Suboxone Side Effects
Everyday, we receive emails from people addicted to drugs looking for help. Lately, a number of those emails and calls have come from people who are now addicted to Suboxone – a drug they went on in hopes of quitting other drugs.
The most recent letter we received about Suboxone Side Effects really captures the pain that people feel when they realize they have now become addicted to Suboxone:
I have been on suboxone for the last few years after being addicted to pain pills from my many surgeries. I was never told about the many negative side effects from this drug. After reading about them I realize I suffer from all of them. I went from a happy, confident, popular guy to now having no friends, very depressed, and isolated, basically feeling like hell. I’ve been trying to get off of it for more than 6 month’s now and every time I stop taking it, the month or two of withdrawal outlasts my will.
I need help to get off of it and if I don’t, my fear is I won’t be alive in a year. It has ruined me in every way; most of all financially. I need advice, please help me.
Tags: Drug Detox, Suboxone Detox
I am now very scared my doctore put me on 20mg.per day of suboxone, about 4mnths. ago, how will I too get off this stuff?what is the difference? I much have rather stayed on the narcotics I was takeing..I feel for ya..
Don’t loose hope I am in the same predicament you are, finally I am feeling better today after going through Hell. I lost everything but I still have some fight left in me. You too will be ok trust me I went through every single withdrwal out there and thought I was going to die but some how I overcame it you have to dig down deep and reach from within and keep going..
nope i do not buy it i started dtoxing with suboxones with 40 mg. a day over a period of 6 months i graduadly detoxed from that amount to bits of 1 pill,no side effects nothing,Maybe like all of us (addicts)we are different mentally,I detoxed in jail many times three times on methadone,twice on heroin i think you have a good idea with the implant,But heathcare in the U.S. is MONEY,which with the help of NA and suboxones i finally was able to save and get my life back,Hey!everyone is different whatever works for you DO IT.
I have been taking suboxone for 4 and a half years with a brief 4 month halt.I was addictd to vicodin,oxy,or heroin.I went from being from having friends and an active social life to jobless,depressed and isolated.I have anxiety and panic attacks frequently and feel stuck.
When I quit my withdrawls were mild and almost tolerable as compared to full opiate wthdrawl.
Yes this is hard to get off of but if you slowl lower the dose over 2 -3 months it can be done.
I have been taking suboxone for about 6 months now and am down to a 1/4 8mg pill every day.
I have stopped going to the Dr.s because it has become too expensive and have 12, 8mg pills left.
How should I continue to come off the drug without too much pain quickly?
I need some advice. I’ve been on suboxone for 1 1/2 years……….I weened myself down to a crumb of the pill aday for a week…….then stoped taking it sunday morning was my last crumb………and after 3 days the withdrawal started muscle spasms, runny nose, leg kicking at night, can’t eat or sleep………last night i was climbing the walls searchin for a pill. I had to beg my fustrated boyfriend for a xanax…..it only took a little edge off………it’s been 5 days.
when will the withdrwaal end soon ?……….i can’t take much more im ready to get back on suboxone…………..i wanna fight this so bad……both my parents were herion addicts and i swore i would never get addicated to anything but this monster has a hold on me………..can i detox myself? how long will it take to fell normal?
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i am on day 4 of quitting suboxone. I was down to 1/2 m. every other day and am still feeling intense withdrawal. Proves will power or nothing!
i have been threw the same. i was on subs for over 2 years. and the withdrawls were so much more from that. I have lost everything also. u have to find it in urself to maybe go to detox and fight. Death was in my future from suicide if i didnt stop when i did.
Hi Friends!
I, also, was told there were very few side affects and they were only experienced by a very small minority of people. I was told that Suboxone had no withdraws when you go off of it. Both were lies. First: I’m still on Suboxone b/c I can’t come off.. I get suicidal when I try! Next: I went on Suboxone to get off of Loratab which was horribly addictive. I got addicted to Loratab b/c of disc problems in my neck. Suboxone is harder to get off of then Loratab!!! I can see giving Suboxone for Heroine addiction (which I didn’t know either) but Loratabs and Heroine to me are in different categories of addiction. I found out after being on Suboxone for months that Heroine addicts are taking it and it works in most cases getting them immediately off of the drug! That’s wonderful and I’m sincerely thankful for Suboxone for these people. However, something needs to be done about Suboxone being given to people that are hooked on pain killers only; The withdraw doesn’t even compare to a Suboxone withdraw! I was about to “check out of this life” when I realized that the withdraws were making me feel like that! So, I went right back on Suboxone. The 5mg pill gives me a boost but at the same time, I can’t focus to read due to concentration problems and I am so forgetful and dingy I embarrass myself daily…oh, and I get real sleepy when I have to sit still for a while (like in church) and that is super embarrassing nodding off in church! Also, I don’t sleep good at night (even with sleeping pill) and I am gaining weight due to “middle of the night eating spells” that I never used to have. To the guy that said you lost your friends- I’ve been told that I have been just plain mean here lately. My brother told me to please not email him anymore because of my “mean” emails and my best friend just bid me “farewell for good” last week (which in 30 years of us being friends we never, ever fought.) I guess the Suboxone has changed my personality and I don’t see it. This is very upsetting!! I need a support group on this!! Anyway, God bless each and every one of you and I hope the best for you.
Bev
Good luck, i was just thinking about using this drug to stop my 2 bag a day habit. Any advice? After substituting suboxone for heroin
will you then get a positive opiate result when submitting to a urine test
I too was put on Buprenorphine, told at the time that I could easily get off this drug. After the interferon treatments were over, I found it too difficult to get off this drug. Believe it or not the Dr. told me not to worry about it. That was 5 years ago. What a liar. She has moved on and I am trying on my own over and over again to get completely off. I do not know what to do. I do not have thousands of dollars for treatment. I take 2mg. This is the strongest drug. I cannot believe they put this drug in M.D.’s hands. My anger keeps me from totally giving up. When I am clean off this drug I am going to follow up and contact her to tell her she should put her ego aside and really understand how dangerous this drug is.
Suboxone is just an opiate replacement. In my mind it no different then methadone. Your just replacement the opiates in your system with an different opiate that you’ll still be dependent on. It’s not a true means of opiate detox. Only rapid detox. Or cold turkey are true means of ridding yourself from opiates.
day 4 or suboxone withdrawal……….really if I could just get past the sweating I would be fine. The doctor that put me on suboxone passed away last month and when I seen his replacement he tried to tell me I had to go through therapy AGAIN! I refuse to put out over a thousand dollars for another person to tell me how many issues I have. This is painful but does not compare to withdrawal from 20 mg hydro. Every day I wake up and remind myself that I did this to myself and now I need to fight my way out of it. Stay strong everyone, my question is how long after I am clean will I be on the suseptable to withdrawal from other pain meds if I have to take them for anything?
These are great comments. It’s very interesting to see the controversial takes on Suboxone. I encourage people to get help from your friends & family or a treatment center, as going “cold turkey” is difficult, if not impossible, for many. Thanks for sharing.
I have been on suboxone for three days. I am now taking one mg every other day.I am going to do this a couple of times, then I am going to quit. I have got off suboxone before after being on it only a mouth, and it was bad. You can do it though. I am going through mild wd’s now from not taking enough, but I am very scared of it. Good luck to all
Hey, Ive been on suboxone for about 8 months and was going to a clinic to receive it. It was costing me a forture, i just didnt have the cash anymore, so i just decided to quit. I quit cold turkey on 18mg, and now i wish i didnt. The first few days wasnt so bad, then by the 4th day it hit me all sudden, i just wanted to die. Now its been about a week off and still feelin like hell. I’ll have a couple of good days, thinking yeah i beat it, but no it all comes back. I just got to find the will power to make it and its hard. does anyone know a way to help ease the withdrawals,before i go crazy.
Okay, so is withdrawal from Suboxone worse than a withdrawal from oxycodone?
i too am an addict.i’m 31 and been using since age 13.i am currently taking suboxone,week 3,and i am scared about coming off this drug-if it’s able to take away all my detox symptoms,there’s gotta be some catch to it!in the past i’ve ben able to quit cold turkey,but felt as if i didnt have another one in me.hope i didnt make a BIG mistake.so far,everyone around me says im doing great,looking good,acting like the”old” ginger.is this too good to be true?or is this just the negative side of me jumpin in?for now,gonna stick w/my regamine-hope 2 be off suboxone within next 2-3 months,but i obviously have my doubts.just found out today that someone i know has been on it for 7 mnths. now,and she uses roxys in the evenings to fight it.very disapointing.but i also think it depends on the person-if u really want it,you’ll ween yourself off the suboxone and not use other dope.CONFUSED!take care people
I took Suboxone for 7 months, 24mg a day. Then, all of a sudden, I quit, because I was tired of taking it, tired of paying $350 just for a “doctor” visit, tired of feeling dopey half the time. Before the suboxone, i was taking 200mg of Percs, Oxys, whatever a day. Tried quitting cold turkey off the percs, threw up for about a week straight. Cold turkey off the suboxone – not nearly as bad. So much of it is mental. I think another big part is not sleeping 12 hours at a time. It feels good to get up and go do something without having to take something. It’s all about will power. Don’t sit around and be mopey and think god this sucks. Yeah it sucks, but at least it’s means to an end, and it’s in your power to meet that end, so damnit DO IT.
