Ive read that less is more and used to preach it as well. Since lower doses do not occupy almost all receptors, there is still room for full agonists to bind, ie metabolite nor-buprenorphine. Even with the tolerance of 1 roxi, or when I started getting very minor w/ds, 0.5mg 1mg 1.5mg 2mg 2.5mg 3mg sub never felt good for me or gave me anything I liked from opioids, in fact I remember feeling "more flora than fauna" on those doses. Suboxone was pointless for me to take until 8+mg. I have tapered off before but I was never stable on one of those low doses for a few months, allowing tolerance to level out to see if it would be more enjoyable, but I don't think it would give me what I need.
I should have stated that my use of suboxone is atypical, my doctor is even ok with me staying on indefinitely(long as I pay him $200 every 4 weeks...). I don't plan to stop taking opioids, I don't see any reason, they have not really harmed my life in any way, though I used to have miserable chronic pain so I had less to lose to begin with, so to speak. Hopefully one day I can afford a doctor that will give me enough of some painkiller to be comfortable. For tapering off bupe, going from 16mg-> 4mg was very easy, <4mg was when it got somewhat difficult. Does the hole get that much deeper at 24mg? I wish 2mg or so of bupe worked like I imagine it does for you and many others.