Subs to help.

Anyways, can anyone help me with figuring out how many Suboxones, what strength I need, and how I should dole them out. And most important, what to expect as I'm stepping down off of the opiates with Subs.

I keep saying stepping down the opiates with the subs, I understand if I choose to take Suboxone I must stop all Opiate use at once and if I relapse I have to wait a minimum of a week but suggested month after I take the Suboxone and I should take it easy because my tolerance will not be nearly as high. That's why I am getting a counselor (who specializes in drug addiction), it's time to do this with help so I will not relapse. Thanks!

I really want to do this.

 

[monkeyshine]

I'm no expert but the rules are as follows:
Be in as extreme of withdrawal as possible before taking your induction dose.
Induction doses vary widely depending on what you were taking. 500mg of H is a lot. H isn't my drug of choice so I don't know how it compares but I would start with 2mg at first and wait an hour to see if you're gonna throw yourself into PWDs. Maybe take even less unless you are like 48 hours out from your last dose whereas you should be good for the whole 8.
That said, 8 in the am 8 in the pm. If you're writhing in agony that isn't PWDs but just good old WDs then takes some in the afternoon as well. This stuff is hardish to OD on from what I've read unless combined with other shit. Stay away from codeine as it can make you OD while on subs.

I just stopped taking high-dose loperamide after a very long time of use (its *totally* an opiate - 160mg a day for a year) with suboxone and I took 24 mg the first day and slept like a baby but wasn't remotely drugged or high. In fact I wanted to take more but was afraid of OD.
Now I know that 32mg is the max per day dosage for anyone and obviously that should be split across the day.
Some ppl take 16 twice a day.

So try 8mg 2x daily and if you find yourself nodding and puking then its too high and bump it down. I don't suspect thats going to be an issue though.
I know methadone users (high dose) do the 16x2 dance for induction since 'done is so fucking tough to get over.

Anyway, hope it helps.
PM me if you get stuck.

 

[cay]

Monkeyshine, that is incredibly great information. I wish there was a promotion system on this board, I would totally give you a +1. I'm definently going to do solid research before I do it, but I just wanted to ask a couple of other questions real fast. I have decided to wait till after I speak with the addiction councelor about this and see what he thinks. There are a lot of variables involved (including the fact that I actually need pain medicine, I'm just so tired of all the shit that goes along with it and the whole I have found myself in).

PWDs what do you mean by that? I was also thinking of waiting till I was about 24 hours out, that's about where most people's withdrawals start and I think I can get their between making my last dose (and a huge one) 12 hours before I sleep and then taking a large amount of sleeping medicine and sleeping for 10-12 hours. And suffering through what ever is left.

Also, is it safe to take benzos (like Xanax) during treatment? I figure that can help keep the anxiety of the situation minimized and is one of the largest recommendations when going off opiates (even though it creates an addiction factor of it's own).

 

[monkeyshine]

From what I know, Benzos are ok in very small doses. I know there are contradictions so ASK your doc...I really don't know a right answer there.
PWDs= Precipitated withdrawals. Buprenorphine (the med in suboxone) has a higher affinity for your never endings/receptors than any other opiate and it *will* remove the others when it gets there.
If they are coated in H molecules and then they are suddenly removed by the sub, - instant withdrawal of a new, fresh hell you haven't experienced.
You can't say 'I'll wait 24 hours" because that might not be enough. You need to be in withdrawal in a big way...google the COWS withdrawal chart and check the symptoms you need to have to be in WD.
So you test the waters with a small amount of sub to see if it reacts badly with whatever is left in your system.

Thanks for the props It's nice to help ppl from time to time.
I'm in my own hell ATM. I have 2 subs left and only on day 3 of withdrawal so, yeah I got issues