I have been on suboxone for about a year now and I am 37 weeks pregnant. I am not perscibed the medication i just do not have the money to do it that way. I only take a little under a 1/4 if that. I am worried that the hospital will take my baby if they find this out and if i quit now will i be in withdraw when i go in to labor will the withdraw put me in labor and what can i tell my doctors that have no idea if they do find out?
To steve and anyone else on soboxene it will not show up as an opiate in a urine test there is a special test just for it I asked my doc I have been on 4 pills daily 32mg for about 2 months and tried to get off twice and it was so bad i started again thank god for insurance but always remember where theres a will theres a way!!!!!
HI, TO EVERY ONE WELL I HAVE BEEN ON SUBOXONE FOR A LIL OVER A YEAR, AND IS VERY HARD 2 KICK THAT HABBIT, I WENT FROM VICODINS TO HEROIN AND THAT IS NOT A COOL THING TO DO AT ALL AND NOW I’M ALSO SUFFERIN FROM THE SUBOXONE HABBIT. I DNT KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE, I REALLY REALLY NEED SUM HELP.
My pain management Doctor gave me instructions to stop using the Fentanyl patches for 48 hours, then stop the Hydrocodone I had been taking for years. Then I went to his office and got on the table with my pillow and blanket and they gave me a Suboxone pill under my tongue. They came in every 15 minutes to take my blood pressure and after 3 and a half hours I got up very slowly and went home. Well, my pain level went down to 1 and I was ecstatic!! That afternoon I took another pill and still felt great. The next morning I took another pill and started to feel drowsy and extremely dizzy. My husband counted my pills and found that I had taken a few more pills that I wasn’t aware of. Maybe I got up in the middle of the night and took them without realizing it. The Doctor said I could safely take up to four pills a day, which I haven’t done. I still feel very drowsy and very dizzy and some of the pain is coming back. I called the Doctor’s office and the receptionist called me back and said just keep taking the pills as prescribed. What I want to do is just go back to the Hydrocodone that I was taking. How do I do that and quit this Suboxone????
hey everyone… i just got out of detox today and i was on suboxone… i hope this clears up some info because as i read countless stories on what amount the doctors are prescribing, its ridiculous… first off i was taking 200mg of oxycontin everyday (not missin a day) for the past 4 months and something atleast when i didnt have it for 3 years (give or take) so i guess you could say that was a pretty bad addiction, i mean comparing it to taking 15-20 hydros a day, my addiction was worse in terms of withdrawls…but anyways i will tell u what all happened in my 5 days in detox. i got there at 330pm, they gave me my first dose at 10am the next day, which was almost 36 after my last use of oxy. my suboxone plan was a 4 day plan which consisted of taking 8mg of suboxone once a day for three days and on the fourth day (today) they gave me a half dose(4mg) and i feel confident of this plan because in my eyes PEOPLE THAT TAKE SUBOXONE NEED TO USE IT FOR A SHORT TIME. and so the doctors and pharmapsuetical engineers and whoever else that did the tests on how the drug works most effectively for detox came up with the conclusion that suboxone should be used for the shortest amount of time… my detox doctors all said that suboxone should be taken for 4-6 days and definatly no longer then 7 days. i read somewhere that a test on suboxone said that after taking it for more than 21 days it will be harder and harder to come of it. so in conclussion i strongly believe that whoever needs to take suboxone needs to be very careful in the dosage and period of use for detox. for anyone taking less opiates then i did (either less mgs than i took for oxy, or a less stronger opiate, or for a shorter period of time) YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE ANY MORE THAN 8MGS A DAY… i am not a doctor but talking rationaly, for conversation sake, if someone was taking 15 10mg hydros a day, or if someone was taking less than 100 mg of oc or less than 100 mg of morphine, then they should probably take around 6 mg of suboxone
(3 x 2mg tab.) once a day for 3 days. on the fourth day, this is where MY opinion differs from my detox doc, the person should then take 4mg suboxone (2 x 2mg tab.) one time. finaly adding an extra day (day 5) and taking 2 mg of suboxone (1 x 2mg tab)… 2 reasons for why i think that is better: 1) going on suboxone for 3 days and a last day of taking half of what you took the past 3 following days is not really tapering, well atleast not as gradually as by adding an extra day. reason 2) an extra day would help for WD symtoms since usually the 3rd day is the worst and each day after that WD get better. i strongly think that i will feel better tommorrow if i had a 2mg tab. so yea, i know this is long but i think ppl definatly need to be informed of this all because it seems like i know more about dosin that shit then some of the docs that are giving 20-some mg for some ppl. even people that take more opiates than me shouldnt really take much more then 12mg daily but i dont know for sure for sure, thats just what i think… i kno i wrote a lot about this and even if this helps only one person it was worth it.. i hate to see ppl tryin to kik their Tylenol 3 addiction and get stuck on a heroin addiction… so to speak
hello all, my brother is trying to get off oxys and he went to the doc and they gave him subs, he has been clean off oxys for 3 months and he was down to a 1/2 a sub a day, so he stoped taking them, 2 days later he was right back on the subs, he said that the withdraw was so horrible, i fear for him because if he gets back on the oxy he will die, he will spen $120.00 a day on oxys, thats 320mg a DAY! is their any way to get him off the subs?
I am 2 weeks off of subs. and am feeling very bad. I thought after at least 10 days I would be feeling better, but it is just getting worse. hot flashes and the CRAWLS!!!! how long is this going to last and could a 6 year oxy-herio-opiod addiction cause permenant damage? WHHAT DO I DO
I have been on and off percocet 30’s and suboxens for about a yr, ive been taking maybe a 1/8 of a subox a day for about 1 or 2 months, and just went cold turkey on monday, it is now thursday and at night still get muscle cramps and aches, when will this end?
I tried to get offo f the suboxone and on the 5th day I had bad withdrawls again and I took a pill and it stopped. I too ran out of money for the doctor. How long do the withdrawls last from this drug? 5 days is the longest that I could ever go without experiencing withdrawl symptoms that are unbearable? Has anyone made it through the withdrawls and had them competely go away?
Hello everyone! I have been taking Suboxone two years today! First, I want to say, that there are too many people that are leaving comments, trying to play doctor! Secondly, nobody can speak for anyone but themselves. Don’t jump to conclusions! Those people that are acting in that maneer know what they are doing. So, if it doesn’t apply, let it fly! My life has been going absolutely wonderful since I started suboxone. I don’t feel high, except the first week, I can be honest and tell you all the truth. I would feel buzzed after taking a couple of 8mg/2mg suboxone pills. After about 2 weeks that feeling went away. I choose to stay on my meds, which is a dose of 32/8mg a day. And I never feel groogy or dopey,And I always have a great amount of energy. I neve3r get any cravings tp use. I feel totally normal. These pills took me fromm a non-functioning addict, to a truley, high – functioning person in society.The Sobosone allowed me to live a normal life and not have to worry about the chase. That is what I was after, Tne Chase.Since being on Suboxone, I have gone back to College as a fell-time student, I have been able to work on some serious issues in therapy that I never could work on before because my mind was always blinded by some substance or another. When the time comes and I want to stop Suboxone, I know I can and I will. whether its rapid detox or red paint, whatever. I know whatever happens it was meamt tp be, and got wont give me more than i fcan jaf
I have been on Suboxone for 6 1/2 years. It was supposed to be the “miracle drug” to get me off of oxycontin (which I was taking for pain relief from optic neuritis pain/multiple sclerosis. I have tried to ween off many times with no luck. I am tired of my life revolving around a pill. So now I have to find 6,700 to get off the ****. I really want to sue the company, too many of us are addicted.
I have been through and experienced both opiate withdrawls and Suboxone/Subutex withdrawls as well as in patient detoxing. First off, the best way I found to finally detox with the least amount of suffering was the detox centers mix of an Ibuprofen, Benadryl, a muscle relaxer, an anti anxiety medicine(such as xanax), high blood pressure med (often your pressure rises), and lastly a sleeping drug for at night (such as trazadone). This “cocktail” made my usually month long hell into a maneagable six day treatment. I am stupid enough to have had to detox off every dependancy/addictive substance (alcohol, cocaine, ect.) and opiates have proven to be the ONLY drug that I wasn’t able to quit on my own willpower! I was addicted to Suboxone for over a year, getting down to 1/8 of a pill a day before stopping. Yes four days after stopping I went into full withdrawl unlike no other. The only way to use the Subutex /Suboxone is for a week or less, then the detox centers “cocktail” with normal/then nominal dosages for a week. During the week keep your salt and sugar levels low and stay away from caffeine and other food/drink stimulants. No matter what there will be some discomfort, but it is much, much less than “cold turkey detoxing”. My close friend even stopped a 300+ millgram dependency of opiates per day in a five day period using this method with almost no symptoms other than sleepyness! I myself went cold turkey off Oxycodone(an opiate) and went through almost a month of sleepless nights and flu-like days. I hope that you can use this advise to get yourself back into a life free of dependency.
