[nybeauty]

Hi I'm new to this community...I'm pretty desperate...I've been taking Suboxone (16mg) for a year and a half now, and I really would like to get off of it...I met a guy that got off of Suboxone, because he said long-term use of it--may cause in depression...And I have been seriously struggling w/depression, as I do take an anti-depressant for...At first--I did not believe that Suboxone could cause that...but now that I examine closely my pattern of depression...I realize that I've been the most depressed since being on this drug...Sadly to say...my doctor doesn't seem to be a very good one...He is cold, and kind of unprofessional...However, in my area--the available doctors that are licensed to prescribe this drug are wayyy limited. That is another reason I want off this drug, so I can go back to my former primary care physician (that can't prescribe Suboxone). I would like to start a new chapter in my life, and I don't want to have to be reliant on this drug forever! However, here is my quandary...Last week, I tried to stop taking the Suboxone, but on like--day two, I started experiencing MAJOR cramps...I couldn't take the discomfort--so I took my Suboxone dose--and sure enough, the cramps went away...

I would SOOOOO appreciate any feedback from someone that knows what I'm going through...Has anyone here gotten off this drug successfully?? And is there ANY way to avoid withdrawal symptoms?? I know many on here may suggest to advise my doctor, but I'm tellin' ya--he is not very helpful, and I'd like to hear from people who are familiar w/actually being on this drug, and being able to get off this drug!! THANKS A LOT!!!

[Robert_325]

You can stop the suboxone successfully without severe symptoms, just have to do a taper slowly. You have been on it for almost two years so you will have to taper slowly, in small incraments. I can give you specific instructions if you are ready to begin. I used sub and stopped it successfully with no problems. If you have been taking 16mg a day I would drop to 12mg for at least two weeks. See how you are feeling then. Dropping by 4mg is not that hard at higher doses. When you get down to lower doses you will reduce by 1mg or .5mg a day. Just be prepared for this to take a while. You won't do it quickly without having w/d symptoms. Take your time. I am on here every day. Let us know how its going. Good luck.

[Charliez]

Hello nybeauty & Robert. I have been on sub. for like 8months & have 1/2 way tried to reduce for a while then some things worked out & decided to stay at 16 for at least a year. The reason I believe some of these Dr's don't say much about treating someone with the sub. is because they themselves don't know a lot. This is fairly new & real new to some & they just haven't been prescribing it all that long so they haven't had many patients give feedback as to get off it. Robert successfully got off it but as he will tell you it takes a while. I don't think there is a quick path unless you have plenty of $ to go to one of those expensive complete detox programs & I have never personally talked with anyone who has went through that. I like you are looking forward to the day I am once again pill free! I am thinking about what you said about depression while taking the sub. & will get back with you about that. Charlie

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by Charliez

Hello nybeauty & Robert. I have been on sub. for like 8months & have 1/2 way tried to reduce for a while then some things worked out & decided to stay at 16 for at least a year. The reason I believe some of these Dr's don't say much about treating someone with the sub. is because they themselves don't know a lot. This is fairly new & real new to some & they just haven't been prescribing it all that long so they haven't had many patients give feedback as to get off it. Robert successfully got off it but as he will tell you it takes a while. I don't think there is a quick path unless you have plenty of $ to go to one of those expensive complete detox programs & I have never personally talked with anyone who has went through that. I like you are looking forward to the day I am once again pill free! I am thinking about what you said about depression while taking the sub. & will get back with you about that. Charlie

People start on suboxone because they don't want to have opiate w/ds. Then they rush to get off the suboxone instead of doing a taper. 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.

[SheLovesKoalas]

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................

[starryeyed]

hey well done for sticking to your suboxone and not using. i tried suboxone but just found i couldnt kick heroin so used both for about 4 months i knew jumping of sub would lead to using again and so i got a naltroxone implant apparently you can take them under the tongue but mine are 3 implants put in my stomach....i rapid detoxed for 12 hours very unpretty but woke up fresh and clean. with the implants you can fel no opiate, morphine or drinking high for 6 months then they just dissolve away inside you. im in australia so not sure if you have them over there its $6000 but i pay it off $40 a week. after being on heroin for 2 years then the sub as well this treatment has changed my life.