How do get off Suboxone?

[JAS3]

Hi, I have been on 16mg of Suboxone for over 5 years after abusing Oxycontin for less than 2 years.  My mood is content, but I am a shell of a person.  I do not work and I never leave my home.  I get up in the afternoon and go on my laptop until I go to bed around 4am, and then I repeat the same thing the next day.  I am extremely constipated and have no energy.  I know I need to get off Suboxone, but I don't feel strong enough to and the more time that goes by, the weaker I get.  There was only 1 time that I was ready to ween myself off Suboxone.  It was after being on it for 6 months and a psychiatrist had put me on an anti-depressant.  I mentioned to my doctor, that was prescribing the Subs, that I was ready to ween down and he said I shouldn't think about that now.  So here I am, 5 years later.  I get frustrated to why Suboxone affects me so much because I know plenty of other people who take it who can work and function properly.  I used to be a very hard-working, family oriented person and now I don't work, hardly every see my family, and lost touch with most of my friends.  But still, none of this motivates me enough to even go one day without Suboxone.  I've called a few rehab centers, but they only offer like a 5 day detoxification, which makes no sense for the long term nature of Suboxone.  Does anybody have any suggestions or is anyone in a similar situation?

I'd like to make a note, though.  I am not condemning Suboxone.  It stopped my life from spiraling out of control and I know I wouldn't be in this situation if I got some kind of co-therapy when I initially started taking Suboxone.  I am blaming myself and the doctor who only cared about my urine samples every month I saw him.  (Sometimes, I would have to stay in his office bathroom all day until I could produce a sample because the Suboxone also causes extreme urinary retention for me, even though the doctor didn't think that was possible.)  I have a new doctor now who prescribes the Suboxone and thinks everything in my life is going great because I don't know what to tell him.

[brookeheaton]

Hi my name is Brooke and I have been on suboxon for about 5 years now I have tryed everything to get off and I don't know what else to do

[Change4good]

I would love your help!  I'm down to 1 mg / day... But scared of next step.

Been on for 16 months... Need to get off... Ca n you help me?

[zachp2222]

Hi Robert_325 - I have been on suboxone for 3 years and last year started the process of coming off the medicine w/ a taper. I was doing 8 mg for 2 years then since December of 2012, have been coming down. I currently went from 2 mg to 1 mg on January 2nd and for the last 8 days, have been really constipated. Is this normal? I know i was constipated when i started suboxone at 8 mg but after a couple of months i was fine.

I am really scared now that I am 1 mg and am looking for the best way to get off completely without little wd's. Can you give me any recommendations now that I am at 1 mg?

[polyp07]

i have been on subs for 3 years .. I started off at 12 mg a day.. now im down to 7 mgs. I take the 2/0.5 mg 3 times a day.  I want off of suboxone!!  whatever it takes. I work full time and also a mother of a 5 year old. if I am new to this site I was looking online for help with getting off subs fast and I see your name a lot.. I hear nothing good about coming off and all bad .. please help

[dimple416]

Robert,

I am having almost exactly the same issue as the person who initiated this thread.  I'm also at home and not working as I am disabled due to other health issues.  I'm currently on 12 mg of Suboxone and have been on this dosage for about 3 years.  I started at 16 mg for about a year.  My total time on Suboxone is thus 4 years.  I also would like to wean off this medication.  I was initially put on it to avoid withdrawal from pain medications.  I've had 20+ abdominal surgeries with quite a few of them being major operations.  Would you be willing to talk to me in a more private session?  If so, my email address is ***@****.  I use this email address for "work" purposes...I currently do not work outside my home but have been able to find myself work as a freelance writer online...so get a lot of email.  If you could put the words "SUBOXONE HELP" or something along those lines, in the subject field, I'll be sure to watch for your email.  

I really would like to be off this medication.  If there is advice you could give me or educate me about tapering off the medication, I would greatly appreciate it.  I look forward to hearing from you.

