Suboxone taper (After 3 months of maintenance) help

[pigtownblues]

looking to start a suboxone taper today! i've been on bupe maintenance for approx. 3 mos and i'm ready to get off this shit as i've been playing around trying to kick it for a couple weeks now. i need a solid taper plan does anyone have experience with having been on bupe maintenance for this amount of time. i'm looking for minimal symptoms but will be supplementing with gabapentin 2x a day, clonodine 2x a day, cbd oil & occassional flower w/ thc, daily vitamins and a few other things... i need to make a plan/chart a.s.a.p..... any help is so much appreciated

 

[KraziKat]

People swear by some guy named Robert's taper plan. Robert_325 I have no personal experience with it, but have read online numerous positive reviews: https://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-drugs/suboxone-subutex-therapy-50887.html

 

[Alldonewithit]

Yes, like Krazi said, robert325 taper plan has helped thousands of people taper off relatively comfortably. 25% taper every 4 days til you get to .25mg. You then start skipping days, until you get to 4 day's skipped.

 

[pigtownblues]

this is my master plan here, any perspective is much respected

day1: 4mg
day2: 2mg
day3: 2mg
day4: 2mg
day5: 1.5mg
day6: 1.5mg
day7: 1.0mg
day8: 1.0mg
day9: 1.0mg
day10: .5mg
day11: .5mg
day12: .25mg
day13: .25mg
day14: .25 mg

 

[KraziKat]

Best of luck! Please keep posting on your progress and how you are feeling throughout. I am very interested. I am ready to kick what has become a 210 mg a day oxy habit (30 mg blues), purely recreational, and I am considering using subs.

 

[Jabberwocky]

this is my master plan here, any perspective is much respected

day1: 4mg
day2: 2mg
day3: 2mg
day4: 2mg
day5: 1.5mg
day6: 1.5mg
day7: 1.0mg
day8: 1.0mg
day9: 1.0mg
day10: .5mg
day11: .5mg
day12: .25mg
day13: .25mg
day14: .25 mg

For three months of maintain that should be fine.

(1) Do you have access to comfort meds (do you know what comfort meds you'll need)?

Comfort meds is 1/4 the equation, a slow taper 2/4 and the environment you'll eventually drop to zero in the final 1/4.

(2) Do you have plans for what you'll do to take care of yourself/your recovery after you get off the buprenorphine?

(3) What kind of history of opioid use/drug use and/or addiction do you have?

You haven't been on buprenorphine too long, so that kind of fastish taper isn't really unreasonable. But depending on risk factors a more stable 10%/week dose reduction taper may be more appropriate. Whether that is more appropriate than what you've proposed depends on your history and access to on going support (I'm not just referring to treatment related support, but support from friends and family, non-addiction medical professionals, in your community at large, work, whatever).

 

[Tzcatlipoca]

That should be fine, however it would be more comfortable to taper restricting your dose reductions to 10%/week. I can explain the theory/science behind that if you'd like. It's a very reliable rule of thumb.

Do you have access to comfort meds (do you know what comfort meds you'll need)?

Comfort meds is 1/4 the equation, a slow taper 2/4 and the environment you'll eventually drop to zero in the final 1/4.

Do you have plans for what you'll do to take care of yourself/your recovery after you get off the buprenorphine?


And again, let me emphasize the 10% a week thing. The kind of taper you posted is more for people who have a limited supply of buprenorphine and need to make the best of what they have because they can't get more. If you have enough buprenorphine/access to work with, the 10% dose reduction taper is far preferable to a faster taper (for a number of reasons).

Wonderful advice, if I may add my two cents,
Dear OP, Keeping your mind-set guilt free and being forgiving with yourself in case temptation gets to you is less painful and easier to transition with compared to self loathing and punishment (if your mind ever wanders into the dark side). I've been there countless times and I would like to remind you: We are not criminals for wishing to alleviate pain. Refrain from stigmatizing yourself if ever the case
Best,
Tez

 

[jjacobsen]

Also need help / advice

Hey toothpaste: when you say 10% reduction plan. What does that mean once I get to .5, as I have?

I had a 5 year H habit, 1g / day for last few years and have been on Suboxone now for 4 months. After trying to taper WAY to fast and having insane problems I went back up to 8 and spent a week at each until now. I'm stuck here because I tried to go to .25 and on day 1 I was stuck unable to move and day two bad restless legs, chills, anxiety at night. I had to go back to .5 (it was worse than the 24th hour cold turkey off H right before I took subs!)

Been there at .5 a week now. Still feel chills/ants under skin nearly all day. Need Xanax to sleep ( been 4 days of that after a month of Klonopin).

Is it PAWS or subs causing me to feel this bad? I do have: Xanax (I want to limit it don't want a Benzio addiction. Never used them before this), Clonidine, Gabapentin, Ambien (saving so far. Slept ok up til 1 and .5) and Kratom (red Bali and sample ounces of green strains). Weed too but that makes me paranoid and sad lately I stay away from it.

I'm sorry for the inevitable "this info is elsewhere" problem but I've spent hours upon hours researching Suboxone and heard so many wildly different things. Doctor was useless and ignorant. Oh and since you said it was relevant: I do have support in the form of SMART meetings (can't go to until I feel better though) and parents letting me stay at their place with helpful brother. But I also am heartbroken from divorce and this would be 10 times easier if I wasn't depressed.

Thanks SO MUCH in advance whoever can help! I know myself I can stay sober even if uncomfortable but not if in perpetual suffering! I just want to get to the supposedly "tolerable" part of PAWS!

J