Need help on tapering Suboxone

[OnOxyfor10yrs]

People, I am really upset that I didn't know about the 21 day taper from sub. On 8/5/08, my doctor gave me 24 mg of sub after 14 years of opiate use of which the last 10 years was oxys at 160mgs a day and sometimes well more than sometimes around 240mg. I admit that I bought more on the street as the dose that was given to me eventually didn't work. I am a chronic pain patient. My addiction doctor is currrently in the hospital and will not be back foor 2 more weeks, I really want to taper quickly as I do not want to be addicted to sub. Can anyone offer some advice on tapering? My primary doc who does not know about my addiction gave me ultram for the pain. I know how addictive this is and I will be very careful to take these only on really bad days. I mean it when I say that I will take these sparingly. I also have an addiction to benzos but I will address this after I get off the sub. I feel like a total mess right now and a failure. The doc that gave me all these meds was a psychiatrist. Can you believe a psych wrote these scripts all these years? I need to also go to mmetings b/c the nature of my chronic pain would definitly get me more opiates.People cringe when I tell them my story. I actually was calling around to pain specialists the other day to score more meds, I know now that this was wrong. Anyway, how can I taper comfortably while I am working? I work in the medical field and have to be very nice and compasionate to my patients. Thanks

[worried878]

I think it is smart to wait on tapering from the benzos...one bear at a time...if u start sub u do need to be careful with other drug intake..but in reality sub is a narcotic and it is not recommended to take benzos with lortabs, oxys nor tramadol..especially not with methadone..tis dangerous so it is good u r under a doctors advice..i would be up front with him so he can give u the drugs u need at a safe dose.....so u r on sub and only had 24 mg?  that is enuf for a low quantiry user to get off without a prob at 2-4 mg a day...u are at a high dose and have been for a while...what r ur goals? to be drug free or maintenance on sub?....i am also a chronic pain patient and i am a nurse..the medical field can be stressful and then when u throw a chronic pain prob in it can equal addiction...u r not alone...i received ur pm...just gotta make a plan

[christos24]

some people have taken too high of a dose of sub and a benzo and have died or they ahve an extremely low tolerance but this scare is mainly from europe, primarily frnace, where they shoot the sub and then take benzos and end up dying of respiratory depression,. yes suboxone needs to be carefully tapered and monitored carefully, but it beats going through a month long withdrawal or dealing with the day to day dope game we were sleaves too. oxy is no different than Heroin in fact when i was heavily using I would rpefer oxycontin, but i was 32 mgs of suboxone for 8 months. I broke my wrist so i was taken off and put on 240 mgs of ms contin and then ended having to enter a methadone clinic. that saved my life,but suboxone is a great drug for ppl who really want to be clean it can really stop the cravings and stop any discomfort. but getting off is a little trickier. you need to lower your dose slwoly week by wek. maybe 2 mgs or 4 at a time. dont go really any higher unlesss you want some major discomfort. yes it may take a few months to get off or maybe a half year but its better than where you were and some ppl stay on it forever....and dont worry about taking the ultram that will only cause another addiction and for something so stupid as tramadol..it isnt even good or fun...and seizures are what await from withdrawal from that. stick with tapering off sub and take the benzos sparingly with tapering slwoly you should feel little to no discomfort but if you have a really ahrd time then maybe youre not ready to come off of sub.youre doing great and your on the right path, nice job staying clean..and best of luck tapering....-christos

[kittykat58]

oops -- PS -- I tapered off the percs and oxys but not with sub -- just tapered off with the drugs I had.

[kittykat58]

I know how you feel. I work in the medical profession too and also have a child...I have not been on pain meds as long as you but was on for the past 1+ year for a pain problem and I had surgery to correct it 3 mos ago (of course I needed more pain meds after the surgery!). I am now 2 weeks off and still struggling with wanting more, and like you, have a legit basis to get more. but I don't want to stay on them b/c I know in my heart I am an addict and do not want to stay on the merry-go-round. over the year+ I was able to get enough meds from 1 doctor so I could sort of self-righteously tell myself that I was handling it and not behaving like a dope addict -- but my doc gave me as much as I needed and I got up to ~120 mgs/day combined percs/oxys (never liked the oxys as much as the percs, but of course I never snorted or shot them!).

when I started tapering and facing getting off them altogether, the dope addict behavior cropped up:  1)I I tried to call in an rx for my husband  -- which they wouldn't fill -- you can't get controlled rxs for yourself or immediate family -- now I know...2) I asked a friend for some pain pills she said she had a few months before -- scored a big whopping 6 endos!!  :)  what a disappointment!! 3) considered trying to get a rx for myself while out of town, but managed to resist the urge -- I am risking my license and professional standing!! 4) called my surgeon for "one last" rx for vics, which I haven't touched yet, but I want it with every fiber of my being. I should just flush it and get it over with.

in any event -- apart from all this crazy garbage I did taper down and over the past two weeks have not taken anything, and although the physical wds are over, the mental is nowhere near oer b/c the dope addict in me is saying that I haven't had enough yet, I want more, more, more!! really sad too, b/c I got clean & sober 20 yrs ago and had not used any drugs or alcohol up until ~ yrs ago when I had the first of 5 surgeries (all for different problems) and the ball got rolling again. and now here I am on 2 weeks off of a yr+ ru on pain pills, the biggest run I ever had in my life.

I know I would be in better shape if I flushed. I am going to AA meetings and staying busy, but I can't get my mind right b/c I still want more drugs!!

I hope if you do decide to jump off this dope train that you will reach out to support like NA or AA - I think it realy helps. I did a VERY long taper (over 2 months) and it made me very irritable but mostly I was ok, and at the end of it I was down to about 40mgs a day and then had to jump b/c I was out and wasn't going to ask for more. so I am off now. the first 3-5 days were very uncomfortable; now I am physically doing very well but struggling with my head, as I already said. I hope that all makes sense.

blessings to you -

[Coolio Hernendez]

Whoa !!! be careful if your mixing Sub with Benzos or Tramadol.....You are not supp to do Tramadol with Suboxone and as far as i know mixing Benzos with it will kill you. I have been sick off of Suboxone once 2 years ago b/c i mixed things i shouldnt have and i thought i was gonna die...

Just be careful...you sound smart though. So i dont mean to nag...