DDAVE's SUB THREAD

[DDAVE45]

how many mgs of sub are you taking?.....and if you just stop without tapering you will have withdrawls

[xoluv2groomxo]

The strips that I have say 8/2mg on them I have been cutting a 1/4 of a 1/4 2 times a day one when I wake up n one later in the day...

[DDAVE45]

8/2 means it 8mg of buprenorphine and 2 mg of naloxone.........are you taking 1/4 of the 8mg strip(which would be 2mg.) or are you taking 1/4 of of that 1/4 (which would be .5 mg)?.........it might be easier for you the sooner you get off subs....but the question is....are you 100% committed to being sober right now or do you feel that w/o the subs theres a chance you'll slip up?

[Suboxowned]

I'm currently on 3mgs and tomorrow is my last day before my drop. How low did you go before you stopped? I want to try and have the same experience as you, even tho I know everyone is different, I think if I taper down low enough and slow that I won't feel too bad. Could you give me a breakdown of how you did it once you dropped below 1mg and for how many days you stayed at each dose.
Thanx. Suboxowned

[xoluv2groomxo]

Well I was a vicodin user for about 7 yrs perscribed by my dr. I eventually ended up taking about 30 a day and a friend recommended methadone... I had been on methadone for 5 yrs. and just got off 3 weeks ago I took myself down from 94 mg to taking away 5mg a week when I got to 16 I never went back.. A friend gave me some sub strips and I been on that since. I am taking a 1/4 of a 1/4 2 times a day... I am seriously not afraid of relapse because I havent used vicodin for 5 yrs and dont even think about it.. my problem is that I am in alot of daily pain I have severe carpal Tunnel and lower back problems and my job doesnt help. I groom dogs and stand on my feet 8-12 hrs a day... I am also realizing alot of emotional stuff is coming back to haunt me.. eg. exes, childhood ect. that have been blocked for a very long time. It was not my intention to block all of that out but Im noticing it flooding my head since Ive been off methadone... Is all of this normal?

[Suboxowned]

Well I was a vicodin user for about 7 yrs perscribed by my dr. I eventually ended up taking about 30 a day and a friend recommended methadone... I had been on methadone for 5 yrs. and just got off 3 weeks ago I took myself down from 94 mg to taking away 5mg a week when I got to 16 I never went back.. A friend gave me some sub strips and I been on that since. I am taking a 1/4 of a 1/4 2 times a day... I am seriously not afraid of relapse because I havent used vicodin for 5 yrs and dont even think about it.. my problem is that I am in alot of daily pain I have severe carpal Tunnel and lower back problems and my job doesnt help. I groom dogs and stand on my feet 8-12 hrs a day... I am also realizing alot of emotional stuff is coming back to haunt me.. eg. exes, childhood ect. that have been blocked for a very long time. It was not my intention to block all of that out but Im noticing it flooding my head since Ive been off methadone... Is all of this normal?

I have been having really weird dreams too. About things and people before I became addicted to pills. I guess its my body/brain trying to revert back to before the addiction?????? Not sure tho. It is definitely weird. I was injured on the job (low back/hip) and the doc put me on vicodin or vicoprofen. I never went over 10-12 a day. I should've weened off of them but nope, instead I traded one addiction for another. I bet my insurance is gonna love me when I'm off this stuff. BTW, my insurance pays 100% of my sub pills. Its gonna be great once I'm off and for you too. We've got the rest of our lives to live drug free and without clouded judgment. I'm only 42, so I've got a lot of living to do....good luck to you.

