06-26-2008, 01:57 AM
|
| Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Jersey
Posts: 59
| |
 Hi NY Beauty.....
I was on Suboxone for over 4 years to help me overcome my addiction to opiates. At my onset of Suboxone treatment, my Oxycontin intake was somewhere around 20+ a day. Not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars I spent to feed my addiction. Since I had no valid doctor's prescription, I was buying them at street value. I began weaning after about 2 years, feeling that the Sub's were somehow "turning" on me. I was feeling lethargic and aggitated, all at the same time. With the knowledge of my Suboxone doctor, we began a weaning process. After a while, I realized that my body was the best indication as to when I was ready to drop the dosage again. At one point, I was taking a half mg every OTHER day. At the end of using Suboxone I was at the point where I only took it when I began to feel the onset of w/d. That was only happening every 3-4 days at that point. Believe it or not, I stopped Sub's all together after taking a half mg every 3-4 days. Since I had no knowledge of how long the Sub's actually stayed in our systems, I had no idea that after 6 or so days the w/d's came on without warning. I was out shopping with my son when the flu-like symptoms began. By the time I reached my home, the w/d's were in full blown mode. For those who have tried to detox from opiates cold turkey, I do not need to go into the w/d details. Still never imagining that I was in w/d, I took to my bed for a few days thinking it was the flu. The person who knew of my weaning and eventual stopping the Sub's had mentioned it to me at some point. I told him it was ridiculous to even consider w/d since I had been off the Sub's for DAYS at this point. He handed me a crumb of Sub, and within minutes I was up and moving as though I had not been sick at all! I was shocked to realize that w/d could come on so far after that last Sub dose! That is when I surfed the web and learned about how long it lasts in our system, and the w/d that we can suffer a week after stopping the Subs! I began again, taking the Sub's only at the times when I felt those "oh so cruel" symptoms of w/d coming on. I can only tell you that at that point I was very careful to wean as my body told me to. At some point, taking the Sub's was not even a thought. That was when I posted on this site for the first time and was given that final confidence to try and stop completely. I am proud to tell you that I have been off Sub's since September of 2007, No relapse back into the insanity of using the Oxy's. No need for Sub's. No cravings, no desires, and no urges to use. I do keep a few Sub's in my drawer. At times when I need to reduce the pain from things such as dentists, I will take a small amount to help me. Mostly it eases nothing except my fear of using again. As far as depression from Sub's. I did not suffer any depression until about 2 months AFTER stopping them. Depression is a slippery slope, therefore, I ignored the signs and fell into a severe depression and stayed there for about a month. When I went to see my Sub doctor, he immediately saw the signs of depression and promptly prescribed Cymbalta. I have been on that since January and doing very well. What I took away from the weaning of Suboxone was that it needs to be done much more slowly than I could've imagined. And when I say "slow", I mean so slooooooooooow that I was almost going backwards  !!! LOL! Hope I helped!  Godspeed................
__________________ Janice  I shall remain grateful for Suboxone........... |
Getting off Suboxone... 
That doesn't make sense. I agree with Charlie, it took me almost as long on sub tapering as the time I was at the highest dose 8mg. I think that is why I never really had symptoms to amount to anything. Not much more than nervous energy, feeling a little antsy. But I was never sick. If we don't want w/d symptoms just have to take our time tapering. 
Linear Mode
