• H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist

Time to get Sober, but im scared of SUBOXONE withdrawal

It can certainly last longer than 5 weeks.

You'll be able to lift while coming off of it; even if you can't do much at first, or have to lower the weight. It will actually really help how you feel to keep active when coming off.

Thanks i guess i have to take these WD like a man. One thing.. i know life is going to get better after the WD, but i cant imagine it somehow. im very anxious to stop taking suboxone, but i have to do it. tired of having my life depending on some tablet and paying 20-25 Dollars for one pill.
 
You don't have to taper, I jumped off at 24mg bupe earlier in the summer and the detox wasn't too bad because I had prepped for it really well. I had a large number of non-opiate meds for relief of wd symptons, I was in the safest place I could be away from temptation, I had someone else there 24/7 for the first 5 days or so and then evenings/nights for weeks after, all the time I needed, a comfortable environment, stuff to kill time and try and distract you from how you feel..

Drop me a pm if you want to know in more detail how I did it and and how it went compared to other detoxes.
 
medications for acute opiate detox

The medications I would explore the use of for detox would be:
>Clonidine< DOSED EVER FOUR HOURS..

one of either
>NEURONTIN< >HERE< >HERE< >here<
OR >Lyrica<
OR >phenibut<

>A BENZO BUT JUST AT NIGHT<
>a nsaid<
>melatonin<
tylenol
Senokot S is a stool softener and laxative. If you do not want the laxative you can go for strait stool softenerDioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.

(Opi Withdrawal) what is the best comfort meds for opiate w/d?

Your Personal Opiate Withdrawal Arsenal


You can do this:)
 
You don't have to taper, I jumped off at 24mg bupe earlier in the summer and the detox wasn't too bad because I had prepped for it really well. I had a large number of non-opiate meds for relief of wd symptons, I was in the safest place I could be away from temptation, I had someone else there 24/7 for the first 5 days or so and then evenings/nights for weeks after, all the time I needed, a comfortable environment, stuff to kill time and try and distract you from how you feel..

Drop me a pm if you want to know in more detail how I did it and and how it went compared to other detoxes.

While it's awesome that you were able to do that, I don't think this is practical advice. Especially since the OP has relapsed twice trying to quit cold turkey.

I think the best thing for him to do is do this Sub taper slowly and correctly. It's worth the time to do it right and have him get off opioids for good rather than risk a relapse.

OP, if you're tapering comfortably there shouldn't be any need to "take it like a man." I strongly believe that cold turkey detoxes have been so unsuccessful for heroin (and opiate) addicts because they put us through such unnecessary suffering.

If you do it slowly, the only medication you should need is something to help you sleep. And if you're getting anxiety, make sure you bring that up to your doctor. As I think I said above, recovery (whether is through AA, counseling, outpatient, whatever works) is important too.

Anyways, how are you doing? How's the taper and what are you at dose wise?
 
Oh , did I annoy you? Because I've been a member of this site for like 5 mins and I don't play exactly by your rules? Pretentious . I gave good advice bish.

Lol who is this directed at?
If you're upset about me letting you know about the rules against using SWIM, then maybe you should have read the rules before posting.
 
While it's awesome that you were able to do that, I don't think this is practical advice. Especially since the OP has relapsed twice trying to quit cold turkey.

I think the best thing for him to do is do this Sub taper slowly and correctly. It's worth the time to do it right and have him get off opioids for good rather than risk a relapse.

OP, if you're tapering comfortably there shouldn't be any need to "take it like a man." I strongly believe that cold turkey detoxes have been so unsuccessful for heroin (and opiate) addicts because they put us through such unnecessary suffering.

If you do it slowly, the only medication you should need is something to help you sleep. And if you're getting anxiety, make sure you bring that up to your doctor. As I think I said above, recovery (whether is through AA, counseling, outpatient, whatever works) is important too.

Anyways, how are you doing? How's the taper and what are you at dose wise?

Hello Rhun, dont know whats happening to me i been taking little more than i am supposed to. i was down to 1.5 now im little bit under 2mg. its like every mcg makes diffrent.. im now stuck between 1.5-2mg...

btw i meant '' take it like a man'' because of what i read even jumping of 0.5mg is supposed to be hell...

thanks for asking :)
 
What symptoms are you having that made you up your dose?

I have a very stressed job, a job i cant even call in sick.. I was just having a bad day mainly because of some dramas in my life that make me little depressed and i felt little restless. that is what made me up my dose little bit. Today im lowering back to 1.5mg.
 
I have a very stressed job, a job i cant even call in sick.. I was just having a bad day mainly because of some dramas in my life that make me little depressed and i felt little restless. that is what made me up my dose little bit. Today im lowering back to 1.5mg.

I've been in the same position, it's hard to get off opiates when you have to work. It definitely has kept me from quitting in the past.