[xoluv2groomxo]

I have been having really weird vivid dreams also, it is probably part of the brain chemistry returning to normal.. Not sure but from what Ive read our brain Chemistry has been altered from the opiates for so long that it does some crazy things trying to get back to normal I am 38 and I understand exactly what u mean....I just got so tired of the drugs having control of my everyday life and yes we do have the rest of our lives to be drug free... I just only hope I can find a way to deal with the pain on a daily basis, so far no luck except the obvious....But I know Im a strong person and I will tough it out one way or another I will NEVER take a vicodin again not after the hell ive been through over it... thanks for the good luck and good luck to you also

[Suboxowned]

I have been having really weird vivid dreams also, it is probably part of the brain chemistry returning to normal.. Not sure but from what Ive read our brain Chemistry has been altered from the opiates for so long that it does some crazy things trying to get back to normal I am 38 and I understand exactly what u mean....I just got so tired of the drugs having control of my everyday life and yes we do have the rest of our lives to be drug free... I just only hope I can find a way to deal with the pain on a daily basis, so far no luck except the obvious....But I know Im a strong person and I will tough it out one way or another I will NEVER take a vicodin again not after the hell ive been through over it... thanks for the good luck and good luck to you also

We should start our own thread so we can keep in touch. We're not that far from each other. I live approx. 60 miles south of Chicago and I see you're from Michigan. Its nice getting on here and having someone to talk to who is going through the same thing. I too suffer from a lot of pain. I've just learned to live with it. Currently, I am going to physical therapy for a severe case of plantar fasciitis on my left foot. It is murder to walk but I push thru it because I'm not letting that get me down and I'm sure not letting a bottle of pills control me anymore either!!!
Have a good one.
Let me know if you want to start a new thread for our little "journal"
Last day for me at 3mgs.

[jrmellem]

this is what i did........i would take a 2 mg film strip and cut it in half wit a razor. Take one of the 1mg film strips and cut that in half....and from there i would keep halving it till i got to what i wanted. At the end these pieces were so small that i had to pick them up with the tip of the razor and put it in my mouth with the razor (obviously i would be careful when doing this). I jumped at .0039.
I did have minor w/d when i started getting down that low. Its really hard to be consistant when the pieces u are cutting are so small, but if done right and organized then it becomes a lot easier. Just to give u an idea of how long i did this ....i think i was at .125 like 3 months ago....so i did go pretty slow. hope that helps any other questions please feel free to ask

DDave45. Great thread, congratulations. Did you do the increasingly smaller amounts just once a day or two times? And what time of day did you take them?

[jrmellem]

Also, did you skip days where you were doing a dose every other day or third day at any point?

[DDAVE45]

suboxoned and Xoluv........what u guys are experiencing is all part of the process. You have been in a fog for so long and these meds have just masked most of your feelings and judgements. To answer your question....i explained how i did my taper in the beginning of my thread. If theres anything you still have a question about feel free to ask. I still dont know what ur exact dose is Xoluv......1/4 of 1/4 doesnt explain what your taking.

[DDAVE45]

jrmellem........thanks man........once i got down to 1mg i only dosed once a day. I would do it around 10pm everyday. I didnt skip any days either....im sure that would have worked but once i got low enough i just stopped taking it. After a few day of no withdrawls i just flushed whatever i had left.

[xoluv2groomxo]

Well I take the strip and cut it in half then I cut the half in half and I take one of the 1/4 peices and cut it in half which gives me two little squares.. I take one of those squares when I wake up and one of them later in the day does that make any sense? lol

[xoluv2groomxo]

That would be great Suboxowned... I too feel good being able to talk about what I am going through.. Makes it a little easier knowing there are other people going through the same thing...

[DDAVE45]

So your taking 1mg in the morning and 1mg at nite........your actually at the perfect starting point to start a taper. If you really want off of the subs...than i would start a thread and ask Robert_325 to help you out. Hes dont this with a lot of people.

[jrmellem]

So your taking 1mg in the morning and 1mg at nite........your actually at the perfect starting point to start a taper. If you really want off of the subs...than i would start a thread and ask Robert_325 to help you out. Hes dont this with a lot of people.

And when you get down to taking 1/4 mg, a whole mg would feel like a lot to take. It would make me sick to take that much all at once now. The potency is so high, I think that Dr.s should level people off at small dosages instead of putting them on 8 mg or more a day. It would still do the job and be a lot easier to get off when the time comes.