I am down to my last 2 8 mg. of Suboxone. I am taking about an eighth of a pill a day and already feeling awful. What do I do? PLEASE help me.
Stopping cold turkey will make you feel the same way as if you gradually stopped. Once you stop, you are going to be sick as a dog for months. I came off rather abruptly and was sick for 4 weeks like I had never imagined. I went back on it and an hour later I was feeling fine. What the hell kind of drug is this? They lie to you and tell you that you can come off it slowly. I would like to put the doctor on it and wean him off slowly, and he will see, it doesn’t matter, when you are off, you die physically and enmotionally, every second of everyday. I wish that I had stayed on pain killers, because they were nothing to come off of, compared to this. I stopped craving right away, and my withdrawels went away, but now I am hooked on something I read “was 25 to 40 x’s stronger then morphine” Precious suboxone. Thank God that I have insurance! Someday when I save up, I will try the rapid detox and see if that will get me off of this unbelievabley addictive drug, that has withdrawel that lasts for months. Maybe it is good for heroin users or methadone, but not for pain killer addicts, they are better off coming off it alone. I have been on it for 3 years. I regret it deeply. Stay on it for now, and save up for rapid detox, hopefully that will make the withdrawel shorter. Good luck!
Guys, i understand everyone’s frustration but you cannot expect to detox ur body without suffering no matter what it is u take. I was doing 5-7 OC 80’s a day and i suffered the first few days and i was taking 2 8mg SUBOXONE a day. I didnt even feel the subox the first 2 days. This drug was made to be on it for a very short period of time. I took the subox for 3 weeks, weened myself off, and when i was off them, yes i started to feel withdrawal but it wasnt nearly as bad as if i just stopped the OC’s cold turkey. The withdrawal were not as strong but the sleepless nights and stomach cramps continued. The bottom line is: AT SOME POINT U WILL HAVE TO SUFFER SOMEWHAT. You have to fight it!
Hi, thx for all of your info. I was thinking about getting on this drug, but after your comments have decided not to. I believe that NA meetings are gonna be the key to my drug habit. I just got out of a detox center and am baffled that they actually had us watch a video that said suboxone was a good idea. haha Thanks again!
I was woundering if you could help me out my husband was hooked on drugs and he’s been on the suboxone for 3 months and they took him to jail and I was woundering if now where he’s in jail what would his suboxone do to him since he’s not taking it for now. And they will not give his med to him in the jail.
Please email me back asap….
Everyone here is pouring their hearts out!!! I am not on this drug, but i have a 10 year Tylenol 3 addiction. I am starting myy second try at quitting, and I have to say that the ONLY way to get off this or any drug is to simply quit, drink tons of water, and sleep as much as possible. Eat as often as you can, and be brave. The pain WILL END. The cravings WILL STOP. If any of us truly want to be free of the devil, we will just walk away from it. I KNOW I AM. My prayers and hopes are with us all….
Laura Says: I say to Laura: This is to a very lost soul:you really are lost; possibly comotosed? I won’t get “too” durogatory or dispagraging, but I won’t leave out my true feelings when I write. To begin, it is very insightful for a person to read the commentary notations, and maybe you should study that at college. Don’t downplay the words you misspell. Those little thoughts of “hope” that we read can be inspirational; not “too” many comments; we need more. You sound like a person studying to be one of the greedy doc’s frequently spoken of. Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’m just a paralegal, but I’m in the process of beginning a [Class Action]suit against a dirty doctor as I type right now. You admitted openly, you take (32)mg per day. That’s way too much, and how your receptors can feel anything – is inexplicable to me. You are going to suffer in the long run; count on that, sweetie. The higher life you feel is an illusion, and taking that much (suboxone) undoubtedly, definitively, undeniably, will exhaust you. So, I’m no docotor, but at least I’m ethical and have a great abundance of moral grounding. Hey, you should try some of that stuff. before my father passed he told me what a very well-known paster stated once; You never see a U-haul following a funeral! That’s because you aren’t taking any money with you – only that lost soul.
I have been taking (suboxone/subutex)for approximately 3-years -(16)mg per day,and I am so darn moody,lethargic,confrontational at times,crying jags,I weigh 210,and you know,I never made it past 160, but that was before I made an appointment with Satan. Laura, just by the reply you left, you can see what it is doing to you. God bless you, Laura. I’ll pray for you; you sound young, but misled. Honestly, I wish you the best. Oh, don’t catagorize the replies; they can only help, and that’s something I think we all need. Lastly,I wouldn’t want to play doctor – not Dr. Suboxone. I have a conscience! -Freddie
Hello Everyone! I wish I had done more research on this drug before I started it rather when I’m trying to quit it. I have been on suboxone for about 1 1/2 years. I take 8mg of suboxone daily and sometimes (rarely) I take 12mg. I dont know why they tell you this is a detox drug b/c I’m not detoxing. I tried to quit suboxone last year. The first 4-5 days were hard than it got better. Soon after it was 2 weeks after than I started having diarhhea and I thought I was all better. It was so hard for me to believe that I could possibly still be detoxing after this drug. After reading these blogs, I have realized the only way to do is suck it up and dextox through it. It’s very scary for me b/c I have child to take care. I guess that’s when you have to get your loved ones involved. I hope everyone realizes that this drug is not the cure. It helped me stop taking Lorcets and Lortabs but that’s about it. Now I have to detox again and this isn’t what I thought it would be. I hope all is well for everyone.
Hey everyone, I’ve been on suboxone for 5 months now I was taking 8mgs for 2 months then started taking 2mgs for the next three months. I just stopped taking suboxone 2 days ago, WD’s aren’t so bad, at night is when I really feel the restlessness, is there anything I can take for that??????
Reply to Tiff:
If I were you,I would have the doctor call the prison facility that your husband is in. He should inform them of the ramifications that this drug (suboxone/subtex) has on a person when they are forced to go cold turkey…or have his attorney forewarn/threaten the prison officials. Because they no damn well about the horrifying withdrawal of said medication. The possibilities that concern liability are astronomical.
Don’t give up hope; Satan would love to see that.The consequences would be dire on the prison; God forbid, should anything happen to him. Listen; contact every agency you feel would help the situation. I don’t want to scare you, because your scared enough now. But on the other hand, I also want you to be aware of an unwelcoming phone call…or something along those lines. This world is filled with people claiming to “NO EVERYTHING!” The truth to the matter is, they know all have all the questions, but none of the answers…and they will offer you a way to free yourself from drug abuse, but it is too costly. There is one doctor I know in this world that isn’t greedy, and doesn’t correlate with doc’s who are. This guy is only a D.D.S., but won’t charge a dime, even the co-pay. His work is exceptional, impeccable; I can’t say enough about him. Call Jeanie at rapiddrugdetox; she’s a wonderful person/nurse. I’ll give her my phone number, Tiif. I can explain that I’ll help you legally for free. God bless you and yours.
Hi everyone,
I’ve been going to a methadone clinic for 7 years and finally got to the jumping off place, the clinic was so demoralizing I wanted to quit so bad but couldn’t get down past 35mg/day. I found a place in Tampa Fl (Florida Detox) that supposedly did the RDD but it was just a scam (at least for me). They said I could be an outpatient since I was on 35 mg/day. I still thought I was going to get the RDD done but wasn’t sure how that worked. I even thought they were going to do brain scans to see the difference before and after the methadone, not so. They made me go thru withdrawls off the methadone, which was bad enough; they said they had to shake my receptors clean. I had never heard of suboxone before but they said it was safe and it would help the methadone wd. I’ve been on the suboxone for 6 months and I’m trying to dose down, currently I’m at 1mg/day but my legs and arms really hurt most of the time. From what I have read it’s really hard to get off at any dose. Do I try to keep dosing down and finally get off? Does anyone know how long the wd will last at a lower dose? How bad will the wd get and for how long? If anyone knows of a really honest RDD place that wants to help someone get off all opiates I would love to know? I just don’t trust any type of clinic anymore and I’m so ready to get my life back.
Thanks and good luck to everyone out there.
I am a 56 yo woman, a former RN who got hurt on the job15 yrs ago. I have very bad nerve damage, and unbearable at times neck and back pain, I have had MRI’S, CT scan, Xray’s etc. Been seen in pain clincs, and have been on just about every narcotic in the book. My former primary care dr.(or NP) as she was, left the practice she had been with for many years and went to another practice here in town where the DR. was/is certified in addiction meds. I was intervied by his college who deemed me NOT an addict but in need of PAIN CONTROL so I also was put on the deadly (almost to me) drug suboxone.
