Author: broseph

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:20 am

Amy,
No problem. This thread is a lot for me to keep myself going and motivated; to share this experience with other humans makes it infinitely easier. The fact that it is helping you and potentially other people is a very nice bonus though, and makes me very happy. Thank you.

I only spent a few days at .625 before dropping to .5. I spent so long at .75 due to the storm that I think I was ready for a bigger drop. I hardly noticed anything going to .625 so I figured I’d make up for some lost time and see how .5 felt. I dropped Thursday and have been at it since, without having to increase my dose on Friday or Saturday, and today I feel good with just .25 as a 9am dose.

I think I’m going to start the liquid taper at my next drop instead of .5 because I can still cut .25 pieces and if the bioavailability is worse like that, then really, that’s better. It will mean I’ll be able to go lower on the liquid when I start it in a few weeks.

With the drop to .5, I know it’s going to take me a few weeks to stabilize because I wake up and feel like I need a dose and start getting a little antsy 7-7:30pm for my evening dose. It’s nothing unbearable at all and is usually a short wave of discomfort that passes. If it was bad I would increase back up to .625, but although my body definitely is eager to be dosed in the morning and at night the past few days, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I had gotten so comfortable at .75 that I felt completely normal all the time basically and kind of forget what a drop feels like. I just look at it as paying the piper in very small amounts over a long period of time.

Each day is getting easier and better though. This morning I woke up and didn’t feel like I needed sub immediately and I’m hoping to feel the same way later. Even my sleep has hardly suffered; I’ve been getting at least 6 hours a night since the drop. I’ll probably be totally normalized on .5 by sometime next week and will drop to .4 shortly after the new year. Since measuring with the liquid can be much more precise, I think I’m going to start making my drops really small, but a little more frequent. Possibly every 10 days?

Something like..
.4
.35
.3
.25
.2
.175
.15
.125
.1
.09
.08
.07
.06
.05
.04
.03
.025
.02
.015
.01

That’s 20 drops and and at ~10 days each, that would have me jumping right around the beginning of the summer, as I have been planning. This is a constantly evolving process, but this is currently where my head is at with the whole thing. Knowing myself, it will probably take a little longer, but if this time next year I’m still on but very close to getting off, that will be ok too. I just like having goals and a plan.

Christmas will be my one year clean date off of oxy. If you told me this time last year I’d be where I’m at now, I would have never believed you. Seriously. I still kind of can’t. But here I am and I feel fucking amazing. So much like my old self, before this whole mess started. Like I’ve said before.. If you commit to Suboxone and use it properly, responsibly and put in some effort, you can taper with minimal discomfort. I am living proof of that.

If I don’t check in with you before the holiday/new year, have a great one everyone.

All the best.