Tapering off of Suboxone

[traplord69 (OP)]

Hey guys I was hoping to get some input from anyone that has successfully tapered off of suboxone.  To give a little history I have been on subs for quite a long time (about 4 years).  I think my initial dose was something stupid like 16mg but I leveled off at around 6mg mg pretty quickly.  For the past year and half its been more like 1-2 mgs and most recently I've been attempting to taper.  I was able to get down to 1/8th of a mg without too much trouble but have an extremely difficult time when I start trying to skip days.  Have a script for clonidine and trazadone which seem to help a bit, but if I ever take the clonidine during the day it hits me like a on of bricks and I have 0 energy. 

I have to say that I only tried skipping a day once and while it wasn't that bad during the day or really even at night, I could not sleep at all.  It was really strange actually, other than a mild stomach ache I didn't feel like I was sick really, I was actually quite comfortable just laying there but just couldn't sleep for the life of me even with the clonidine and trazadone.  The next day I took my 1/8th and couldn't sleep again that night either.  My only theory is that about 4 days before I attempted skipping a day I came across 8 1mg footballs of xannax and took them all over the course of 3 days, still doesn't seem very likely though that I would withdraw from xannax after such a short period of time taking it.  After those 2 days of not sleeping I decided to go back to 1/4 mg in an attempt to get some sleep, which thankfully worked but it was a little bit of a personal defeat as I really want to get off of the subs.  I am now back to 1/8th mg and want to take another crack and skipping a day between doses.

Does anyone have any experience doing this or advice of things that worked for them?  I would really appreciate any input at all.  I also am considering using kratom to get off of the subs and then trying to taper with that but I have a feeling I will just wind up hooked on kratom, especially if it winds up giving any sort of euphoria or mood lift.  Thanks guys and gals

[Daughter of Dionysus]

The best advice I can give ya
Is cutting the strips into eights

After that
When you want to get lower
Than that

Mix with water
It's easier
To get lower than 1.5 mgs

This is really
One of the times
I morn the death of
Opiophile
ThanatOs had a great sticky
On I.M.img subs
You can get really low doses
With that
And with subs
Really low doses can make
Hella difference

This calls for a
Big
FUCK YOU
JOHNNY FAUXHAWK

[Illadelph215]

I'm right there with you man.

I have successfully tappered off a couple times so I will give you my advice, but each one gets harder and harder IMO and I'm currently trying to get lower then 1mg split in half daily. Also for reference I have never taken more then 4mg daily.

The first time I went one 4mg a day one week, then 2mg the next, then 1mg, a half and then .5 every two days and then every 3 days. That time I had mild withdrawal coming down but had a script of benzos from the doc. so that made it do-able.

After my week long script of benzos I was virtually fine besides being aggravated for a week or so.



The second time I did the same but had a month long benzo script. Once I came out of the benzo zombie-ness I was good and should have never gone back from there. Virtually no w/d fell either.


Each time after I followed the same routine and though do-able without the benzos: they obviously help a lot. I usually feel agrivated and can't sleep for a good 2 weeks or so which is why I usually go back to some opiate.



Moral is: keep tapering as low as you can and try to get a benzo script to use once your ready to jump off. This is my experience at least and I too have been looking for advice. Working out/vitamins/fish oil and eating good obviously helps as well. Good luck man and I'm right there with you right now.

Currently looking for a benzo script because I'm too much of a bitch to do it with out at this point of my life.

[Jake Frazier]

Getting hooked on Kratom is not as awful as you might think.  The w/d are not too serious and it is relatively easy to wean off.

Having weaned off of both oxy and Kratom in the past, I can definitely say that Kratom is far easier.

And here I am about to sample some H...don't do as I do, do as I say.   

