Suboxone problems and questions. Help!!!

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Ez1608

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Ok where so I start, I was addicted to lortab first for about 2 years then got hooked on methadone really bad for 2 years. I was taking about 8 40mg wafers a day, it was pretty bad. Well then I finally had to just stop so I started taking suboxone and that was 2 years ago. I had been on 16 mg a while then slowly kept working down and down until I was at 2 mg. But then I relapsed one time on lortabs and my doctor decided to go back up to 8 mg and I started to slowly begin tapering again. Well now I'm down to 2 mg again and every time try to stop I start to feel withdrawals and start thinking about using again. I am wondering how long this will last and if I will ever get past this dark spot in my life. I did this to myself and have no one else to blame but me but I just want this to be over. I wish I would have never eaten that first lortab, but I can't wait to take that last suboxone!!
 
Hi Ez1608 - welcome to the group. You have a good question. You need to taper off of suboxone very slowly. I've heard that tapering off of sub is worse than off of opiates, but I can't speak first hand about that. Once you get down to 2mg (or even 4 mg/day) you have to taper much more slowly. Try dropping 10% a week or even 2 weeks and see how your body adjust to it. You will have to cut your pills in pieces to be able to get your doses correct. So, if you are on 2 mg/day now (i.e., one 2 mg tablet) you should see if you can first handle taking 1/2 a pill (1 mg) twice a day. You should take the doses twice a day to make sure you have some sub in your blooRABtream throughout the day. Breaking it into two separate doses may cause w/d's initially since you are getting 1/2 dose in the morning and waiting until the evening before getting the 2nd dose. Once you are used to that regiment, start decreasing down 10% ( 2mg * 0.90 = 1.8 mg). You'll have to really try to estimate the dose. 1/4 of a 2 mg pill is 0.5 mg, so 0.2 is approximately 1/8 of a pill to shave off. Stay on that dose for at least a week and allow your body to become used to it. The next drop will be 1.8 mg * 0.90 = 1.6 mg, which is a little more than 1-1/2 of a pill, again broken into 2 doses. It's a pain in the you know what, but you can taper down and increase your math skills at the same time. :-)

You just have to taper slowly with suboxone. If you drop down a dose and have w/d's maybe increase you morning dose a little for a few days and then drop down again. It all depenRAB on your body and everyone's body is different. Some people can drop faster and others just can't seem to do it as fast and have to stay on a dose longer. Try it and see how that works for you. Once you get down low enough, you can try jumping off cold turkey and you will probably experience some w/d's, but hopefully they will be less severe. Good Luck!!
 
Hi Ez1608: I have been taking suboxone for 7 years, when my old doctor wanted to tapper me off it took him one year and in March of 09 I was on 2mg then he told me that was it. I was to stop at 2mg which if you ask me that is still way to high to just stop at! But I did what he told me and went through severe withdrawals for 32 days, with 8 visits to the ER. That has been the worst thing I have ever been through in my life! Even when the withdrawals were gone I still did not feel right. I went back to see a doctor and she now has me on 8mg and wants me to stay on a maintenance dose for life, I plan on getting down to 2 or 4mg a day. Have you considered doing that? Good luck and stay strong!
 
I haven't ever really thought about staying on it for life? I stay gone a lot for work and its really hard to come back every month to see my doctor. But I guess that could be an option. I'm just stuck in between I guess.
 
WOW< HECK NO! My Doctor told me the same, your on it for life! NO NO NO, I would not accept that for nothing... I jumped at 2mg 2 1/2 mg. Yes I had horriable WD's
( you can go back and see my posts) But Trust me It has been worth it.......
Im still having some WD's but nothing like it was though... Just some rls and not sleeping well still, but I would never never go back on the SUBS again... I would rather die then go back oin them...
You can do this, its a fight for your life, so you have to really want this.. I do want it, so I have stuck with it....
I know you can do this as well....
Keep coming back, this board has been a life saver for me....
 
Hello Ez,

Nice to meet you. Some people choose to stay on Suboxone for the rest of their life because they are almost guaranteed to relapse if they try stopping.

By staying on Sub, you don't have to worry about even the potential to relapse. Of course, it is a personal decision. You have to weigh your options. There are benefits to staying on it, and benefits of getting off it.

My personal choice has been to stay on it for life, as I relapsed so many times and lived a very stressful life. I've been on it for almost a year now and it was the best decision I've ever made. I am myself again and have so much to be thankful for - first and foremost...Suboxone.

Any decision you make, just be sure to consider all your options. What works for someone else, may or may not work for you. Don't allow yourself to be pressured into making that decision, as the rest of your life depenRAB on it :)

Good luck, keep in touch.

Sincerely,
emsmom
 
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