I'm telling you though, get something for sleep! It's a lot easier to get through work when you've had a good night of sleep. There's been many times where I wouldn't have been able to stay sober or keep tapering if I hadn't known I could go home, take my Seroquel, and sleep through the night till my next dose. And even when cut your dose, if you take it in the morning it should last through most of the work day.

Getting from 2mg to 0 is going to be the hardest part. It's crucial that you decrease your dose by the smallest amount possible. And then chill at the new dose and let your body adjust.

Try not to think about what dose you're on and when you're feeling crappy and anxious don't just sit there, get up and take a shower or go for a walk. There is definitely a part of it that's mental, if you spend too much time thinking about it you can definitely make yourself feel sicker.
 
I've been in the same position, it's hard to get off opiates when you have to work. It definitely has kept me from quitting in the past.

I'm telling you though, get something for sleep! It's a lot easier to get through work when you've had a good night of sleep. There's been many times where I wouldn't have been able to stay sober or keep tapering if I hadn't known I could go home, take my Seroquel, and sleep through the night till my next dose. And even when cut your dose, if you take it in the morning it should last through most of the work day.

Getting from 2mg to 0 is going to be the hardest part. It's crucial that you decrease your dose by the smallest amount possible. And then chill at the new dose and let your body adjust.

Try not to think about what dose you're on and when you're feeling crappy and anxious don't just sit there, get up and take a shower or go for a walk. There is definitely a part of it that's mental, if you spend too much time thinking about it you can definitely make yourself feel sicker.

its incredible how your mind is powerful. I did that mistake when i went coldturkey on oxy. i just laid in my bad and felt sorry for myself and kept thinking how long this is gonna take to get over the WD. Im sure that just made it worse. Rhun how long have you been off suboxone ? do you crave much sometimes ?
 
its incredible how your mind is powerful. I did that mistake when i went coldturkey on oxy. i just laid in my bad and felt sorry for myself and kept thinking how long this is gonna take to get over the WD. Im sure that just made it worse. Rhun how long have you been off suboxone ? do you crave much sometimes ?

Unfortunately, I'm back on it (subutex not suboxone) because of my pregnancy. My doctor said it would be too much strain on my body and he didn't want to risk me getting cravings either

I haven't had a lot of hope this time around though. I had just been using for so long and in such big quantities, plus I was on methadone a year. And in the beginning, I used opiates because it's the only thing that helped my depression, antidepressants has been completely useless.

But I was clean off everything for a period of time before I became an IV user. This was when I had a huge oxy habit. I would say things started looking better mentally and physically at the 3 month mark.

It's been my experience in recovery that PAWS will get easier at 3 months. Then at 6 months. Ans in most people, PAWS goes away completely after a year and your system is back to normal for the most part.

It takes time. Lots and lots of time.
 
While it's awesome that you were able to do that, I don't think this is practical advice. Especially since the OP has relapsed twice trying to quit cold turkey.

I think the best thing for him to do is do this Sub taper slowly and correctly. It's worth the time to do it right and have him get off opioids for good rather than risk a relapse.

OP, if you're tapering comfortably there shouldn't be any need to "take it like a man." I strongly believe that cold turkey detoxes have been so unsuccessful for heroin (and opiate) addicts because they put us through such unnecessary suffering.


I didn't give any advice, all I did was describe my personal experience and say they could contact me if they wanted to. I would never dream of telling someone what I think they should do for detox unless asked, everyone's different.
 
Last edited:
The overwhelming advice on Suboxone from user on this forum is for best results to start on as low a dose as possible, determine a quick taper method (in days, not months) some people lower the dose each day for a super quick taper lasting only a week and others stabilize on a dose for few days then lower dose and stabilize again, either way the object is to jump off at a low dose <.5mg. You can also skip days at that point for about a week and then jump. It is best to quit as soon as possible and depending on your motivation/circumstances that timeframe will vary. Like anything else in life the higher the motivation the quicker the results. These results are from the majority of people who tapered off, you will find exceptions and read posts from people jumping from ungodly amounts to using only 2 mg to get straight. If you want to play it safe go with the herd, start on low dose - taper off rather quickly - jump at a low dose <.5 mg. Good Luck
Did you even read the his post or any of the thread? Your response is completely irrelevant to his situation as he's already been on buprenorphine maintenance for some time (10 months I believe) and is tapering off.

Also, your advice is reasonable in cases where a rapid taper is needed. But you can't just offer the same solution across the board. Many hardcore addicts require maintenance for periods of a year or more before tapering is safe to do without there being a high risk of relapse. Especially for heroin addicts, cold turkey or even rapid detox is just not successful.

Sorry if I came off harsh, I just really think everyone should do the OP the courtesy of reading the thread before posting in ANY thread. Especially in a situation like this where someone is struggling and deserves our care and support.
 
I didn't give any advice, all I did was describe my personal experience and say they could contact me if they wanted to. I would never dream of telling someone what I think they should do unless asked.