I was on 20 mgs a day/ felt terrible, looked even worse. I have epilepsy and didn’t know if I was having seizures or just spacing out from the lack of sleep if I took it past noon. I started to question this drug to the DR. and the next thing I know is that after 8 months of treatment and him wanting to increase my dose AGAIN, I was told I tested positive for Methadone in my urine. NO WAY, not possible I would have admitted it, and was under the assumption (as I was TOLD) I would get violently ill if I took any type of opiate w/ the suboxone. Not knowing too much about the drug I NEVER took anything w/it!! Then bam, out on the street, with no weaning off instructions, and the DR and my primary care not returning my calls. I even called legal aide about the whole incident, eventually getting a letter and phone call from the OFFICE MANAGER. The letter said I was too “complex, emotionally and physically for the practice”. He is on the board of addiction medicine, and an addict himself. I reported this to them, w/no actions or results, and I now have to try and find pain management, and they are recommending “THE NEW” rage, ketomine infusions. Yes, the cat tranquilizer, Special “K” as my sons used to refer to it. How am I to trust this????? Please someone on this earth has to HEAR US AND OUR CRIES FOR HELP FROM ADDICTING US, EVEN IF WE WERE NOT ADDICTS TO BEGIN WITH.
I was taking 3-4 lorecets a day for about a 3 year period during college. After going to a so-called detox Dr. I started on Subutex. Since then I’ve been on an 8 mg pill broken up into 3 pieces daily for the last 4 years! I also must say that the doctor ended up calling my cell phone a few days after my first visit to his office and I stupidly fell for his manipulations and let him into my heart and life. This lead to an engagement and the birth of our son, now 3 years old.
Anyway, he has nothing to do with my child, except for monetary support, but kept dropping of tons of pills during my pregnancy including the subs, xanex, paxil and after the birth diet pills! My best friend and even my door guys thought it odd he never came up to see me and/or our baby, but he made sure I had tons of pills! I could go on and on about the horrific pregnancy, birth and then the death of my best friend of 19 years I’ve been dealing with, not to mention the total abandonment of his child this “doctor”.
I just want off all these pills he put me on. I hate these stupid subs! I have found another doctor and he hasn’t tried to give me any hope of getting off the sub at all. I guess it took me 4 years to realize it’s not in these pain doctors interest to ever get people off these pills. This new one suspiciously keeps asking me if i need more than 1 pill a day… I keep saying “no, I’d like to work on getting off of them!” and he told me many people have to stay on them for life!
Anyway, It’s awfully nice to find this website. I will be calling about more info and payment plans, hopefully I can be an example of a real solution to this conundrum…
PS. To Frank, I’d love to speak to you in detail about your legal pursuit, email me at miamidecor@yahoo.com
Thank you for printing my letter, I hope a Doctor will read it, and all the letters, and just maybe they might realize in some ways the are just replacing addictive meds, with just as bad OR WORSE addictive meds. BTW since writing the above letter I have been re-evaluated at the hospital, they NOW want to do “Ketamin” infusions. This is the newest and latest, CAT TRANQUILIZER, what kind of reactions will this NEW procedure cause???? If anyone has had this please write back. Thank you.
Kathy M, Vermont
I have been taking Suboxone for about 1 year now I take 1/4 of the pill a day 2 pills lasts me 8 days how bad will the withdraw be if quit?
Gary, I am sorry of your experience. This gives the anesthesia detox a bad name and this should not happen because this is an excellent procedure and for most, the only way to get off of opiate drugs. I am very upset by these kind of stories. I promise you we would never use this type of treatment nor would we deceive you in these ways. You can talk with many of our past patients about our center and our treatment. We strive to make every patient’s experience as comfortable as possible, giving them honest, expert and compassionate care. Read our testimonials….our patients are ALL very grateful for our treatment and their chance to get clean. It is important to talk with others that have had treatment at the center they choose. Ask many questions and get all the details before you decide on a place.
Hi I am Lorrie, and I’m an addict! I was addicted to vics (750mg) percs (10mg) & diazapam (10mg) for 7 years and I did coke with my friends when out to the bars! Then some Herion now & then, plus I drink quite heavily. My Dr. tjat was giving me all my meds switched me to Suboxone! I’m taking one 8mg tablet a day everyday! If I don’t have one I feel like s***, I sweat, get cold chills, can’t sleep, wake up shaking… its terrible! My arms go to sleep also at night when I’m sleeping! I’m very moody on this drug also. My Dr. never told me about these side affects! Now I want to get off Suboxone and just be drug free! I think I was better off on my reg. meds! Please help me!
This message is being submitted on August 29, 2009. I’m not sure how much ‘gray hair’ this message board has on it, but it would be nice for someone to let me know soon…
Among the newest class of Suboxone patients, I have some serious concerns and questions about the drug, my physical and psychological reactions to it and why I became one of the lucky winners evaluated and “qualified” to win the big ‘lotto’ prize–Suboxone detox treatment!
Why “lucky?” In Rochester, there are fewer certified doctors licensed to prescribe Suboxone than I have fingers. It’s outrageous! There are more than two million people in the metro area, but only seven qualified doctors–and they’re limited to a fixed number of Suboxone patients they’re allowed to treat. The D.E.A. is tough.
Thinking about it, maybe luck had nothing to do with my “prize.” As soon as my insurance was confirmed, I was given appointments on successive days for an evaluation and my initial Suboxone treatment–all in less than a week!
I’ll be closing now, but will eagerly return to reveal the rest of the story depending on how current these postings are and how quickly a new message pops up–no sense telling the story to myself. Ah, who knows–maybe it’s therapeutic…
Thanks–Harry
I’m on Methadone, and have been for 2 years. I hear that the withdrawals from the dones are a lot worse than Suboxone, and that I should switch over. Has anyone been on both Methadone and Suboxone, and if so, was the Suboxone really easier?
I am 31 yrs old & started going to clubs w/a fake I.D. at 15. I was 17yrs old the first time I did crystal meth (ice). I’ve been doing any drug available to me for over a decade. Ice was a not a physical dependent drug it was all mental b/c after several days of no sleep, no eating, rarely drinking my body would finally shut down even before my mind stopped moving in fastforward. I’d sleep it off and go through a few days of depression then I was my old self again.
Anyway, I quit when I found out I was pregnant w/my son & stayed sober for a year & started taking Loratabs & Oxycontin when I finally decided to stop. The Loratabs weren’t that bad; 3 days give or take and the withdrawals are gone. I was really sick while quitting the Oxycontin until I was introduced to methadone. The worst mistake I ever made & the saddest thing is that my own father had been on it for 2 yrs & he knew the affects. He intentionaly lied to me & kept giving me 10mg a day for almost a month. I assumed that it got me off Oxycontin, so at first I was OK until about 4 days later.
The withdrawals were terrible & the longer I went without taking it the worse they got. After about 22 days I couldn’t take it anymore b/c I had kids to care for so I ended up at the Methadone clinic my dad went to. I was only doing 10mg & they started me on 30mg and upped my dose 10mg a day until I told them I wanted to be fazed down not up. Then they switched it from the disk form to the liquid. The nurse said I was going to do a “blind detox”. They measured it w/a dropper & put it in a unlabeled bottle. By the weekend I was going through WD again, so I demanded to be put back on the disks b/c I knew they dropped my dosage way down just to stop me from quitting.
That was 2 1/2 yrs ago, & I’m still on it, hating everything about it. I was on 80mg a month ago but I decided to stop trying to quit on my on & started praying heavily for God’s help. I’ve been dropping 10mg per week off. At the present time I’m on 40mg w/out any WD symptoms. Methadone is the worst drug I’ve ever done but I’ve made up my mind to step back & trust God. Sorry for such a long reply. God Bless you all and you’re in my prayers.
I am 34 years of age and an addict. I started using because of a head-on-collision car accident in May of 2005. I broke my back and several other bones in my body, I was disabled and had a family to support. It was a great excuse to use all the time. It eventually lead to Heroin and then to Rehab. Rehab went great and I was clean for almost a year. At that time my mother had fallen terminally ill with cancer. I spent the last month of her life with her, totally high on her morphine. I didn’t even connect with her on her death bed because I was too fucked up. I was afraid to talk to her. She even questioned my love for her. I come from a family of six and we were all there waiting for her to die, but she kept on hanging on peacefully. She brought my life into this world and I was spiritually obligated to be there when her life left the world. But I had to leave for one night, everyone thought it was o.k., so I left. She died 45 minutes later. The pain was too much, I used morphine and oxy’s as much as I could to kill the pain. I had to work and the pills controlled my emotions. I didnt want to take my family down the road of addiction again so I started on suboxone which I got from three different people I knew, who were on them. I have been using them for over a year and they basically destroyed my happiness and will to live. I have no friends and I keep to my depressed self. Most of the time I can’t even connect with my family. I recently went to my family doctor to get off them. I jumped off at 6mg a day, a week ago. I’m trying everything from the Thomas recipe, benzo’s(carefully), saunas, vitamins, rls medicine, melatonin and drinking tons of water. Plenty of exercise and sunlight is the key. I’m starting to feel better daily because I force myself to move. I force myself to associate. I force myself to think. Use NA support groups and eating healthy is essential. Protein shakes with L-tyrosine have really helped me in the morning. Breath deeply through the hot flashes because they will eventually stop. Being clean is worth fighting for, every addict wants it but we are all afraid we are too weak. With the help of God and people who care, I promise we can all get there…ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Hello everyone, I have been taking suboxone in a variety of different doses for several years now..Sometimes I can bring the dose down low but cant completley stop…. Now however I am taking the higest dose ever. 16mgs a day. I tried DC the med over the summer and my blood pressure went to emergency status within 48 hours of running out and the other withdrawl symptoms were on their way to being unbearable.. My Dr encouraged me to just take my medication. Before suboxone I had a 20 year history with opiates and detoxed many times.. I have not however been able to dc my suboxone and feel my life is ruined if i dont somehow find a way out.. I dont think its all about will power. I have amazing will power but this opiate has got its teeth in deep.. I keep saying I will lower my dose but I dont. I am just as addicted to my suboxone as anything in the past. I feel I cant kick it without professional help of some kind. Maybe inpatient again.. sorry for all of us that we battle this demon.