[DDAVE45]

12 days no subs. .....running a half marathon tom. morning
JR......i completely agree.....theres no need to have someone on more than a couple mgs.

[xoluv2groomxo]

Thank you for the advice .... I really appreciate it I tried just taking one mg in the am and not the other later in the day but I was working and was on my 9th hour at work and was feeling pretty bad so I ended up taking the other...

[jrmellem]

12 days no subs. .....running a half marathon tom. morning
JR......i completely agree.....theres no need to have someone on more than a couple mgs.

Good luck on the run. I bet that's why you were able to get off without symptms. I can't run but want an eloptical or stationary bike.

XO. Keep up the good work. I did the same thing lots of times. Just stay on a dose until stable then drop it a little at a time.

I'm in MI too. By GR.

[sjan17]

12 days no subs. .....running a half marathon tom. morning
JR......i completely agree.....theres no need to have someone on more than a couple mgs.

Hi DDAVE45, it's SJAN17 here..just want to wish you luck tomorrow on the half marathon! The most I've ran is a 5k, but it's been a few years. That's one of my goals after this is over...I too want to work myself up and start running longer distances. You must be just estatic and gleaming with joy. You should be sooo proud of yourself. Wow, it's gotta feel good being sub free and being able to run for that long. We all need to just get high on life naturally....have a great time tomorrow..I'm so happy for you!

[jrmellem]

Excuse the typos in the last post. That's why I don't post from the phone ususally. Darn tiny letter keys. Anyway, I think that anyone trying to get off subs would benefit from high intensity aerobics of some type. The endorphin release would compensate for the brain chemistry messed up from the subs, I think. I tried fast walking but it's hard to get the heartrate high enough and there is still some impact involved, for us with those corresponding limitations.

[DDAVE45]

thanx for all the support guys.......the run was great ....so many people it was crazy. Had to drive up to conn. right after the race so havent been on in a couple days, but ill try to keep posting.

[DDAVE45]

day 17 no subs..........cant believe its been this long already, man time goes fast......This past weekend i was in conn. and it felt so good not to worry about taking a sub b4 i go to bed. I know it prob sounds stupid but it really is empowering and just makes me feel like im normal again.

[Robert_325]

day 17 no subs..........cant believe its been this long already, man time goes fast......This past weekend i was in conn. and it felt so good not to worry about taking a sub b4 i go to bed. I know it prob sounds stupid but it really is empowering and just makes me feel like im normal again.

Doesn't sound stupid to me! I think it's very cool! Congratulations, it will just keep getting better and better. You deserve to feel good and proud of yourself. God bless.

[Suboxowned]

day 17 no subs..........cant believe its been this long already, man time goes fast......This past weekend i was in conn. and it felt so good not to worry about taking a sub b4 i go to bed. I know it prob sounds stupid but it really is empowering and just makes me feel like im normal again.

Good job to you DDave...I can't wait till I'm there too. Hope all is well with you! Keep up the great work!!!

I'm getting a little scared. Needing a little support.

[donesub]

[QUOTE=DDAVE45;350087]thanx Korbon......why would u go back if u've gotten to 3 days with no w/d? i dont understand that.
SJAN17.....i was at 2 mgs for awhile....i would say like 2 months. I was taking subs for almost 3 years, so it has taken me a long time to get off. I wasnt trying to get off though either...just this past year i decided i didnt want to keep taking this stuff and i found this forumn. Once i started weaning i took the 2 mg strip....cut it in half ..cut one of the 1mg in half (.5 and .5) take one of the .5 and cut that into 4 equal strips so i had four .125 strips. I used a razor to be as accurate as possible. Once i had those small pieces i was reducing myself by .125 or sometimes .1875. And there were nites that i weaned down and couldnt sleep but after a day or two i was stabalized and was fine again. Once i got down to 1 mg. i used that same process but went a lot slower....i wasnt dropping every week....it was more like every 3 weeks or so. I remember a few months ago i tried dropping from .5 to .25 and couldnt sleep or sit still, my legs would ache and i couldnt get comfortable....so just becareful not to drop by more that 25%.......hope that was detailed enough for ya any other questions feel free to ask[/QUOTE

