Buprenorphine / naloxone and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Trx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2013

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Been on heroin and other street drugs since I was 13, 14. I'm 37 now, and this is my first time at doing my turkey, as they say, or giving it up properly. This is my first afternoon on the medication. I know it's a bit early to jump into things or get my hopes up yet, but I'm actually feeling really good. I'm my nice, normal, happy self again, whereas normally I'd be wrapped up in bed clucking like usual until my next charge. I don't know how it's translated from English to American, but I'm on 16 mg a day, and fingers crossed I'll get some sleep tonight. Wow, forgotten what it actually feels like to sleep sober and actually enjoy lying in my bed. :) I'll write back further into the treatment. Thank you and congrats to all, it's been helping x x x"

• mna...
• November 18, 2018

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I started on 2 mg of Suboxone, I worked my way up to roughly 5 mg. I could no longer take the migraines and constipation. When I switched to Bunavail, I went from 5-6 mg of Subs to 2 doses of 2.1 Bunavail daily. CONS: 2.1 mg Bunavail is not even close to 4 mg of Subs, which is what the manufacturer claims. Initially, I had WD symptoms when transitioning to Bunavail, 2.1, twice daily. Yes, the film can 'scroll' in your mouth and takes time to dissolve. I wait 45 min before spitting out 'goo.' PROS: Fewer migraines. I have regular bowel movements. My body is still trying to 'level out' with this new dosing, and I'm struggling a bit with lethargy, motivation, and sleep, but I'm committed to giving it time. In about three months, I have a plan to start tapering. IF you're someone who is in survival mode because of side effects of the Suboxone, TRY Bunavail, but KNOW the dosing is NOT what the manufacturer indicates. It's closer to 2.1 = 2 mg of Subs. God bless anyone struggling with addiction."

• old...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 12, 2025

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I will tell you what the rest won't. If you are strong enough to kick heroin, do it. Because when you're a real drug addict and not just taking some pills and have been around, it's all about the detox. Now H has some harder detox symptoms than subs. Having said that, with H, you count the days till you feel better, typically for a hard user, 2 weeks. Suboxone is miserable. The symptoms actually get worse as time goes by. I was on 3 8-milligram strips a day, then I went to jail. The first month being sick was hell, then came month 2! I could not sleep, trying to eat was horrible. Now the 3rd month was 'better.' The only reason I got off was I got into a fight and broke my arm. I went to the hospital, and when I went back to jail, they gave me 10 mg Vic. For about 2 weeks after that, I felt fine. My warning to you is you will have to detox eventually."

• eve...
• January 18, 2016

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "For me, I had a terrible time with Suboxone. It relieved the opiate withdrawal a number 3 out of 10. Bones started to creak, teeth started cracking/breaking, insomnia, legs wouldn't stop moving, headaches, backache. It just didn't work for me, doesn't mean it doesn't work. Initially, I felt as though it was just the process of the other opiates leaving my body, but after a month of feeling like rubbish, I relapsed. I could no longer take it, it took a lot more to get relief due to the effects of the sub. After a year and a half of Suboxone and feeling badly all the time, I gave up Suboxone and the second job to pay for it and went back to full-time drugging until I found methadone and have been happily and contentedly clean without any pain since."

• jet...
• July 22, 2013

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Unreal, changes life in a day. Has some side effects, insomnia for me, but the only way to change quickly with minimal withdrawal. Becomes more mental (physical dependency is gone), I think I can take a lot less than is recommended. Really, it can be done with 24 mg in my opinion. Was taking 5/6 30 mg oxycodone, 80 mg OxyContin. Before using Suboxone, I went down on the quantity of oxycodone, best argument for continuation is relapse prevention."

• Jef...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 6, 2022

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I have been on Suboxone for 6 years. I started using opioids at 23. I am 50 now. I have been tapering down for months. My doctor prescribes 15 films and they last 3 and a half months. Thanks to Sub, I had my life back. A good job, nice apartment, and the trust of my family. I have decided it's time to quit and used my last small doses on Friday at 8:30 a.m. I am on day three and the worst part has been the urge to move my arms at night. I did not sleep last night. Took like 5 hot baths, and I almost gave up. I keep saying to myself to hold on. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You can do it. But jeez, I know I will feel better soon, but when?"