Hi Freddie & Shannon, I am curious re: your statements about working toward a class action suit against Suboxone. If you are very serious–email me a judi.ezell@comcast.net. I am an RN and am also in the same situation that most of you are in at this time. My addiction came from Codeine and Hydrocodone after an old back surgery 10 years ago. My story is too long to tell but God bless all of you. Just don’t give up. I am off Suboxone but not off opiates. Can’t tolerate the withdrawal of Suboxone. I would prefer childbirth.
Down to about 2mg a day after 5 years of this miricle drug. Yea! Right!I’m gonna try cutting back from there,will keep updates coming. By the way, has anyone had tired,blurry eyes from suboxone? Please advise. Thanks.
Hello its 12-1-09 I was taking vicodin about 60 mg a day and because of mood swings that i didnt know ihad my husband took my to a doc and prescibed my subuoxone which gave me head aches tehen put me on subutex 16 mg to 32 mgs a day for 2 months what a mistake i know everyone is different but from what i have read in ever thread is ever one kicking it is the same miserable people
kicking the habit symptoms of subutex/ suboxone
day 1- nothing]
day 2- nothing
day – three i feel horrible
day4 I feel nausia extreme tiredness i cant move of get out of bed
day 5 just as bad
day 6 still can function
day 7 I dont think i can do this is want to go to doc and get a scrpt of subutex
when will this stop t quit vicodin before i had stomach issues for about a week and nausia for same amout of time then nothing over done
but with sub omg the stomach problem just started on day 7
the only thing helping is will power and lots of hot baths i havent slept in a weeks i havent left the house i am cold in 80 degree weather i have chills constantly i even tried ambien to sleep it didnt make me tired instead i hallusinated for a few hours till i fell asleep
i am feeling suicidal at this point i wont do it but still i feel so bad i dont know what to do but i have done it this long i dont want to go back on sub someone please tell me they stopped and are ok now because i dont think it will end
Ive been taking suboxone for about a year and im tired of it ive done everything to get off of it. trust me guys the best bet for anyone considering this drug shouldnt although i do hold down a job and manage to take care of my family, i still feel like this has such a deep hold on me. i go more than 2 days without it….i get sicker than a dog so please if your thinking about taking this drug DONT weait till your withdrawl is rearing up its ugly head and go to an er….please and to all those people who use suboxone for fun….your idiots
I know im going to probably get reamed but I hope not. I quit full opiate agonists about a year ago. I got on suboxone and found that I was more addicted to the needle than I was to the opiates. I began shooting my suboxone. I never, never, took it sublingualy. I shot it everytime. I have kicked the needle and the suboxone finally. At least it has been a week and im not in withdrawal or anything. Is this probably because I mind over mattered the whole thing while I was shooting and not realizing that the naloxone in the suboxone was keeping my receptors free from stimulation. Any insight on this would be greatly appriciated. Thank you.
my daughter is addicted to herion 4 22 months she took 4mgs of suboxone befor bed didnt sleep good woke up sick dry mouth very high,dialed pupils.do u think she took to much to start? shes been clean 4 9 days.dont know what she should do.
man…this is scary to read. i started using suboxone…then later subutex…recreationally, under the impression this was a “mild” opiate. well, 10 months later(using 10mg every other day), i’m quite addicted. if i stop, in 3 days i can’t sleep, have cold/hot sweats, feel depressed, my nose runs like mad, feel like crap all over like the flu, and have severe RLS…that last one may be the worst of all actually, and the main reason for the insomnia.
god, what a stupid choice i made. i’m trying to ween myself down. to anyone currently using this, get the hell off. it’s not “mild.” id almost rather go through 3 days of hell getting off heroin than a month of drawn out chinese water torture. it’s much harder to outlast something that takes that long.
crazy how 1/8 of a 10mg pill used to make me high as hell and quite sick the next day…now i can take 15mg easy and sometimes barely get high. tolerance is a bitch. :/
hang in there friends….its so good to know there are others in this same hellish boat. as morbid as that sounds…
I was a 20 year opiate addict when I checked into our local Methadone clinic. I told them I wanted to be opiate free. That was almost four years ago. I now look back at all the misinformation I was given by so-called professionals. I did the juice for 2.5 years and the subs for a year and a half. The subs were a better alternative for me and I weaned myself down to .5 mg a day before going cold a week ago. It is pure hell with mostly intestinal symptoms at this point. I would like to know if and when my own endorphins will return..
I am a suboxone addict for 4yrs now. I didn’t have any idea about withdrawls from this thing until I went cold turkey off of 20mg a day. This is a dangerous and powerful drug and I am recommending that everybody go cold turkey. Get off now and don’t take anymore. you are just prolonging your addicition. Check into detox if you have to for suicide watch or whatever but you have to stop cold turkey. Please do it now before it is too late! Lots and lots of prayers and hot baths for those withdrawls. If you are suicidal pls ck into a facility or call a hotline your pcp for depression help but please stop. You will not regret it. Dig deep and go to a twelve step program. That is the best advise I got, maybe it will help someone.
thanks
r
Okay, here’s the whole gig, at least in my opinion. For WHATEVER reason, be it surgeries such as myself, or just for the fun of it (the same way I became an alcoholic) we have all have used and abused opiates. I began using 5mg Hydros with Tylenol#3 in 1994. I was in a social job, (Fitness)and not only did certain weight room injuries become badges of honor, but they became a pipeline to hundreds, in fact, THOUSANDS of Hydros, Oxys, Codeine, Darvos and more. Guess what? I ate ended up eating and snorting the hell out of everything over time. After 13 years of being unable to hold a job because I had a full time job seeking opiates (and a Dr shopping law) I got on Suboxone at 16 mg a day. Anyway, I am currently in my 3rd day off of Subs after nearly 3 years, and if not for my Doc getting raided by the DEA for going WAY over her 100 patient limit, I might still be going, no insurance and staying on the stuff til who knows when? Yes the withdrawals suck, but from 01 to 07, I spent 2 weeks a month getting high on 10 10mg Hydros a day, 20mg Oxy and 3 Darvos which were prescribed. So what does that leave? 2 weeks EVERY MONTH of withdrawals, and that is no way to live. I didn’t want to stay on Subs as long as I did, but with 13 yrs of abuse, it can take longer than 18 mos to forget about that “good feeling.” Oh yeah, I also went through methadone wd’s after being on that stuff for over a year, and THAT S*** WAS HELL!!! I didn’t move for 2 weeks except to s*** & go to bed. Here’s my advice: If you’ve only taken a few hydros or percs for just a few months, TOUGH IT OUT! It’s not worth getting on Methadone or Subs, however, if you have abuse much worse and can’t control your life, then try Subs. I finally got 2.5 years to work, set goals and even get certified in a new career. All I can say to end is this: When withdrawing, TOUGH IT THE HELL OUT!!! I say that because you’ll be glad you did when it’s over.
P.S. I wish the best to all of you and pray for you. We are all brothers and sisters by a common connection, albeit by something like opiates. Much love.
Hey guys this is my thoughts about it…i’ve been taking reg. pills for a few years. And have been clean three days,and thats thanks to 4mg of subs.2mg in the morning and 2 at night the first dose,then 2mg the next day,then only a piece and got through me 180mg a DAY perk habbit! it’s all in your mind,short term use is the best thing for them,not years of use. keep your head up and keep fighting!
I have been on suboxone for 1 1/2 years and curently withdrawling from it im on my second day and feel week i just want to know how long i have to deal with the withdrawl?
I began with methadone 150mgs for 7 – yes, 7 yrs. i switched 2 suboxone, went into immediate, horrible, landed in the ER withdrawl, strapped to a bed, can’t remember anything for 5 days. that was in Oct. 2009. i began taking 2 8mg of sub per day, until just jan. 2010 now i take 1.5 sub per day..i get the crawly skin but thus far, i’m ok. plan to beat this beast…i will wean myself off. if it means licking a tablet ev’ry day to get my dose, that’s as low as i will go. i too was told the withdrawls aren’t bad…i hope they’re not. alot of prayer and talking to GOD may help. i do have some meds that i rec’vd when i came off methadone for the withdrawl…gosh – i am tempted to do the rapid detox stuff, i hope the pain and the icky feeling is not bad. i am mentally prepared, i have an excellent support system…go to church, etc… i just don’t want to feel anything when i come off suboxone. any ideas? to the guy that is starting a class action law suit freddie, i want in. provide the forum with info about the law suit if you can. thanks and i will pray for each and everyone of us….