This is exactly what worked for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its not just you dave!!!!! BTW thanks for posting about the micro doses. It took me much longer to stable at the smaller doses.....3 weeks at least. I was clean for 45 days before but my brain never reset, like a constant anxiety attack. When I slowed it down and listened to brain and body, I didnt really have any symptoms to speak of. I took them for 7 years, every receptor I had was turned off. in my case, slowing down the taper below .5 mg was critical. I took klonopin for 3 days when I jumped (tiny dose and dont think I really needed it). The only noteable symptom that hangs on for me is stomach cramps. They are just now getting less in frequency and intensity. I cant complain after 7 yrs of sub though. Its gonna take a while for all systems to completely heal and I'm ok with that because I have seen such drastic improvement fairly quickly after long term use.

[DDAVE45]

donesub.....im glad that way worked for you also. I was just too nervous jumpin from .25 so i just decided to taper all the way down to basically nothing. I was given clonodine by my sub doc, but never ended up needing them. Today is 18 days with no subs and i havent even needed a tylenol.

[donesub]

donesub.....im glad that way worked for you also. I was just too nervous jumpin from .25 so i just decided to taper all the way down to basically nothing. I was given clonodine by my sub doc, but never ended up needing them. Today is 18 days with no subs and i havent even needed a tylenol.

Dave that is AWESOME!!!!! I think I am almost at a month now. Its funny, last time I tried to jump at .5 (was at .25 for 3 days and went back to .5, then jumped) and I was a raving lunatic and could tell you the day, hour and minute I took my last dose. This time.....I couldn't tell you because it was such a non event in comparison. In my opinion when done very slowly (long term sub use only), it can be a very helpful tool. The danger lies in that every person is different, thus, expecting results based on another persons journey could knock you off course maybe even the map. I think if you go SLOWLY and listen to your brain and body, very good tool. (didn't think that the first experience though)
However if a new inductee takes it too long he could become addicted to it if drawn out. It is a fine line...... but I think the more we communicate experience and the more that is learned, at some point the good Sub Dr.'s will figure out how to use the drug effectively. The bad Dr.'s will just still want the paycheck.

I believe in Roberts taper 100%. The only thing is long term users (in my opinion) have to slow it way down. By using Roberts 25% reduction method but spending more time leveling out relative to the length of usage, I believe any body can get off opiates.

[Robert_325]

Dave that is AWESOME!!!!! I think I am almost at a month now. Its funny, last time I tried to jump at .5 (was at .25 for 3 days and went back to .5, then jumped) and I was a raving lunatic and could tell you the day, hour and minute I took my last dose. This time.....I couldn't tell you because it was such a non event in comparison. In my opinion when done very slowly (long term sub use only), it can be a very helpful tool. The danger lies in that every person is different, thus, expecting results based on another persons journey could knock you off course maybe even the map. I think if you go SLOWLY and listen to your brain and body, very good tool. (didn't think that the first experience though)
However if a new inductee takes it too long he could become addicted to it if drawn out. It is a fine line...... but I think the more we communicate experience and the more that is learned, at some point the good Sub Dr.'s will figure out how to use the drug effectively. The bad Dr.'s will just still want the paycheck.

I believe in Roberts taper 100%. The only thing is long term users (in my opinion) have to slow it way down. By using Roberts 25% reduction method but spending more time leveling out relative to the length of usage, I believe any body can get off opiates.

donesub ..... the most important thing is the final result. Everyone is a little different. If you're clean that is what counts. Happy for you! A month clean is rocking along! God bless.

[DDAVE45]

your absolutely right Robert......the final result is what matters. Its amazing the kind of people that are on this forum......i really wish i would have found this a long time ago. The encouragement and appreciation that everyone shares truley is remarkable.