-Dimpel

[vicky7168]

the last 14 years ive had  nothing but depression and emptiness ,everything started when i had operation on my hands for carpel tunnel , after they operated on both hands i still had a lot of pain so i feel the op was unsuccessful , i started with endone for 1 and a half years , the went back to work even though i knew i wasnt ready ( pain ) , endone wasnt enough to give me pain relief so i went back to my gp , we tried so many different medications with no success . my gp gave me one tablet of oxycontin and   said he wasnt  qualified to perscribe them so refered me to another  doctor who " supposably " was . 80 mgs is supposed to be for 8 hrs pain relief , he put me on 4 to 5 tablets a day to which i will add that he never once explained to me what oxycontin was , within a few months i gained 25 kgs in weight and i was crying , unhappy , lost my energy , my happiness , i told the doctor how i felt , he then drew  a dark circle on a note pad and said to me that the circle represents the pain  and the white circle represented me and the pain killers , his idea was to make the white circle bigger than the black circle and said the only way to do this was with pain killers , after 6 months of work i couldnt even think about doing it anymore because how i felt i had to quit my job , instead of getting me off the oxycontin he still continued perscribing me the medication , a year and a half later i fell pregant but i lost the baby due to complications from the medication , 2 years later i fell pregnant again and told the doc to get me off this medication but he said the baby will be fine , he said there has been other women on higher doses that had normal pregnancies , i told to put me on lower doses but he didnt want to do that , so i told him to give me perscriptions for lower dosage and i will get off it my self , i finally found a good doctor who explained to me what oxycontin actually is , he couldnt give me any medication due to me being pregnant but he gave me great support  , the baby was born not breathing but they were able to save her , she spent 5 days in intensive care unit , she had withdrawals for the first year , i got off oxycontin on my own as i was fighting to keep my baby and for my family , i was oxycontin free for 2 years , then i started doing more around the house and really love gardening , the pain came back in my arms and hands which would last for 2 weeks or longer , went to another gp  he said tramadole would be ok for me and i asked him can i stop tramadole any time i want and he said yes , 2 years later i got off tramadole by myself again , i ended up with bad depression for about 2 months , i didnt touch tramadole for 6months but i hurt my arms and hands again so i started tramadole again , last year after  desperately trying to find some one to help me  i couldnt find it so i decided to end it all by almost stepping infront of a train as i felt this was the only solution , finally ATODS took me in , they put me on suboxon , i was on 14 mgs per day and they said my life would be happy and it was the magical pill that was going to bring back my emotions and happiness , 3 months into the program i wasnt feeling any better , i wanted to get off suboxone but they said it needed time to kick in  , a few months into it i finally hasseled them enough for them to start cutting the dose down  , i finally relised that ATODS is nothing better  than the doctor who started me on oxycontin , i got down to 0.4 mgs by myself but i was scared of what will happen when i stop taking suboxone , i booked myself into a rehab center , i was there for 2 days and i realised that the other people there were all alcoholics   so the majority rules so they couldnt  help me so i came home very dishearted  ,  once again realised that i will have to get off it myself  , ive been clean for 7 and a half days , my strength comes from my 4 children and very supportive loving husband , for the last week ive been having withdrawals every night but the thought of my family and the new tomorrow gives me the strength , i have been sitting and laying down looking and feeling like a zombie but people this only one life u have and u have to fight for it , it took me 14 years to realise this but this time i wrote a diary every day while i was coming off suboxone so the nexr time i feel i need pain killers i will read my diary to remind myself of what i went through . i hope there is someone reading this and dont let your self to go for that long as you cant bring back yesterday but you can live for today and tomorrow , good luck to all and i wish you all the best .

[stayingpositive11]

I have been on sub for almost 4 years now but i didnt think that i as addicted for the first couple of years because i didnt have to have it like that. Now I have to have it everyday. I did try to get off of it about a year and a half ago. For two months, i felt depressed, had no energy, couldnt work nor could i do anything that i liked to do. i couldnt seem to smile nor laugh. i was not myself. It is very hard to come off of subs but there are still ppl that say that they came off of them and been off of them for a long time and still do not feel the same. Doctors do not kno all of the side effects or the long term effects of this drug. I am a strong willed person but this drug has a hold on me and my husband. I strongly believe that these suboxones are just a money trap for the government to get more money. Please do not get discouraged. Detoxication can be achieved but we need to be strong and just keep looking for more answers that can help us down this long hard road that we are looking at. This is not something that i am very proud of but i feel that the more ppl that talk about this the more that this world is going to notice that is a problem. I talked to an er doctor once that told me that subs do not cause withdrawal symptoms and i was looking for drugs. That really hurt me bc i was looking for help to get off of these things and couldnt get it unless i told them i was suicidal and thats bull. The longest i was offered for rehab was 7 days in peninsula thats it. That is not long enough to actually come off of these mentally or physcally how ever ppl want to describe it. i have heard ppl say oh its in your head and ur thinking about it too much and then there are those ppl who kno what im going thru like you. we will make it thru this, just have to get the help that we need and trust me that is coming soon because these doctors are starting to realize what exactly this is doing to ppl and it cant go on much longer. this is just like methadone, remember? They took that away and gave suboxones. So sooner or later they are going to give ppl like us the help that we need buddy. You are not alone. It makes me constipated as well, although i have had a problem before the subs it got worse after use. I just kno that this is not the only way out that is out there, there is hope and i am not going to give up looking for that help. Dont give up hope, there is always help out there and a better life. Keep up the good work man dont let ppl get u down with bad comments or negative feedback. there will always be those ppl out there who dont understand and will put u down for being an addict but honestly everyone is. There are plenty of other things that are normal daily life things that ppl are addicted to but dont think its an addiction but take it away from them and tell them to just get over it and deal without it. See how much they like it. STAY POSITIVE!!