Hi Everyone…I am new to writing on these forums so I am unsure how to begin. First, I commend all of you who are trying to quit and stay clean. I have been on a rocky road myself.I am about a week off of Suboxone after about a year of using alot of Percocet, I feel as if getting off the suboxone has been harder than stopping the other pills. I feel as if I am going through hell right now and am starting to loose hope towards a better side. I have gone through a gamete of psychical withdrawels but I am really having difficulty overcoming the mental dependancy. I have been quite depressed and my motivation is dwindling. I feel as if I just want to sleep all day and wish the world would disappear. Currently, I have been taking several antidepressants but I have not gotten any relief. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.
Hi guys, I suffer from a chronic Crohns disease and have been on all sorts of med’s legal and illegal to kill the pain and suffering which lasted about 10 years. It’s hard to kick the habit we all know that and the feeling of withdrawal is terrifying……weigh your options well, I mean really well, think about the best solution for you only you can answer that question. It’s about time we realize that some of us are seriously affected by the use of opiates, heroin, codeine, etc. I call it post drug depression went you quit or try to cut back completely, so now we all face this issue all of us deal with it differently it can last for decades, yes decades before we feel what is suppose to be normal. Addiction is a disease in it’s self some of us pick it up quickly and some it doesn’t even phase. I ask myself why? Is it because of low levels as it is of dopamine the normal functioning of the central nervous system. A reduction in its concentration within the brain is associated with Parkinson’s disease. Is it because of low levels of serotonin include shivering, over reactive reflexes, nausea, low-grade fever, sweating, delirium, mental confusion, and coma. There is something ther I believe for sure so what is a solution? Write it down think about it maybe I am doing alright as it is from where I came from 360mg ox’s, 4 to 5 T3, 3 red rockets morphine pills a day plus plus more. Now on subs and been on them for 2 years and taking what works for me with regards to the post drug depression.
I was in rehab for oxycontin due to three back surgeries. I became seriously addicted and upon getting ready to leave the rehab center, a drug counselor came to visit me and told me that I needed to get on suboxene to “stay” away from prescription pain killer oxycontin. I’ve been on suboxene now for three years. I am scared to death to detox alone. After reading all this, I am just petrified because I don’t want to go through the withdrawals/suicidal thoughts. I am 56 years old. I am wondering if I am going to remain on this for life. Please email me with advice at isdavid1014@q.com. I need help desperately. I cannot go through the terrible withdrawals. I know it will kill me.
I’ve been misled as many of you by my own doctor about the Suboxone, he referred to it as (Majic) way of detox, as a matter of fact he assured me that it’s not addictive and it’s the safest way available out there for detox.
I’ve been prescribed up to 12 mg of Oxycontin per day for the past 10 years for severe spine pain after having 2 fusion surgeries on my lower back, so I decded to quit the Oxy cold turkey, I went through very bad withdrawal for 9 days, and was about to kick it out for good, but my wife was so concerned that she forced me to see a doctor, This was my worst decsion because he put me on suboxone for two weeks 2 8mg per day, so I though that it would be easy now to quit once again specially when the Doc told me that Suboxone does not cause any withdrawal or addiction; I found out the hard way, the Suboxone withdrawal was more painful than the withdrawal from 960 mg a day of Oxycontin, I had the worst 7 days of life Now I went back to the same doctor asking him for more, and when I told him that he lied to me, he told me it’s all in my mind, I have to quit, I’m a father of 4, and a husband, I can’t function without the Suboxone, anyone has any advise on how to stop without going through this bad withdrawal; I’d really appreciate it.
Wow. I spent SO much time reading up on the “positives” of suboxone before starting it (I started 12 days ago) that I seemed to “overlook” the “negatives”, I guess that was the painkiller addict in me that was LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY OUT, with little to no suffering.
This may be a little long but I think the more info out there the better. PLEASE READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY IF YOU ARE ADDICTED TO PAINKILLERS AND CONSIDERING SUBOXONE, I am giving you my personal story and it may really help you and influence you to make a wise decision. I have been meaning to start writing on some of these boards so that I can give my input and my recent experience, but have felt so BLAH. But FINALLY, I am here to give you some of my story and I hope this will help some of you with painkiller addictions make the right choice and I am here to tell you ONLY MY OPINION and my experience in these 12 days so far as a new suboxone user and former painkiller addict.
I was taking LOTS of percocet, 10mg percocet-my average was 30 a day this last year, and in recent months on some days I took 60 per day, I AM NOT KIDDING YOU, these last few months, my average was 30 per day, or 300 mg, but many days it was 45 pills or 50 pills, up to 60 or a little more, my painkiller addiction has been probably for about 7 years or more, starting on just vicodin 7.5mg as needed, then a few a day, then a few EVERY day, then it got to the point where I could no longer take vicodin because too much tylenol in it would make me sick to my stomach, given the handfuls I took at a time to get that same feeling I used to get when I took just one (when I moved on to just percocets I was needing at least 7 vicodins 7.5mg at a time to”feel anything-feel normal and OK, and I would take that dose a few times a day. So, then I preferred percocet, as I could take less and two years ago I thought I had a problem when I needed at least 8-10 percocet a day to just feel NORMAL, to just get by-at that time I checked myself into detox.
This detox consisted of using a “cocktail” of neurontin (non narcotic pain reliever, blood pressure meds, and some other vitamin), after one day I was no longer having withdrawals but having bad side effects from the blood pressure meds, which made me feel like I was on acid. After much complaining and my needs NOT BEING met, feeling like I was being OVERMEDICATED and already “healed from my painkiller addiction” I checked out after 3-4 days. I felt fine except the side effects of the blood pressure meds (dilated pupils, seeing double, feeling weird), stayed in bed a day but not craving pain meds or anything and after that I was clean for a month. So, that short detox actually worked for me, as far as withdrawals, BUT during that month-something was just missing for me, I can’t explain it, but I guess anyone who has taken painkillers, even if it was just about 8 per day, like me, for so many years-and then gets off them-maybe understands what I mean.
I JUST WANTED TO FEEL NORMAL, to feel like my old self. A person who is generally happy and likes to do fun things, and has a normal functioning life, normal functioning friendships, etc. BUT, instead, I felt “BLAH” pretty much every day that month, that is my famous word to describe the feeling. I have been told that since us painkiller addicts use up so many of our “opiod receptors” when taking all these pills, that our definition of “normal” is not the same as it was for us prior to our addictions, and it can take weeks, months or years to get that back. I was hoping for days to weeks and I tried to do things to keep myself busy, but at that time, did not have a lot of friends around (had moved far away and didn’t know many people), I tried going to church and just doing anything to enjoy life and feel normal, but it was not working. Please understand, I was not craving pills but I just did not feel like myself, I was starting to feel depressed, and I was never like that before, so I even bought over the counter vitamin supplements which I hoped would help (like St. John’s Wort and L tryptophan or something(something that is similar to that stuff in turkey) of course, I was looking for something to make me feel better. I used that stuff for 3 weeks, NO HELP WHATSOEVER.
So, eventually, I decided one day that “I could take a vicodin and CONTROL IT” and just take one every now and then when I felt I needed that little burst of energy or something to take away these depressing feelings so I took that one pill, and I felt great. The next day, I may not have taken a pill but the day after I did, then it slowly progressed back up to a few pills a day and somehow here I am 2 years later, progressed up to percocets, taking at least 10 times more than I did when I checked into detox and thought I had a problem back then (because even back then if I went a day without pills, the withdrawals were BAD).
Also, you would think I would have learned something in Detox, one guy was there for “suboxone detox” and I was like “hey, I looked into taking that to get off my pills but it was not widely available where I lived and the waiting list to get in to a doctor was months away. Anyway, I told myself recently “that guy” must have ABUSED his suboxone and I will not be like him because I actually want to get off these pills, yes I was looking for a miracle, I still am, an easy way out, but honestly, it is easier and cheaper for me to get percocets than to take suboxone (I am not going to get into that, but I have some unique connections that made it very easy for me to keep up my habit every month and obtain hundreds of them). BUT I wanted to stop, the thing is, I no longer get a good feeling from the pills, NEVER, I was just trapped in a vicious cycle, wake up, take 4 pills (10mg percs), an hour later take 4 more and so on the day goes until I was so wound up or sick that I went to bed (and took something to sleep usually). I will say-YES-I got energy from them-but I also got insaneOCD and spent too much time on stupid things, over cleaning, over doing everything, touching things, etc. etc. etc that the hours would fly by in the day and next thing you know I have already taken over 30 pills and I never felt “good” but I felt kind of normal at least and could get by.
But, I also realize I am probably screwing my liver so bad (I have not had it checked in years) and I was having mood swings and revolving A LOT of time around getting the pills, making sure I had them, even if I had 90 one day, I was already worried and planning everything around getting more the next day knowing I would be running out soon (YES, I had connections to get them but it was time consuming and involved a lot of running around and planning and dealing with some shady people). everything in my life was revolving around my next pill, and I would have to plan everything around “making sure I had enough pills to do it”, like “washing the dog”, “cleaning the car”, “grocery shopping”, attending a wedding, going on vacation, everything revolved around my having enough pills, and I was always on the go. Because, HONESTLY, for the most part-I could get them, but there were always a few days per month that things were harder, and I might wake up one day and have 50 pills and know I can’t get more until day after next, I would be so stressed already, that even though I was taking pills all day, and a few the next day, KNOWING I would run out early next day, the “wheels would be turning”, I would be moody and sometimes even put myself into bad situations that AN OTHERWISE SANE PERSON would not do, situations where I could have gotten in big trouble, but during those times, my desire or need for pills would overcome me and I would rationalize everything and put myself in these bad situations anyway.
