New to site, day 7 of suboxone. First time user

Author: jennyloveschet

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:40 am

Hi Kelly,
I’ve been on subs now for almost eight months; the initial month of my program I too had headaches. My doctor said it was from the flavor ~orange~ and that I would eventually get used to it; which I did. As for tapering off so quickly, I couldn’t do it. For me, and many others, this suboxone thing is a maintenance program that will most likely last a very long time. Since being on this site I have learned that many doctors are attempting to begin detoxing their patients as soon as they begin the program. That just doesn’t make sense to me. Giving an opinion from a heroin addict of 12 years, and a fourth year psychology major ~ studying to become a substance abuse counselor~ I can safely say that the brains of long-term heroin/pain pills addicts just don’t work like that! For many of us, we can’t go from a major addiction to a detox program and than…. BAM…just quit. Even with a sllloooowwwww detox you’re still going to go through the nasty shit withdrawals. It might not be as intense~ hence the tapering off~ but it will still suck..bad enough for many to say fuck it and relapse with their chosen poison. That is why, IN MY OPINION & MY DOCTORS OPINION, a long term maintenance program is essential for a safe, relapse free, suboxone experience. For me, suboxone has saved not only my college education and my soon to be career, but it probably saved my life. I know my reply is a bit late to your initial post, but I hope you still get a chance to read what I had to say. God Bless and good luck with your experience on suboxone.

Getting off completely. Quick Taper, about 2 years use.

Author: dzeman21

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 1:31 pm

when i dosing stop completely will i still be feeling minor WD symptoms for a few days – week or will those WD symptoms sort of subside due to the fact that I’m detoxing quickly and rigorously? I am now having minor WD but taking small doses in order to allow me to feel somewhat decent. (but I am functioning and it’s a million times better than OC withdrawl, just a little bit of a funk)

Quitting Cold Turkey — My Withdrawal Diary

Author: Romeo

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:02 pm

Hi Anonymous,

Welcome to the forum!!!

Jumping from 2mg is a little on the high side, but if you want it bad enough, you can do it. We’ve had several members here who were able to make the jump from 2mg.

For some of us, jumping is the only way out. I jumped off about 8mg or so and made it. I had a rough ride, but then again, I jumped from 8mg!! (can you say dummie!! lol)

Your Imodium and Clonidine will help. Good thinking to get those. Like Fiveseven15 said, hot showers will make you feel good, too. Music is going to sound amazing as well. Put in your favorite CD and BLAST it!! Very Happy

Other than that, keep your mind and body busy. If you sit around and focus on how crappy you feel, it’ll only make you feel crappier. Get up and do stuff. Wink

Trouble tapering from Suboxone. Request help please.

Author: Brown Eyed Girl

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:26 pm

That’s right Romeo, you have to do what you feel is best for you to get clean. I had tried everything in the past. All the support groups, tapering from pills, jumping from those same pills, and finally the Suboxone which I am convinced is the way for me to go. It’s not any kind of miracle drug, but just another TOOL to use in the fight against addiction issues like those other methods are.

I could have used that other method you mentioned, and maybe been successful too, but in the long run I feel reducing my dose as little as possible every 4-7 days is what I myself need right now. I will keep with my plan until it either gets me clean or fails. It will be no one’s fault but my own if it doesn’t work. I will ALWAYS say it’s up to each individual to choose their own method of how they get clean.

My attitude is extremely positive right now, and I will give it all I have in me this time. I am also going to continue with NA/AA support groups with a friend of mine to give me every chance at success this time. All I ask is that everyone respect my choice just like I will surely respect everyone’s else’s choice too.

I see on another thread that you actually jumped from about 8mg of sub and you truly deserve congratulations for being able to do that! That had to be one wild ride? WOW…..good for you my friend!

Karen

Advice PLZ -been on Subs for over 3 weeks after methadone…

Author: xaosmg

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:21 pm

Hey all! Thanks for reading my post! (I will make this short)

Ok. I have been on subs for 3 1/2 years with only the last 12 months being steady and taking my meds daily as prescribed. The first 2 1/2 years were up and down due to money issues and having no insurance. Up/down meaning some days I had to take less than prescribed and some days I would have to not take any because I couldn’t afford more. The last two months I was switched to strips(8mg 3xdaily is what I was always on) and I didn’t like them as I was used to the tablets for so long. Every time I would dose, whether it was 1/2 tablet, 1 tablet, 2 tablets or 3 – and sometimes even 4 when being an idiot – I ALWAYS FELT THE "little buzz/light high". ALWAYS! After 1-2 hrs it would slowly decrease and then I would just feel great for the rest of the day. Even days when I would dose 2 or 3 or 4 times – I would always feel the high. But, more importantly, when it subsided, I would always feel "better" Its hard to explain but I hope you all know what I mean. You feel "normal" the whole day, except maybe when you wake up and you are about to dose for the first time that day. Even then its not bad compared to real w/d. Actually, forgetting the high after a dose, what happens after is you feel like 1% better than normal – but we relate it to "normal" because its been so long since we were normal lol.

Anyways, I went to a clinic at the end because my doc stopped suboxone treatment altogether and was on subs(3x 8mg a day) there for 6 months. WAS A WASTE!!! Depending on your clinic, you might only get 10-25% of your normal dose. The reason is my clinic would give me FIVE MINUTES to dissolve 2x 8mgs at once, and then 5 mins for the third 8mg strip. THATS IT. Soon as those 10 mins were up – you have to wash it down with water or swallow it all – dissolved fully or not. I couldn’t take this after a while as I wasn’t getting close to the amount I should be and asked to switch to methadone. So many people felt great on it I wanted to try it as I never had before and it could be what I needed to feel good again and work my way down. So I switched. They built me up from 30 -75 mgs and then 75mgs to 90mgs. This was over 4 months. I stayed at 90 for about 4 more months and once I started making money again and realizing the methadone only made me feel good for the first several hours of each day – I missed suboxone making me feel normal or 101% all day and I started working my way down over the last 4 months.