• E-M...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 11, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "Suboxone saved my life. My history is my rib broke, it ruptured my spleen, so they removed my spleen. I was put on morphine, Dilaudid in the hospital, then became addicted to OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and benzos until Suboxone turned my life around. I got a great job, I rent a beautiful condo. I’ve been on it and clean for 12 years. A few months ago my insurance stopped covering regular strips, got put on generic strips, and it has been misery ever since. I’m having trouble sleeping, I wake up every couple hours, sleep only 6 hours, if that, and bad headaches at least 4 times a week. I go to the doctor today, she flips out and told me this means it’s time to start weaning and that it’s a sign of me being on Suboxone too long - yeah, ok! Brand is Sandoz. I’m in misery, guys, sorry about run-on sentences doing voice text."

• Woo...
• December 21, 2015

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I have been on Suboxone for 14 years. I was on 12 mg and now I'm down to 1/12 mg daily, but if I drop any at all, I can't sleep. I want off, but don't know if I can make it off of this stuff. It really helped me, but now I want off. Has anyone heard of being on it for 14 years and getting off?"

• Lad...
• August 31, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "7 yrs clean & sober! Due to multiple surgeries, I was prescribed every type of pain pill on the market. Needless to say, I was a full-blown addict abusing RX opioids for 12 years. To clean up, I started out taking Suboxone 8 mg/2 mg (worked fine, saved my life). Next, my insurance co. decided they're not paying for Suboxone anymore, so now it's Zubsolv (not too bad/hard to dissolve). Then, a year later, it's another switcheroo game with my insurance, so I'm currently taking Dr. Reddy's generic buprenorphine/naloxone, which absolutely sucks! Take it from me - there is a totally huge difference between generic and non-generic; this generic garbage has me feeling weird, I cannot sleep, hot & cold bouts, feeling anxious and agitated. This is the first time in years that I am running out of my buprenorphine/naloxone. I am feeling as though I'm going into withdrawals and starting to crave. I will address this with my Dr. hopefully I can get an authorization for the real Suboxone."

• ede...
• January 12, 2009

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "This is the real deal. I was smoking a gram a day of heroin for about a year. I had tried to quit cold turkey-didn't work. I didn't even last two days before I went out again. Then I was prescribed other medicines to help with the detox. I gave these up after three days of insomnia and being anxious and depressed. Finally, I tried Suboxone, and it made all the difference in the world. I was super cold the first two days, but on day three, I woke up feeling great. I've been on one 8 mg pill a day for about three weeks now, and I feel better than I have in years. Even people who don't know I was a junkie have commented on how much better I look. The best part is I have no cravings, and I have money again."

• DDa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "I've been on Suboxone going on 5 years, and just yesterday picked up the generic strips. Sometime last night, I started having some serious thoughts of hurting myself, and I don't even feel that way on my most depressive days. It's scary how suddenly it came on and lasted throughout the night. I had insomnia as well, which I really can't afford as I have a new baby. I can only hope it gets better. Guess this is the push I needed to get off."

• run...
• December 28, 2010

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Suboxone was great for my opiate dependence. I was using 160 mg of oxy daily and really wanted to be free from its painful grip that it had on me. I tried quitting cold turkey but couldn't stand the withdrawal symptoms. So I went to a doctor and got on Suboxone. Things were great until I started tapering off of it and eventually quit. The withdrawal was not as painful as opiate withdrawal but lasted a lot longer. Day 3 was when it began, mostly when trying to sleep: cold sweats, the kicks, could not sleep at all. Day 7 now, and I have not slept more than 2 hours a night yet. I have read posts on other sites, and everyone else has had the same problems. I hear day 10 is when it starts to get better, and that it takes about 2 weeks before it's over."

• Jli...
• December 18, 2011

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Started 8 mg of Suboxone 6 months ago. Tapered down over the last 6 months to 1 mg by cutting the Suboxone 2 mg film in half. Suboxone is amazing and does everything it says. Make sure you do it with a doctor. The withdrawal symptoms are not fun for at least a week, I am on day 5. Chills, flu-like symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, headache, nausea, loss of appetite among symptoms. First day I'm feeling better and haven't used Oxy in half a year. Take some Tylenol, some Ativan. All helped me, now I'm off it."