[Taytoechip]

you're gonna have to go far far lower than 1/8th a mg,
This is an abbreviated post, as i'm supposed to be working, but i'll add more later. I have been on bupe since last feb. a very comfortable gradual taper. Right now i'm in the final stages (hopefully). the dose that i'm on is low. Like really low. If it was an actual piece of the strip you would barely see it low. Like dod mentioned, you'll have to make a solution to get real low. More on that later.
Right now at this exact moment of posting i havnt dosed for...roughly 53 hours. Now i have had tiny tiny bits of RLS and maybe even a stomach churn or two, but these seem more like something placebo related? the brain is a motherfucker sometimes. I've actually been at this same place for about a week or two. I'll get to 36 or 48 hours, find myself unable to fall asleep, so i'll just cave and dose. which screams placebo. As it sits right now, i'm pretty much stuck until at least 10pm tonight. Which will put my time since last dose over 60 hours. Will i be able to make it tonight without dosing? Will i just fucking cave again per usual and reset my last dose clock?  duuuunnnnnnnnnnnndunnndunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[Illadelph215]

Lower then an 1/8 of a mg?? Holy smokes. 1/4 of a mg is where I ended up but I cut it.

When I go from 1/4 a mg I just skip more hours/days to compensate.

Do you think going lower with closer dosing times aka using the solution method will have a better effect?

If so if anyone has the time to post a reliable link or experience to post how to make such solution and time chart, that would be the cats meow. DoD said there was a good link on phile, are those archived?

[traplord69 (OP)]

Thanks alot for the replies guys.  I would definitely be interested in a quick guide to making a solution as well, or actually if you have the time as detailed a guide as you can ha.  Like what sort of sprayer do you use just one that usually has saline or somthing? Or do they sell one's that are designed to dispense x amount of liquid and have removable tops.  Also I would assume you'd want to use maybe bacteriostatic water? I for sure thought if anything I was sort erring on the side of caution by going to an 1/8mg but as you said and with the trouble I've had skipping days it 100% makes sense.  And like you said Illadelph, a benzo script would be sooo clutch right now, I'm almost sure I'd be able to power through any wd's if I just had like 2mg of xannax or kpins a day.  Again really appreciate everyone's input, and I obviously don't want anyone to be suffering but it feels a little better knowing I'm not the only one going through it. 

[Illadelph215]

Yup I'm right there with ya traplord

If I can't get benzos soon I might have to research
the solution method. I'm sure there's one out there
I'm just lazy.

It's either slowly taper off subs again or do H for a couple
weeks and come down off that, which might be worse but
shorter I'm assuming?

I've done it before and others have so we will be ok. Could
be a lot worse. I know people that their doc's have had them
on 8mg-16mg daily for over a year straight.

Keep me updated.

What gets me is the mental part. Coming off H was hell for a couple
weeks but coming off subs is mess physical for me, but sleep is no where
to be found and I'm depressed for a month +

....or just stay on subs. I do good on them and stay at low doses to preserve
them. I just don't like the fact that I always have to take something. Plus the
fear of not having them and w/ding.

Then again let's be serious, if they work stay on them: being that I likely
will aways be on some form of opiate since remaining sober just dosen't
work for me. Better then being an alcohol and such IMO.

Now I'm just rambling. @Jake Frazier this is why I'm glad you didn't try heroin
and you should quit while your ahead or chip if you can. And this is the least of what your
worries could be. Being stuck with the doom of how to dig out of the hole you made.

[Taytoechip]

I still havnt dosed yet, over 72 hours.
i'm supposed to be doing the work thing again right now, but i'll gladly type up the method i used for micro dosing this evening. Not that i made it up, i actually used a few different variations from some other members. But it does work, and is a fairly painless way to get your dose down reallllll low.

[DeadCat]

Thanks alot for the replies guys.  I would definitely be interested in a quick guide to making a solution as well, or actually if you have the time as detailed a guide as you can ha.  Like what sort of sprayer do you use just one that usually has saline or somthing? Or do they sell one's that are designed to dispense x amount of liquid and have removable tops.  Also I would assume you'd want to use maybe bacteriostatic water? I for sure thought if anything I was sort erring on the side of caution by going to an 1/8mg but as you said and with the trouble I've had skipping days it 100% makes sense.  And like you said Illadelph, a benzo script would be sooo clutch right now, I'm almost sure I'd be able to power through any wd's if I just had like 2mg of xannax or kpins a day.  Again really appreciate everyone's input, and I obviously don't want anyone to be suffering but it feels a little better knowing I'm not the only one going through it.

