want to stop suboxone but will i relapse?

[NadyaMaude]

Hi everyone, it's been so long since i posted. 2018. i was just getting into recovery then after a painkiller addiction that was not a huge dosage daily but for me, a lot of addictive behaviors that nearly ruined my marriage and cost me a lot of time. I went to inpatient treatment for my depression and addiction right before covid. since then i was doing really well staying on this super low dose of suboxone, 1/8 of a 2 mg film. as things started getting harder for me -- that GOTDAMN isolation of covid set in and i started to periodically double my dose of sub. not every day, not every week, but every so often. now, it's every week I double my dose, which gets me stoned, not euphoric, just i feel something like a relative of pk's lol, not the real deal, and this drug has made my depression better. BUT i can't seem to stop the addictive behavor of misuse. maybe i am being ridiculous because it's like, not that big a deal or something, but i feel the sadness, the shame spiral, the 'throw in the towel' syndrome i get after doubling. I want to stop taking suboxone to see if i can feel better, without this yucky energy sapping brain fog inducing drug in me. Problem is, i thought of this and immediately my fear is-- if i am not on any sub, will i go back to using pk's? Just needing support on a sad overcast day. Thank you all for listening.

 

[Pickledlemons]

That is an important question. The data is hard to argue with, suboxone greatly prevents relapse onto other drugs. It also keeps your tolerance up which prevents overdose if and when you go back to other opioids. So its a trade off, do you want to get your mind off of drugs and live a normal life without putting yourself through hell first? Suboxone lets you do that. On the otherhand, do you hate having to take a drug every day and desperately want to break away from that cycle? Well maybe quitting completely is your answer.

Just starting today, I am on sublocade which is suboxone in an injection that you only have to get every 4 - 6 weeks. I think your dose is too low for that, but you could always increase your dose with the strips for a week or so and then move to sublocade to get the best of both worlds. Or you can just stop suboxone altogether and deal with the withdrawal, but just remember your chance of relapsing increases and your chance of OD during a relapse increases... so pick your poison.

Good luck.

 

[NadyaMaude]

That is an important question. The data is hard to argue with, suboxone greatly prevents relapse onto other drugs. It also keeps your tolerance up which prevents overdose if and when you go back to other opioids. So its a trade off, do you want to get your mind off of drugs and live a normal life without putting yourself through hell first? Suboxone lets you do that. On the otherhand, do you hate having to take a drug every day and desperately want to break away from that cycle? Well maybe quitting completely is your answer.

Just starting today, I am on sublocade which is suboxone in an injection that you only have to get every 4 - 6 weeks. I think your dose is too low for that, but you could always increase your dose with the strips for a week or so and then move to sublocade to get the best of both worlds. Or you can just stop suboxone altogether and deal with the withdrawal, but just remember your chance of relapsing increases and your chance of OD during a relapse increases... so pick your poison.

Good luck.

Good luck on your journey with recovery-- when i get down on myself about being on a drug the rewt of my life i quickly think back to when i was spending all day obsessing about how to get it, and i wonder if the answer is more about getting support and good care, from a provider that understands the vicissitudes of recovery--- i think when i double this dose I am slipping in my recovery but you are right, i would be in danger of going down an even worse hole if i stop. i know that the dose is really high for sublocade and my dependance but i think it is such a great option for people especially because it wouldn't LET me mess around with my dosage!! Good luck to you too.