• edw...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 10, 2022

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Day 6 without Suboxone. The first three days/nights were very difficult. RLS, insomnia, anxiety. I could not sleep. My doctor prescribed Trazodone and Neurontin. Trazodone helped on night 4. Slept 2 hours. Today I still feel the need for subs, but it is more mental than physical. Looking forward to being free of any kind of opiates."

• Nik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 6, 2022

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I'd taken Suboxone for 4 years and 2 months (this time around). I'll first say that this got me off fetty and all other things mind/emotion numbing. It works. I regret not knowing more myself and trusting the providers. I was started on 16 mg daily. I had massive headaches, insomnia, and nausea (from how terrible they taste). I'll say don't take your doses anytime close to bed - insomnia. Headaches were due to the mg being too high for me. I was always a functioning addict. I always maintained two jobs. That being said, I worked and went to the gym. My brain was stimulated, and I'm (only guessing as I know myself) that I was making my own endorphins. I'm on day 5 with no subs. I'll post my experience so far."

• Raw...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 25, 2023

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "So it's great to hear everyone being able to swap so easily, but I've been on subs for over 15 years, they saved my life. Then insurance changes have forced me to go back to Zubsolv again, and in less than a week, I had dilated pupils, couldn't sleep, all the typical withdrawal symptoms. I went from 1 and a half 8 mg strips a day to the supposedly equivalent 5.7 Zubs. So my doctor was like, listen, their whole thing is a marketing ploy to be able to sell the meds cheaper. He swapped me to the 8.2s, and I finally felt the same again. So maybe I have a crazy fast metabolism or something, but I can tell you I've had to do this twice, and both times had to be bumped up to the Zub mgs closer to the 8 mg strips, and that worked for me. Regardless of what the internet tells you, they do not have any different bioavailability than the strips, that's nonsense. Otherwise, I wouldn't get this sick every time I've been forced to switch."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2015

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I'll be 100% real. Zubsolv is terrible. They claim that Zubs and subs are the same strength, however, that is not true. When coming off/withdrawing, SWIM can usually take a half to 3/4 of an 8mg strip of subs (possibly a full strip if SWIM's relapse is bad enough) and then they will feel fine. However, they recently tried ZUBSOLV with the directions of only needing to take one every so many hours. After waiting the correct amount of time, SWIM took the Zubsolv as instructed and soon after, the withdrawals came. After waiting an hour and a half, the withdrawals had emerged with full-on sweats, vomiting, etc., so they took a second one, and after about another hour, the vomiting had stopped, yet cold sweats and shaking were still present. It wasn't until after a third Zub was taken that my friend was even able to take a deep breath and finally sit up straight and not have to be in the restroom. And yet, still had sleepless nights. Finally went back to subs and after a half of one, had no complaints. So if you're thinking about switching, don't. The taste may be better, but wow, who cares what it tastes like? It's about being able to function without withdrawals and without cravings. So all in all, don't waste your time, your health, your money, and your sanity on ZUBSOLV."

• Ann...
• December 3, 2010

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "My fiancé has been addicted to Vicodin since he was 9 years old. He is now 23. I am so thankful that they came out with this medicine. I can remember the fight over the addiction. The sleepless nights and the shits. He was never the same after he had started treatment. He has been clean for a year and a half. Thank you so much. He can finally live free of an addiction."

• dai...
• January 12, 2011

For Opioid Use Disorder "I really worked myself up with reading Suboxone horror stories online. I was very scared that I was taking it, but I was lucky to have a very understanding doctor. He explained to me that people explain the bad more than the good. I had a very positive experience with Suboxone and was on it for 2 years. Trouble sleeping at first, bathroom problems, but much better than with the OCs. My doctor helped address all my concerns, and I started living a very healthy lifestyle, and now I can keep all my teeth. Taper, taper, taper. I went from 16 mg to 1 mg, if you go too fast, there can be horrible withdrawal, but worse relapse to whatever opiate you started from. Don't believe the terrible stories and remember anything is possible if with hope."

• Obi...
• May 13, 2022

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I'm switching to Zubsolv from Suboxone today. I pray it controls my cravings as the Suboxone film didn't, plus I had terrible insomnia. Many people call Zubsolv a miracle drug. I need a miracle, I'm at my wit's end."