Not trying to start an argument as I want to keep the focus on the OP's taper and recovery but you specifically said "You don't have to taper" then went on to describe how you jumped off at 24mg and for the OP to message you for how to do the same.

As I said before, it's awesome that you were able to do that safely and that it worked for you. But bottom line, to suggest that others do the same is just dangerous advice and I responded because I didn't want anyone to read that and think that route is good, safe method to get off bupe. Most people trying that would be putting themselves at risk of relapse at the very least but could also suffer danger to their physical health and mental well being.
 
Not trying to start an argument as I want to keep the focus on the OP's taper and recovery but you specifically said "You don't have to taper" then went on to describe how you jumped off at 24mg and for the OP to message you for how to do the same.

As I said before, it's awesome that you were able to do that safely and that it worked for you. But bottom line, to suggest that others do the same is just dangerous advice and I responded because I didn't want anyone to read that and think that route is good, safe method to get off bupe. Most people trying that would be putting themselves at risk of relapse at the very least but could also suffer danger to their physical health and mental well being.

Sorry...if we could just get back to where I did anything other than offer my personal experience? I don't see where I recommended any particular route or offered any advice?

Even if I was, why is it dangerous? You don't know how I did it, what methods I used..... For all you know I have the answer to how to detox from a ceiling dose of subby totally painlessly (I don't).

The wonderful thing about this site is that it attracts all different sorts of people with different experiences and every person's experience adds to the collective knowledge that is there for the person to read and digest and for other people to offer their views on (as you are doing now). As long as there's no actual misinformation being passed around then it's all good discussion that enables people to get a wide range of views and make their own choices based on the collective experience of the board, rather than being segwayed down a particular route by an individual (as you are now doing).

I'll stop short of toally shredding you to pieces and asking where your evidence that stopping dead at 24mg could cause danger to someone's physical health is or where your evidence that the 'bottom line' is that advising such a route is dangerous is, because I think the chances of you being able to provide anything constituting decent evidence is nil even if you are correct and it's out there.

No offence my friend, but you are coming across as a bit of a nobhead itt. Now, if we could get back to trying to offer some relaxed and friendly info to the OP that would be wonderful. Feel free to PM me if you think I'm talking shit though.
 
^ so basically you feel the need to respond while saying I shouldn't. Totally makes sense.

All I'm going to say is buprenorphine is a very potent opioid and 24mg is a ridiculously high dose to go cold turkey off of and can't be compared to ceasing most other opioids. Acute withdrawal can put a massive strain on the body and even if we knew the OP's medical history only a medical professional would be able to okay him to do what you're suggesting. People have died going cold turkey off high doses of methadone for example.

Aside from the medical risk, why go through that hell when there's no need? Not to mention the fact that the OP said he can't take time off work and that even if he could do what you suggested it could put him at high risk of relapse. If cold turkey detox is unsuccessful for the vast majority of heroin addicts why would that not be the case for bupe? Especially since the withdrawal has a longer duration.

Tapering off, the route I suggested (as well as many others) is not only safe and practical but is also the method used by Sub doctors and other healthcare professionals working in treatment. It's successful too, and that's based on countless addicts going through treatment and many people here on BL. Not anecdotal evidence from one person.

I never said anything about your specific situation. In fact, I said that it was great that you were able to do that and it worked for you. You chose to get defensive and say you didn't suggest it when your post is right there for everyone to see. Which is it btw, is it just your own experience that you're not suggesting or is it a totally safe way to get off bupe... you seem to be going back and forth.

You're the one suggesting getting off using a method used by one person successfully (as far as we know right now) that involves a lot of discomfort and possible risks to the OP's health and recovery. Versus tapering, which is common practice in the medical community and widely used. Burden of proof is on you here as what you're suggesting isn't common knowledge and it isn't exactly your medical opinion either.

I don't feel the need to continue this further, whether on here or through PMs. It's unsound advice and I've said my piece on it to prevent someone from reading it and taking it as fact. Most people with experience using bupe will agree with me and the information is out there to support it. If I felt I was introducing something virtually unknown and seemingly ill-advised (hmm like suggesting CT detox off 24mg bupe perhaps) I would support it with fact but like I said it's commonly used and if you doubt it then by all means research it for yourself.

OP, if you check this thread do let me know how you're doing and if you've made progress with your taper :)
 
Last edited:
You're the one suggesting getting off using a method

Hmmm...I'm getting deja vu.




Sorry to derail your thread OP, good luck with your detox. There are many different options open to you, hopefully you will find one that works for you. This is a wonderful site with lots of brilliant advice and experienced people, you should be able to find the information you are looking for here. I wish you all the best with your battle, never give up!
 
Btw, if the OP or anyone else needs information on buprenorphine detox protocols I would be happy to provide it for harm reduction purposes. Just shoot me a PM. I'm just not going to bother for an argument with someone who is using anecdotal evidence as proof against standard medical detox procedure.
 
Top