Need some advice about Subutex again

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Catholic_dad

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I have been on Subutex for over three years and it is time to quit. I have tapered down to almost nothing in the past with no real withdrawals and upped my level again.

My question is this. I think that I can lower my dosage again to almost nothing but the trick is to stay down and then get off. What do I do about this. Subutex caused me anxiety attacks especially when I drink coffee and it is awful. It is time to get off of this garbage once and for all. Would you recommend the guidence of a good physician? Is there a support group that I can hook up with that will offer some moral support?

Thanks

Dad
 
Hi Dad

I have never been on subutex or suboxone. However, from frienRAB here that have been, it seems like those last dosages are the hardest to taper from. I did taper from the opiod Oxycodone and also from the benzo Xanax. Corabining my own past experience with some knowledge I have gained from others here, I would treat the sub taper more like a benzo taper.... really slowly and real, real easy as the end approaches. When you get tapered down to one tab, start crushing it and taking it in eyeball measured doses. As the doses get ever smaller, start strecthing those hours until you can start skipping a day. Start skipping i day, taking it two, skipping two days and so on. Who cares if it takes a long time? The goal is to get off and stay off. If we tiptoe to that point, we are more apt to find success. For me, I never 'jumped' off the Xanax. In the end, I was able to walk off.

I am sure others who have used the sub will have some great suggestions. Until they pop in, I just want you to know that I am wishing you well.

Stay strong, stay committed.
reach
 
Thank you for your comments. I have chosen to really get serious about this because over the past 7-8 months I believe the drug is causing me to have alot of anxiety that I have never had before, not to mention it messes with memory to an extent. I do notice that my cognitive skills are much better when I am on a lower dose, and that I can't remeraber a darn thing (such as finding my keys) when my dose is higher. I really think that I have allowed myself to get lazy and not bother getting off of it because it is just easier to go about my day and not worry about it. But it is time to stop. I don't want to be on some drug the rest of my life, unless of course I had to be because of some legitimate medical reason like for instance if I was a diabetic or something. But there is no known medical reason why I should stay on this junk anymore. I had a very small addiction to vicodin and although I am grateful that I was able to use subutex to get off of vicodin and stay off of it, it seems like "I am shooting the horse to cure a broken finger nail."

Thank you for your advice and I will take them to heart. I am going to make an appointment with my physician and tell him I need some help and moral support to get off of this once and for all. I will do it slowly as I am pretty much of a wimp when it comes to pain and withdrawals. I am no hero when it comes to physical pain and no reason to pretend that I am. I wish that I was but I am not.

Dad
 
I like your phrase of "walking off" rather then "jumping off." I think both ways are good, but I suppose one has to decide which will be more effective. Again I am no hero, and walking one's way to success may not be as sexy as jumping, but the end result should be the same.

Dad
 
I am in a similar situation. I kno ur pain when u say shooting the horse to cure a broken finger nail. I too have been on subutex for about 2.5 years. I only took pain meRAB for about 6 months. Unfortunately, that was long enough 4 me to discover what withdraws do to a person. I also play the sliding scale of dosage from 16mgs all the way down 2 2mgs and back up again. I also have anxiety attacks so bad I've been 2 the e.r twice this year bc I thought I was having a heart attack, and i'm in my VERY early 30's.
On positive note, my Doctor told me that increasing the dosage will not cause further damage to the brain. (I.E. increasing addiction.)we are no more damaged now than we were when we started.
However the doctor is of the school of thought, stating this would be a life long "maintenance" medication @ anywhere from $300-$500 per month plus the cost of medication. I think some of these doctors c an easy payday. Maybe not that blatantly but the end result is the same.
Long story short my pharmacist came up with an excellent game plan: Start on a new prescription;
Go 3 days at your full dose.
Than cut that dose in half for 1 day
After that day go back to your full dose for 1 day
Next go back to the half dose for 2 days
(Your half dose now becomes your full dose)
The next single day, half your new dose(quarter the original dose)
Than back up to the "New full dose"for 2 days
Next 2 days half that dose (1/8 original dose)
That now becomes your new "full dose"
Depending on what your dosage is continue with this until you get down below 2mgs per day. If @ any point it gets unbearable maintain the minimum tolerable dosage until you stabilize.
Once you get down that low and stabilize within 3-7 days begin skipping a day and than 2 days and so on. It will happen but you can't give up, and it won't be completely pain free, but it will be much much less. In the meantime go c your family doc and explain the anxiety attacks. These are things that CAN be managed through medication. You can also quarter the recipe above instead of halving it. I've tried for the last year and 8 months to stop this stuff and this is the closest I've come. The reason I failed the first time was pure laziness on my end. At some point (for me anyway) the psychological addiction is alot stronger than the physical... I'm a wimp 2, but I refuse to accept that when my husband and I start a family our baby would be born addicted to medication. That is an unacceptable scenario. Well thats alotta rarabling I helped something helped anyway.
This is my 1st time posting anything. U R NOT ALONE and I'm trying to quit now myself. So keep in touch and if you find something that works better please share. There is an EXCELLENT video on this page with a guy explaining how he got off.One of His tips were fish oil supplements to help the brain heal quicker. Its on U-tube.

Good Luck!
 
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