Funny you ask that ,since I was just discussing exactly that on another thread where some fellow BLer helped me cover all my options once I finally decide not to take Bupre at all (which I´m just about to do )...should had been "yesterday " actually. Running out of patience -horrible drug ,this is. Feels like I´ve been in this almost constant semi -withdrawal state ,for ages now ,once I´ve dropped below 2mgs/daily. I´ve never felt this impatient, desperate even ,to quit a drug tbph. Enters Tapentadol, which came up in the conversation along with Dihydrocodeine, codeine and other "lighter " opiates/oids which will hopefully be of some use once I do what I must. I´m actually going to get a prescription for it -soon as I see my doc .Then report back to both of you. I´ve never tried it. Read good things about it though -described as a "cleaner, stronger " type of Tramadol -that might just be helpful combined with Codeine.
On another note ,and speak of awful ...I´m that guy who maintained for many years that you couldn´t possibly get addicted to benzodiazepines -having inconsistently abused them just like you ...:IV Loprazolam (not lorazepam ), Midazolam , lots of oral Diazepam, Alpra, Temazepam ( those yellow jellies were one of my all time favourite drugs in that class ), Oxaze etc, etc ...add Z drugs and everything in between in that category ...few years after :" surprise!!! surprise !!!!!" -came a day I went out and as usual, popped no benzos before work and ,obviously ,thought nothing of it. Caught that same old bus as I did ,all day every day ,to work ...all of a sudden I begin feeling this tightness in my chest ...left arm going all numb ...a feeling which begun irradiating all the way up to my neck and the veins in my head felt as if they were about to explode ...I was just, just about to reach for that Emergency handle so I could get out of there and not die inside a bus?!! Turns out I found ,or rather, maybe I put it there "just in case " ,a few 3mgs Bromazepam(s) in one of my pockets . Popped that so that if I was going to die at least I would get there a bit sedated ...that was the 1st time after decade(s) of reckless, inconsistent benzo abuse that I found out what a "panic attack " (??!!! ) was like. In 15 minutes if that ) I was feeling sweet -nothing at all. As if I had fallen asleep in my seat and dreamt I was about to have some stroke or seizure or such -never have I been so terrified in my life ... apologize for the rambling but yeah ...I still also take 5 mgs of Diazepam ...finally managed to wean myself down to that ...and even skip it for days ,until I get this discomfort which I had never experienced in social situations before .An unusual sense of irritability also makes me reach for that 1/2 10x Diazepam piece now and then.
At 5mgs it is very manageable to deal with a benzo habit if you can call it that. Even using Ambien now and then feels "stronger " than 5mgs of Diazepam.
But yeah , again ,apologize for the long ,rather inconsistent reply and will update once I get the Tapentadol and try it in a Bupre taper scenario.
Stay safe !