Once I reached 40mg – I stayed on it a week, then switched to 30mg for one day. 24hrs later I took my first subs (left over from previous script) After 4 days of pwd hell, the aches started to go away little by little as each day passed. Around day 8-10 I felt about 75% better and could feel the meds working. Now, I am at almost 3 1/3 weeks – day 24. I do not feel the light high, which is FINE BY ME. No probs here lol. But, I don’t feel good all day as I used to. I can live w ithout the little high, but I do want my meds to work as good as they can and they aren’t working 100% – yet. Oh, and I was taking tablets for the first 1 1/2 weeks and now Im taking the strips for the last two weeks(new doc and prescription – 3x 8mg strips for a total of 24mg daily) I am hoping and praying that as each day goes by it will get better and better until its doing all it can and then I can wrk on a taper. But until then the waiting is killing me. As for absorption, if I take 1 strip I let it dissolve for at least 30mins+ and 2 at a time I let dissolve for 1hr+ – just to make sure I hold it the saliva as long as possible. I was swallowing for the last few weeks and switched to spitting it out for the last few days – thinking that could help. It didn’t make a difference, so Im back to swallowing as of today.

I thought that since its been over a year since Ive had suboxone that I should feel even better than I did when I was taking subs after 3 years straight – at the very least. But I also know that taking methadone for a year did damage to my receptors in some way(or are still clinging to something in my head) and that could be why its taking so long to get the full goodness of suboxone. Again, Im not looking for the little high(though I wont complain if I do get it, however slight) but I am waiting to feel "good" again as one feels for the majority of the day when the "high/buzz" wears off or goes away.

HAS ANYONE EVER SWITCHED FROM METHADONE TO SUBOXONE AND IT TOOK WEEKS+ BEFORE THEY FELT AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE FROM THEIR MEDS?

HAS ANYONE HAD TO WAIT WEEKS TO FEEL BETTER/GOOD FROM SUBS – AFTER SWITCHING FROM OTHER MEDS?

ANYONE KNOW WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP THINGS ALONG?

ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP REMOVE ANY LEFTOVER METHADONE THATS MESSING THINGS UP?(if that’s whats happening)

I would GREATLY appreciate ANY advice or comments. I have a plan with my doc to be off subs in a year or less. And , I want to taper – ONCE I can maintain for a month or so. But I cant until I get the full effect of suboxone otherwise its wasted $$$. My cravings aren’t an issue and my aches(legs/arms/back/neck) are at 75%+ gone. Its just not improving or it is, but its so slight Im not noticing it much. I know I feel a bit better than last week, but its not much and its def not the medicine doing 100% of what it did before I switched to methadone.

I don’t mind waiting a few more days/weeks. If I knew it was going to get better and I would feel good again(not the high) – then it would be easier at least knowing that the "feeling better" is coming. Don’t get me wrong – compared to pwd or full blown withdrawal I feel wayyy better – but that doensnt mean the subs are working as well as they should be – yet.

I hope to talk with some of you soon and I thank all of you for reading this. Feel free to comment below as I am loving this site and always looking for new ex-addict friends to talk with. Thanks again! S!

-Mike

'Coming Out' As Suboxone Patient

Author: Kitty36

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:44 pm

I don’t think you sounded silly. You’re right that a lot of people are very closed minded and only see things how they want to see them. And unfortunately, there is a lot of discrimination against people on subs and on pain pills, even if they have a legitimate reason. I guess it’s easy for me to not care what anyone thinks because I have no plans to ever find a different job, and I know that my current job can’t do anything about the medication I take. If my situation were different, I’d probably feel differently about it. Your plan sounds pretty good. Tell a couple people that you trust and think will be understanding, and see how that goes. If you want to, that is. If not, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it to yourself either. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, that’s the best way to go Smile

My Story (13 days off)

Author: DBMB

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:54 pm

I am now 26 days off and if I did not have these light sweats (my head) and sleep issues caused mostly by inability to fall asleep I would swear I was normal again. These are just the lingering effects I think of such long lasting opiates but I can’t really say I know. The are annoying but as I keep saying nothing that can’t be dealt with. They day they are gone will be an amazing day though. I keep moving forward and as I and many people have noted, staying busy is the key. My workouts do tons for me and when I am busy with work I practically forget that I have any issues. I have found something weird going on but I can’t pinpoint what it is. It is related to the food I eat and how it effects my sleep and or sweats. There seems to be some correlation but IDK. Off to the gym and will report back from time to time as always.

Help? To stop suboxone or not to stop, that is the question

Author: AnabeloftheSouth

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:02 pm

Hello all,

I just read a thread that stated a SLOW taper is the way to go.. I see that Karen is stepping down slowly. I have enough suboxone that I can really do this slowly. But I really don’t know what to do here. Today I cut my dose of 1mg ( which I had been taking for about 6 weeks) to .75mg. I think I feel ok, but it takes a while, I am told on this medication to really feel anything. I had considered dropping to .5 but am glad I did not, having read a bit about this.

I SO don’t want to fail at this. I will do it as slowly as needed. I really have no idea and until I came here was just playing it by ear. I started a couple months ago at a super high dose, but only was on that for 2 doeses ( with a skipped day in between) and didn’t feel ok at that dose… So just chose a random small amount and that seemed to feel ok for me…

I don’t want to just stop. I had considered that, but read some stuff that said it is a bad idea.

I know everyone is different and there isn’t some magic solution, but if anyone knows how I should taper this, input is very welcome.