Author: DBMB

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:52 am

It is with a lot reluctance that I have decided to share my experience with Suboxone, or I guess the main topic here coming off. It is not because of anything more than the fact that I did not believe I had a lot to contribute to what is already out there.

The short back story is that I became addicted to Hydro several years back after some back issues which I just had surgery for recently. I am young (44), active, and have a descent level of fitness from a long athletic background. Like many I jumped up in usage and I luckily (joke) had a doctor who was able to address this with more and stronger Hydro’s. At the time it seemed I had it under control. I owned my own company, still worked out every day, and functioned the same as I did every other day of my life. That is to say except for the fact that any move I made, anywhere I went, I always had to think about pill count and survive-ability if something were to god forbid delay me a day or two in getting back to my house, dr’s office, car. or where ever I had some extra pills. This was mostly due to the fact that probably like many I was the only one who knew so carrying around 100 pills was not the way you kept it this way.

Fast forward 4 or so years and you get to the day when I said, "this is no way to live" and we get to the Suboxone. It started by me expressing the desire to get back to zero with my pain Dr. and his solution was to stop. I honestly had already tried Doc and I can’t. He shrugged and really just had no answers. Leaving I was discouraged but determined and as most of us know the Internet is a powerful thing. I found something online that was called Suboxone! No question to me, this sounded like a miracle drug. I short time later I had found my Dr. and spent much time discussing the drug and its benefits. He was at the time as honest as I think his knowledge would allow and told me that it is best with meetings, the dose should be as low as possible, and you can make a choice. The choice, forever or to someday come off, but you get to make that when the time is right. You will know. He inducted me at the office with 2mg which easily masked the 80-100 hydro habit I had. Then he gave me a few days supply and I had to come back every few days for the first couple of weeks where we did drug tests and all of his general Dr. things. Eventually I got to a month apart on the visits as I had never had any relapse issues. I hovered at 2mg for about 6 months and then hovered at 1mg for about 6 months and then one day I said it was time. This was about 3 months ago and I started to taper. The tapor was painless the whole way by dropping about 25% a week until I reached .25mg where I stoped tapering and leveled off. Mainly because the amounts where so small on the 2mg strips that I was sure I was barely getting anything. It was the day of my back surgery (8 days ago) that I decided to stop. I told my friend who is a neurosurgeon, and doing my surgery what I was on and no pain medicine could be prescribed. He agreed and gave me Diazepam for the recovery and said it would help during my coming off. I went to my Sub Dr. immediately after surgery and told him I had jumped, to which he asked if I believed the timing was right with all the stress from the back surgery. My answer was simple, "yes it is". He proceeded to give me Chlonidine, more Diazepam and 5 Tramadal’s. Which I questioned but he suggested that taking 1 a night to sleep would not be a bad idea days 2-7 (I used them as I needed?) .

Today is day 8 and I have slept and ate every day. Last night was a night without Tramadol as I kept one because I wanted to see where I really was today. Sleep was tough but a Chlonodine, advil PM, and half a 5mg Diazepam finally got me out. I saved the Diazepam as a last resort and always make this my habit. Some days I have felt I need it other’s not so much so I don’t take it. Below is my time line.

-B day+1: This was the morning after my last .25 mg and I already started to feel the effects of WD’s. I was morning and I knew this feeling all so well from trying to come off the Hydro’s myself. I pushed through the day with general uneasy feelings, RLS, chills, sweat, and most if you know the drill.

-B day+2: Lack of sleep is what got me most but all the same symptoms came but just stronger. It was luckily the 6th and I was home alone as the family was out of town for the 4th (my wife knows what I am doing as when I decided to go on Sub I came clean). Pushed through the day and went for a long walk and then steam room at the gym. Ate a Tramadol and 1.5 5mg Diazepam’s and fell asleep for about 4 hours eventually getting up around 4am.

-B day +3: It was on. I was sweating and said, "wow, good thing its the weekend. I could not work like this but I forced myself up, went out and bought a new desk for my office rearranged the office, cleaned the house and went to repeat my workout at the gym which was just walking as my back Dr. had said nothing but walking and then steam room and same as above except added some Chlonidine to the mix. Sleep was about the same as night before.

-B day+4 Woke and said, "I feel pretty good besides the drug cocktail hangover", but that was short lived and then felt much like the day before. Routine was about the same. Tried to move some, tried to find things to keep me busy and repeated without Diazepam but replaced with Advil PM the same cocktail. Slept 4-5 hours that night waking early Tuesday.

-B day+5: The lack of sleep was starting to get to me but it was still manageable and in my head I was sure I could make it to work. I work from home so it is easy to "make it" the question is what could I actually do? The day was much the same but the sweats were crazy. boring off my head and i think I had sort of slipped into a mild depression from the dragging on of this. I worked from every spot in the house where I could lay and would only do the min. That night I snapped out of it and went to gym like I had every other night. The steam room and the walking seem to do so much for my sleep. This night was a Chlonidine and Advil PM.

-B day+6: It was now Wednesday and I was convinced a had turned a corner when I woke but by 11am I knew that was not the case. I was still sweating so at lunch I went and worked out. It was very painful that day but I did it, went back to work and gutted it out. Night cocktail was the Chlonidine and 1 5mg Diazepam. Slept 7 hours.

-B day+7: Woke hungover from the Diazepam Chlonidine mix but felt OK. Still chills, still sweating but was OK. By mid day the sweats were killing me and I remember think clearly I could stop this. I have the ability to get a few Vicodin and could just take 5mg to make it through the day. I searched the web a found all the horror stories and then said, "I better get these ASAP. I will never make it", but in the end I did not. I took my Chlonidine and nothing else but was kicking till who know s when, then grabbed Advil PM and waited. No effect grabbed my STIM’s machine and .5 of a 5mg Diazepam and got 6 hours.

-B day+8: Here we are. I woke it still early so maybe sweats will come but I do feel different, better? Time will tell but it does not feel like the sweats will come, the chill is minor, and my spirits are high. My head hurts but I am sure it is a lot of the other crap I through at sleep last night. 3 Advil and a Starbuck and believe it or not writing this have helped. I am about to dig into work.

The future? I can’t tell you yet but tomorrow I jump on a plane to be with my family for a few days and yesterday that sacred me, today I just except it as fact as I fly 4-5 times a month and why should this be any different. If it gets tough I might and I hope that is a big might take that Tramadol and a Diazepam but at this point I am saying no. I will update in the future but what I came for is one thing and one thing only. It was to say it has been difficult but nothing like the stories I read everywhere on the net. I won’t waste my time on any other sites as they seem to wallow in the worst and maybe, just maybe put themselves in that position of agony. Whether that be through their mind or their choices. Take your time, work hard, and most of all listen to your body (my wife taught me that). Good luck everyone and sorry it was so long and I hope it does not minimize how hard. The road has not been easy!