headaches from tapering?

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pingeye2

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has anyone experienced headaches when they are tapering off of suboxone? I have never experienced many headaches on suboxone even though that is the nuraber one side effect but I have recently cut my dose from 2mg to 1 mg and the headaches have been pretty bad. Do you think this is because of the decrease?
 
Hi Ping

I have never taken suboxone, but I did taper from first Oxycodone and then from Xanax. I can tell you that I had headaches throughout the tapering process and for a while after stopping completely. I can not give you a scientific reason why this happens, but I have always figured that tapering is forcing a brain readjustment in chemicals and that is why the headaches occur. As the brain leveld out after each of my cuts, the intensity of the headaches would lessen.

For me, they were a part of the battle to get off the drugs so I accepted them as a step in the right direction. No fun, but certainly a fairly samll price to pay to get drug free. I am sorry you are experiencing themm , but it is quite common and eventually they will be gone along with drug dependence.

Best of wishes
reach
 
hey reachout thanks for the response...the headaches have happened from time to time recently but nothing that is too bad. I actually want to give everyone some advice, I know it has been talked about at length here but I just wanted to stress how important excersise has been for me. I have had trouble with relapsing and I had not worked out each time I attempted to be sober until this most recent attempt and I must say I feel amazing. It has limited the physical effects of the suboxone tapering and I just feel so much happier and have a lot more energy. So for anyone reading this just know that I hate jogging and working out as much as anyone but I just feel amazing and I think it has had a major effect on staying sober. I had always read that excersise made recovery easier but I never got around to it, now I jog 5 miles a day and lift weights for a half hour.
 
Hi Pingeye~~~

Glad to read that you are doing what you have to do! The advice to exercise is spot on. As I tapered, I had to really push to do exercise. Long story, but I am limited as to what I could do... but, for anyone else out there who can move in any way, DO IT. Walk ten steps if that is how it must be to start and build up. I 'exercised' by sweeping, walking up the stairs, short walks... any and all movement I could endure. It helps the body and brain restore itself quicker and is good for the soul.

Our lives change dramatically when we become drug free. We just care more about our well-being. Pingeye, it seems you are well on your way.

Stay strong, keep the resolve and let life come back to you fully restored.

reach
 
loopman,


I can definetly relate to the feeling of not wanting to work out. I actually was on an athletic scholarship in college and working out was such a huge part of my life. AFter a few injuries and pain pills the excersise took a back seat to my addiction. I eventually began suboxone in noveraber of 07, I began at 12 mg day and now I have tapered down to .5 mg a day, all along I was eager to start excersising again but I just could not get motivated. I had a few setbacks along the way, none longer than a couple weeks. Recently I have had some problems at home and I finally got the motivation to work out again, I felt that the personal problems I was experiencing may lead me down a road I didnt want to go down again so I started to really concentrate on improving my overall diet and added a few supplements, I now take vitamin supplement along with a B-COMPLEX. I was told that b coplex can improve your energy levels so that may be something to try.

When I began running again it was extremely difficult, I couldnt run longer than a few minutes without extreme fatigue. I came up with a little system that seemed to help me so maybe it will come in handy for you. I would jog for a minute and then walk for 2 minutes, then I would jog for another minute followed by a 2 minute walk, I would continue this for about an hour or so. Every day I would improve a little bit and eventually I would jog for 5 minutes and then walk for 1 minute, recently I ran for 45 minutes straight without walking. Hopefully some of my suggestions will be beneficial for you. Keep me posted on your progress. I think I said it before on this board but I will say it again, excersise has almost taken over as my drug of choice, it is like my new addiction, it provides me with that "high" that you talked about.
 
Hey Ping,

How long have you been on Sub.? I used to be an exercise nut. In 2002, I completed the Las Vegas Marathon. Since I started taking way to many pills and even after I have started the sub, I can't get motivated to exercise. My wife has even started. Don't get me wrong, I don't know where I would be without the sub, but I still feel like I am in a fog. No motivation. I do have a highly stressful job and I am now in my mid 40's and I just can't get over the hump. Running is how I used to deal with my stress. I better than anyone, can describe the HIGH you get from exercising. Any thoughts would be great.

Take Care,
Loop
 
Hey Ping,

Thanks so much for the advice. I actually started on sub 2 months before you and I am just down to 8mg per day. I like you started at 12mg. I really know what exercise can do for you and I just can't seem to get through the mental block. Do you credit your exercise for your quick sub taper? It's cooling off here now and Fall is my favorite time of the year. I am a big hunter and season is fast approaching, so I will be out more. The biggest problem I have besides motivation is time. I have 55 people that work for me in a retail grocery store and trying to juggle family life. I have been doing this for over 20 years now and before I always found a way to get it done. Thanks again and I will keep you posted.

Take Care,
Loop
 
It is difficult to find the time to work out when you are so busy. I think that in the last month or so the exercise helped me break the barrier from 2mg to .5. I had never dropped that quickly but I have not felt many of the common side effects that I would normally feel if I decreased that fast, I guess it has something to do with the endorphins in your body. I decreased
.5 a few days ago and feel no ill effects thus far, except for the slight headaches from time to time that I discussed earlier.

When you are in such a time crunch maybe you should grab 5 or 10 minutes here and there and try some pushups, crunches, squats, etc. If you do 40 or 50 of these any time you have a few minutes it will add up. So say if you work a 12 hour day, if you can do 20 pushups an hour thats 240 a day. You can mix and match and even try to make it a quick cardio type of thing. This may give you the kick start that you need to get back on track. Try it out for a couple days and see how it feels, who knows maybe you will catch that exercise bug again. good luck. Keep me updated.
 
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