So, that was another reason I wanted to “quit while I was ahead” as I have been “lucky” not to have gotten into any legal trouble or anything like that and luck only lasts so long. I WANTED to live a clean pill free life, but knew I could not handle the withdrawals and doing it alone, I knew this as I have tried before and ALWAYS END UP “finding a way” and getting some, even if a day passed having none, and I was in bed, sweating with diarrhea, I would find a way to make a plan and even if I had to get up and dressed and drive hours away, I would be on my way and get more, the mental part is just as hard as the physical, the dreams of the pills, the weighing the “pros and the cons” and all the stupid things I felt about myself “that I was a nicer person on pills, much more friendly, much more laid back, felt like I was “getting stuff done” and they gave me the energy and motivation I needed to feel right and normal, but I was just fooling myself, because at the point I was at, YES-I NEEDED THEM TO FEEL “NORMAL” but I also no longer really know what normal feels like, and I also never get that euphoric feeling I used to, except maybe if I went a day without them, the first 4 I took the next day would be great, and they made me so talkative-but I also was realizing all the negatives and thinking about how drug abuse runs in my family, how I don’t want to pass that down to the younger generations, how many people I have seen succumb to their “drug of choice” to the point of being homeless, stealing, prostituting, even death. I would always rationalize that I “took prescription drugs, not street drugs, I was not like that”, but who was I fooling? MYSELF? I was taking 5-10 times more than I was “prescribed” legally and in this last year where I have wanted to eventually quit, it was never a good time, always something going on where “how could I quit while this is going on?” Whether it be: fighting with my spouse, moving, starting a new job, hosting a holiday dinner, my birthday, somebody elses birthday, a toothache or a sickness or ailment (mine or somebody elses), ALWAYS SOMETHING that would hold me back from trying to quit since it was not a good time.
FINALLY, I looked up suboxone again and I only looked for the positive stories, which now that I think about it, were mostly from ex-heroin users. I am not judging anyone, I am saying that I was reading all the good that suboxone brought to their lives, but me being a painkiller addict and just an addict in general was only looking for the good miracle cure for my addiction. Even when I read that many people are on it for a LONG TIME, I still figured “if I use it, I will use it for a shorter period of time than those people”. I now live in NY where it is widely available, but very expensive, I have no insurance, and it wouldn’t matter since none of the doctors I contacted took insurance anyway, but they did say insurance would cover the cost of the prescription. Income tax refund comes in, I figure, now is the time to try, yes it will be expensive, I found the cheapest doctor I could, $300 for the initial visit and $150 for each follow up visit (every month) plus cost of prescription, which was on average at all the drug stores I went to between $600-$790 PER MONTH for 90 8mg subxone pills. I wound up using a free prescription savings card which I found online (just type in free USA drug plan printable card or something similar to find cards like this), I actually printed out 5 different cards and when I found a pharmacy that had it in stock, I asked them to check every card and use the one that saves me most, it wound up costing me $556 at Rite Aid with the savings card. I am trying to give as much info as possible to anyone reading this, use this info as you need, but please read this all.
Yes, I chose the cheapest doctor, was that the smart thing to do, probably not, but I could not afford the doctors who wanted $300 up front plus additional fees for lab work and urinalysis and wanted me to come in during withdrawals, where they would then give me a small scrip to go fill and then come back to their office, have them administer it to me and watch me for some time, and monitor me and ensure the amount I would need to “feel ok”, then come back the next day, pay another $150, do the same thing, and leave with a one week prescription, then come back pay another $150-$200 to be monitored again and get another week prescription and do the same thing the next week (another $150 to $200 plus another prescription which would then be for a month supply of the correct dose I would need-basically about 10 different doctors gave me this same scenario and said the first month is about $1000 in doctors office visits alone plus the cost of the medicine/prescription.
I thought I “lucked out” when I found a doctor and after just emailing him my situation-how many pills I take, how many years, etc. etc. etc, he told me I could come in to see him for $300 and he would give me a prescription for 90 of the 8mg suboxones and then it would be $150 per month to see him after that. Of course, I chose him maybe part of it was the addict in me, happy that he was going to prescribe me the highest dosage and basically let me “monitor myself”, I don’t know, because I was sincere in wanting to quit, but looking for the easiest cheapest way out. He also recommended for me to try to wean down as much as I can before coming in to see him and wait until I get down to 1 pill every 4-6 hours, then take my last one the night before seeing him, I told him that was not happening, it was impossible, and if I could do that, why would I need him or suboxone anyway. I did lower my usual daily intake for the week or two leading up to seeing him, I took 3 pills at a time, instead of 4, and took them less throughout the day, and then started taking 7.5mg percs, then 10mg norcos, trying to get down to a lower form of medicine and a lower dosage, since he said I would be very uncomfortable if I started suboxone only 12 hours after my last usual dose as I wanted to do, the easy way out.
I fluctuated for a week or two, took 25 pills one day, 20 another, maybe 15 another, then 30 another, than 35 another, back down to 25, during those days leading up to my appt. with him, D*** I was in withdrawals knowing I was planning on quitting and trying to cut back I was already moody, irritable, hot/cold sweats, all that crap, even taking that many pills per day, I was already withdrawaling (since you have to be in withdrawals before starting suboxone-they recommend 24 hours-but at LEAST 12 hours. I went to the doctor about 13 hours after I took my last pills, the day before I went 16 hours with no pills since I had an appt. to see him but it got cancelled due to weather, so I ended up taking pills that day and pretty much figuring I would have one last “hoorah” and wound up taking about 30 norcos that last day/night, I went to see him at his “home office”.
Wow, it was not anything I expected, basically I was at a kitchen table, talked for an hour but didn’t have to fill out anything or show anything or get any tests done, he acted like he was concerned but I could tell that this was more of a “paying for the prescription” and then figure it out on your own type of doctor, which at the time, I kind of liked. He wrote the prescription for the 90 pills at 8mg (the highest ones) and he said 3x per day on the script but told me I would need 4 the first day and could take 4 per day if needed after that. I told him I did not want to be on this long term and he said he recommends a 3 month treatment but has patients who need to take 2mg a day for the rest of their lives, everyone is different and we will just have to see. Now, I was completely honest with him about my addiction and withheld nothing, and told him of my detox in the past as well, I told him as much as I could in that time I spoke to him and honestly, I was quite happy he was telling me I could take the highest dosage, as it must be the “pill popper” in me, I had read all the positive stories online and knew of the different mgs and found it great he was prescribing me high dose and I didn’t go to those other more expensive doctors who may have started me at a lower dose, and weaned me down the next week and the week after, and maybe treated me correctly, I figured this guy was a doctor and he had all my info that he needed and he prescribed this to me and so I am following his orders so it will all be ok (DUH-that’s how my whole painkiller addiction started, from DOCTORS LEGALLY PRESCRIBING TO ME-why didn’t that click in my brain).
Anyway, I wanted to get out of there and get the script filled as I was yawning and teary, early withdrawals signs, and needed a “fix”, he told me to wait as long as I could before starting and then when I couldn’t take it anymore, put one pill under my tongue to dissolve, see how I feel after 20 minutes, if not ok do this again, and again and again, in 20 minute intervals up to 4 pills and then I should feel ok. Like I said, he also told me I could take 4 every day if needed, even though he prescribed it for 3 a day (maybe that’s the max he could prescribe, I don’t know), so I left his home and then it took a few hours of driving around to get my prescription.
I recommend to anyone doing this to bring a family member or friend as I did not expect to have to be driving in mild withdrawals and have to go to 20 pharmacies to find this IN STOCK, after about 6 pharmacies I caved in and wound up taking the norco I brought in my glove compartment in case “I needed them”-Funny how I brought them with me, to the appt. where I had every intention of NOT TAKING ANOTHER PAINKILLER< but held onto about 25 norcos "just in case", and "this was the CASE". At least I felt better while on the hunt to get the suboxone filled but now I would not be able to take it until the next day since I had taken opiate painkillers (if you do take suboxone before being in some withdrawals you will bring on precipated withdrawals which are supposedly VERY BAD), so I ended up actually not starting it until the NEXT DAY. I took those 25 norcos early in the day, taking the last ones before 1-2pm and planned on sleeping as late as I could and starting suboxone the next day, I also took valium at night to sleep since this doctor said I could, even though every other thing I read says you can’t, he said it was ok, and he recommends it to people who have trouble sleeping. So, I followed his orders. I wound up holding out about 21 hours before starting the suboxone, first pill, waited 20 minutes, nothing, second pill, waited 20 minutes, had diarrhea twice, nothing, just expected to feel something, 3rd pill, 20 minutes later, 4th pill. I don't know, I felt the same as I did after the second pill, no withdrawals, but not what I expected, just felt like OK, not having withdrawals, but not feeling like doing much, lazed around most of day. Second day, just took the 3 pills as it said on the bottle so 24mg total throughout the day, noticed bad headaches and a sweet tooth I never had before, craving ice cream and chocolate. No withdrawals but still kindaBLAH. Day three, I took 4 pills, felt a bit "sneaky" doing so, but wanted to see if I could feel good, NO, same thing as days 1 and 2 and still bad headaches and no withdrawal symptoms but still just kinda BLAH. Over the next few days, I noticed I was able to get some housework done, cook, clean, food shopping, BAD HEADACHES all the time, and noticed some moodiness and irritability, like mood swings and would feel OK one minute, like go to the supermarket to grab some stuff, then got some nasty brown stuff on my jacket while in the store which managed to ruin my day and put me in a bad mood for the entire day, from that little incident.