If you can't get a benzo script from a doctor, you might want to look into buying some benzo analogs on the internet. Etizolam is not hard to find and cheap. I'd give you the URL of a reliable internet vendor but should probably not do it in the thread. but, there are email links on profiles.

[Etnuser]

Hello all! I haven’t been on in a while, but I come with good news!No More Buprenorphine for Me!! I’ve taken Buprenorphine 8-12 mg daily since October 2012. Circumstances beyond my control cause me to have to bite the bullet and QUIT! I did a half-ass taper, I tried to keep my dose under 8mg for last month. As my supply dwindled, I realized I screwed up. I knew I didn’t have the funds to go back to dr because I lost my job, so I was kinda conservative but should have done a lot better. I ended up taking my last 4mg, that’s right, 4mg, Sunday. I have some comfort meds so honestly it ain’t been bad at all. Today is 4 full days without Buprenorphine . As I said, I been taking buprenorphine DAILY since 2012! I was so scared of withdrawal! All I can say is I’m glad I had some meds to comfort me. I’ve been drinking water like crazy, pissing a lot, taking 0.5mg Ativan 6-8 daily, clonidine 4x daily, trazadone at night, 8mg Zofran as needed, and dicyclomine as needed. It’s 12am Friday and my last dose was Sunday at 3:pm. Also taking multi vitamin and b12, b2, vitamin c, 5htp, med called Rest Assured, and lastly, glucosamine and chondroitim supplement. I’ve dreaded this for YEARS! I actually feel pretty good, nothing to complain about at all. Again, I jumped from a VERY HIGH dose, I am lucky to have a plentiful supply of comfort meds! I can’t believe how good I feel, I just pray it lasts! Keep your head UP!!!

[Hooman]

I'm glad that you feel relatively OK, but you know that the *half-life* of Buprenorphine is 24-60 hours(!)? That means that you'll definitely be some way out of the woods, you know, 'receptor-wise' and all that, but not quite there yet.

Apparently, '...with an average half-life of approximately 35 hours, 48 hour and 72 hour dosing (of addicts, with Buprenorphine) is theoretically possible.'

[traplord69 (OP)]

Wow that's pretty amazing, congrats dude.  Like hooman said you're probably not completely out of the woods but 4 days off and feeling decent is a pretty good sign imo considering I couldn't even make it 2 days and was only on an 1/8th of a mg. Benzo's are also really a godsend atleast for me when going through any opiate withdrawal, I have gotten through several withdrawals without much to agony when I had a supply of them.  For me, I ended up leaving my sub doctor and was able to get off of them using loperamide and never got to crazy with the doses.  I started at maybe like 30mg max and quickly got down to 1-2mgs of lope per day, but of course when the time came to try to get off of lope I couldn't fucking do either.  I seriously am just a huge bitch I guess when it comes to withdrawal discomfort, especially any sleep disturbances, that's what really gets me. Not to mention the majority of the time I was on lope I never really felt quite right, I was basically at like 70% at all times.  After maybe 6-8 months of that I just decided to get back on subs (2mg/day)  so here I am again back where I started.  I have to say that I feel so much better than I did when I was just taking the loperamide and although it bugs me a little bit I can't say that I'm that unhappy with my decision.  It certainly beats being on dope and all that goes along with that.  Also, for people like me who do occasionally chip, I think that having a built in opiate tolerance is actually a huge benefit from a overdose standpoint.  It obviously doesn't make you impervious to od'ing but I think from a harm reduction perspective it makes quite a bit of sense to have at least some opiate tolerance just in case you do chip/relapse.

[Hooman]

You went from (not insane) Lope doses for quite a while, and then back to Subutex? Wow - that's....something or other. Were you still chipping when you were depending on the Lope?

And yes - having a bit of a resistance to ODing (in theory) would be seen to be an even handier 'skill' in these days of common Fent sightings...

[onewayonly]

Whats up everyone.
 Wanted to wake up a thread with a few members I remember. Man I tried coming off suboxone. Was on it 3 yrs and never truly gave it 100 percent
 Maybe I would not be on methadone now. Subs just do not feed me since I shot a ball of h a week for a decade.
But sub does work for some and I am so happy for them. I might be a lifer on methadone but at least I don't shot up