It's been twelve days now being off suboxone. Still having massive sleeping problems. I got off this crap last year with hardly a withdrawal. But this time is different. This had been a hell of a ride. Can't sleep, low energy, and the worse possible case of itchy feet! All I do is put lotion on my feet and scratch. Went to the doctor for it. He gave me some prescription creme. And get this, he prescribed Tramadol. Some of the same crap that I am trying to get off of. I wouldn't have known it, but went on the internet and found out. I told my doctor I was a addict. He knows my condition. I still have RLS and fall asleep for a 1/2 hour or two. I have a feeling it's going to be awhile before I feel better, but I am not going back to that crap. I almost gave in and was going to call the clinic to get some more BUP, and maybe taper off some more. But why delay the inevitable. Just rambling sitting at my laptop in the middle of the night.
martinbr
There is actually a medical opioid use disorder detox protocol using tramadol to transition methadone and buprenorphine patients off their medication. It also has a great track record as a comfort med (assuming you only use it for two weeks, during which time you slowly taper off the tramadol).
If he gave you tramadol, you are still having problems with RLS and insomnia, and you haven't thrown it away, I strongly suggest you give it a shot. What kind of prescription for tramadol did you get (like 50mg instant release pills, 100-300mg time release pills, etc)?
You should also pick up some Tiger Balm for your RLS. It helps a hell of a lot more than you might imagine, particularly for the RLS associated with buprenorphine withdrawal for some reason (IME) - and it has no side effects of risk of dependency
There is also a drug called ropinirole, the only drug I have ever heard of used specifically (and only) to treat RLS (it also carries no risk of dependence). Gabapentin is also fairly effective at treating RLS (though it carries a minor risk of dependency).
Melatonin may help a bit with your insomnia, but you would be better of taking a low dose of a gabaergic substance like diazepam, clonazepam or lorazepam (preferably not alprazolam given its short action; ideally diazepam, given its long action and it muscle relaxant properties). There are also the z-drugs that can help with sleep, such as like zopidem or zolpiclone. All these medications should only be used for a short period of time as there is a significant risk of dependency if used for more than two or three weeks (MAX).
If you get desperate there are also antidepressant used as sleep aids, like trazadone, as well as antipsychotics, like quetiapine, that can knock you out (there may or may not be a risk of dependency with these types of medications). Diazepam and clonazepam are the gold standard when it comes to sleep aids for opioid detoxes though (with diazepam being preferable for the majority of patients).