I started looking up more suboxone info and a few days into it I read that once the pill dissolves under your tongue and while it dissolves that I am not supposed to swallow any of the liquid and spit that accumulates in my mouth (and BOY IS IT NASTY and annoying taking that pill), I read that is why I am getting headaches and I should hold it all in my mouth as long as I can, I try up to 20 minutes, then spit it all out, so I have been doing that and the headaches have gone away, but why doesn’t the doctor or the pharmacy or the Suboxone website tell you this. Apparently has something to do with the naloxone they put in it and so that people cannot abuse it by crushing or chewing so if you swallow any of it, you get bad side effects, but it is really so gross to let it dissolve under your tongue for 20 minutes, feels like a big snot in your mouth and you just wait as long as you can to spit, and has an orange vitamin bitter taste.
So the headaches went away but in my quest to find out why I was getting headaches I suddenly started seeing what I had not seen before (or chose NOT TO SEE) how getting off suboxone is HARDER than getting off my painkiller of choice and the longer I am on it, the higher my dose, the harder it will be, it can take years, and it sounds like AGONY and many people go back to their pills and then just withdraw from them after taking suboxone for months or years, because the withdrawal is less painful, so then, why the heck did I pay all this money for the Suboxone. Because, let me tell you now, I DO NOT FEEL GOOD, I do not even think I can say I feel ok, No, I am not having withdrawals, but I am having OTHER SIDE EFFECTS, HORRIFIC NIGHTMAREs-INTENSE AND VERY REAL, mood swings, avoiding friends, not into doing much, getting agitated at least once per day and BLOWING UP LIKE A LUNATIC, severe mood swings and irritability, watching a lot of tv, eating A LOT OF SWEETS, it seems all I am in the mood for, haven’t had a bowel movement since I started taking it so I am EXTREMELY BLOATED, and probably put on 10 pounds already.
Worried, I will end up HOOKED ON THIS and not be able to afford it next month or the month after and even worse, (the addict in me) is now saying why would I put up with all this-and not even feel good, or normal; as I thought I would, why am I paying to feel agitated and annoyed and have bad side effects and then if I stop taking this I will have worse withdrawals than I would have had before, if I quit the painkillers). Basically, I currently, for the most, kind of feel like I did after my short detox-but with some added BAD SIDE EFFECTS, no I am not craving pills or having withdrawals, but I do think about how much better I would feel if I took some pills and I do get unreasonable thoughts in my head, like maybe I will stop my suboxone for a day and try to take a pill or two-a percocet and see if I am ok with just one percocet or two for a day INSTEAD of suboxone, then I can just at LEAST FEEL OK for a day, maybe take nothing the next day, or maybe one percocet, and see how I can do that and maybe taper off that way, since it has already been over a week with no percocets, maybe it will be different, and maybe that is a better idea than getting hooked on these suboxones which do not even make me feel normal as I thought they would.
So, I am trying to play doctor with myself and I feel NOW that this doctor has OVERMEDICATED ME so that I get HOOKED and he gets more money from me and kickbacks from the drug manufacturer the longer I am on this drug and I don’t want to be on this, since it too is supposedly a narcotic but all it has done for me is make me not have withdrawals BUT GAVE ME NEW SYMPTOMS that are unenjoyable and in the past I did detox and was not having withdrawals after just 2 days.
So, here is what I did a few days ago, after a week or so of three times per day, I decide to bite one of my pills in half and take about 20 mg one day, and another day I take about 18mg (remember my doctor prescribed 24mg but said I can take 32mg if I need to). I pretty much felt the same on those days, but then the 3rd day FELT VERY BAD, VERY MOODY and had a VERY BAD NIGHTS SLEEP so the next day I took my 24 mg. The day after that I took half of what I should and felt the same pretty much BUT then a big stressful situation occured – unsupportive people around me and I really kind of flipped out and was now thinking about trying to go back to my percocets since I could not deal with the stress in my life and the suboxone is NOT HELPING and I am trying to taper off of it, and the people around me not helping (blaming other people besides myself). Some blame they deserve but in the long run, every choice I have made is really mine, so I really have no one to blame but myself, but many times I believe I took as many pills as I did to deal with my high stress life.
I may have some of my days mixed up, I am now writing on my calendar (which if anyone starts I recommend keeping TRACK of how you feel and how much you took each day), but like I said, it is now night 13, and I have been trying to take a little less each day, I think yesterday I broke one pill so I took 18-20 mg, but the day before I needed to take all three-high stress day, I was planning on taking only two but something came up and I felt like I needed the 3rd one (that is the WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS DRUG, I don’t know why I felt like I needed the third pill that day to DEAl with the stress since the pills are really DOING NOTHING TO MAKE ME FEEL "BETTER" but for some reason, I felt I needed it, although I get nothing out of taking it), and today I took only two pills and plan to take no more today, so that will be 16mg for today, not sure if I will pay for that tomorrow or the next day, since I hear about the long halflife and that is why sometimes you do not feel the worse feelings for a day or two. My point is, I realize, THIS IS NOT THE MIRACLE CURE FOR ME, I want this bottle of 90 to be enough for me to wean myself down to taking none and still feel ok, or at least feel as crappy as I do now, but with no withdrawals and than take it from there, because I don’t see why I should PAY to not even feel ok. I guess what I am saying is, the DETOX cocktail of neurontin and blood pressure meds, cured my withdrawals just the same, yes, gave me weird side effects, but that was over after 2 days of stopping and I was not bed ridden.
I am paying all this money for subxone and now do I have to worry that although I feel the same in general spirits as I did last time I quit, BUT WORSE in the fact that I have these bad side effects, that I will feel EVEN WORSE when I STOP TAKING THIS and will I continue to feel worse these next few weeks if I lower my dose each day. I can’t take this and do not have the support I need to go through weeks or months of feeling this way. I cannot afford NOR do I want to be on suboxone for years or even months, this one month or less would be preferrable but now I AM WORRIED about it, and wondering if I should try to really cut down fast since I am already on my 12th day, cutting down a little, but I know if I pass the 21 day mark, I will be screwed as far as getting off of it. I can’t believe this either. I know people who chose the methodone route but they enjoyed it and abused it, and I chose not to go that route, even though it was much cheaper, because I knew I would probably enjoy it and eventually abuse it too, here I am, opposite end of the spectrum, not enjoying anything, wanting to be off suboxone already, have felt like this the last few days, all it has done for me is make me not have withdrawals, that is it, nothing else except the bad side effects.
I now think that I would recommend to someone, if you have insurance, to do detox and NOT suboxone (I cannot afford detox currently), because subxone is not all it is cracked up to be for pain killer addicts. Maybe it is a miracle for heroin addicts or other addicts, maybe, but it sure is NOT the right thing for me and I think I could have spent the money I spent on it on something better and just weaned myself down off the pills over a period of time, if I knew then what I know now, that is the choice I would have made.
26 yr old 4yr Suboxone user. Doc told me how easy it would be to detox. That was a load of Crap. I made it a week before going back on. I am 3 weeks out of Rapid Detox and it has been the worst and hardest 3 weeks of my life. I am over the worst of it now. I would not be here today without the RDD center. It is $6,700 but you can’t put a price on being sober. Its a strong demon that we each fight in our own way. My Sub Doc is a good guy he just has no idea what he is doing to people. I can understand the use for a few days as a transfer, but years? The DEA needs to put a stop to this. We are only as strong as the amount of people that will stand up for whats right. If I had to do it again I would have waited 3 days from my last Sub pill and gone back to Oxy or Hydro and then gone to the rapid detox. anything not as strong as Sub. Good luck God Bless
Hi to everyone who has taken the time to write something about their time on suboxone or subutex. I’ve reduced by 2mgs every couple of months (i’ve been on subs for 4 years nearly, i started on 12mgs). These last 2mgs are a b***** to get off. The withdrawals from all my other reductions were minimal but this is awful. But it has to be done….now is the time. Sub for me was the lesser of two evils, for sure I would be dead now if I hadn’t been detoxed from opiates. I’ve got my life back, it’s just this last push…please everyone keep going! I’ve got four children to look after and a dog and chickens. I live in the u.k and the weather is real cold, just to top things off, I really don’t have time to feel poorly at all ever!