[scaredsk]

hi everyone, well about two years ago I was introduced to opiates without ever taking a drug in my life needless to say I loved them! I was addicted to them for  about 10 months and then my boyfriend and I we were clean for 7 months... and returned to doing them again not as bad for the last 10 months i use opiates for 4 to 6 days then take a sub for the nest 4 to 6 and so on. were not prescribed subs from a dr just get them from a friend. i dont want to become dependent on neither again, we struggled with energy and we cant find our selves kicking the subs, im scared an i just want to be straight and enjoy normal things in life im finding it difficult to get back to things because i dont want to go to work low on energy i find myself not even being able to get dressed or ready for the day without atleast one of them any suggestions anyone?

[atthebeach]

Keep tapering down. You can get off the subs. Are you getting counseling and or attending support groups? Go to the top of this page and "post a question" start your own thread, this is an old one.
You will get support and encouragement
Keep the faith...,
There is always hope...
Debbie

[ciccio788]

i would just like to say that you are 100 percent right about doctors prescribing too much. i will be totally honest when i say that in reality 4 mgs of subs would make it so i was "ok" i wasnt sick the only thing that people who are getting on them to get off other opiates should realize that they are not going to get the high they we getting from the opiate but to really open their mind and actualy notice that they are not sick. the stuff if used correctly is a miracle to us. robert have you or do you know anyone who would have info  on shooting subutex? i just got out of rehab two weeks ago and am off the subs completely and it was the hardest detox ive ever done. but i was shooting up to 4 8mg pills a day which was pointless because i know you only get so high on subs and i was doing it everyday for a year. i have some things im scared about. but anyway the doctor in there tapered me in a week after doing it that severly for a year and he stared me the first day at 16 mg all at once in the morning and i was blown away because i wasnt even do that on the street i was so mad at his regimen. i thought i was dying. it didnt hit me till like the 4th day off them because of the half life in them. but if you know anyone who has experience shooting them and is now clean please let me know.

[valentine78]

hi  Robert.  Could you tell me how to get off suboxone?  I have weened down to less than a quarter of an 8mg pill a day. Its the completely stopping that is getting me.  I still have withdrawls when i dont take suboxone.  The withdrawls are far more mild than the opiate withdrawls but they are still there.  I recently have had people tell me the withdrawls are in my head. I don't see how i am creating it in my head, but maybe i am..  I just want it to end.  

[MaguiGizmo]

Wow, I am literally in exactly the same position as you are or were since your post is old. I've been to rehab once to get off it and it was rough but I managed to do it and when I got out I eventually relapsed weeks later. But Suboxone effects me in the exact same manor as yourself and I pretty much do exactly the same as you except with going on my comp all day I also play video games all day.

I recently forced myself through 20 weeks of GED prep courses so I can take and pass my GED test. That is probably my most note worthy accomplishment within the past 5-6 years of being of Suboxone and it really drags me down that it's like that because I used to have many hobbies and dreams of my future that after 5 months of being on Suboxone diminished.

Suboxone is a great short term drug but for me the long term just does not agree with my mind and body.

[nananeecie]

I would love some help too. I've been on Suboxone for 8 years!!  Every time I try to quit, the withdrawls are too rough I and go back to Suboxone. I'm only taking 2 mg a day now but I can't get any lower.

[faithforever1959]

RYobert, I think that your information is quite useful and helpful. I don't undersand why everyone is putting you down, you are just trying to help people. They can either follow or ask you for advice or just keep their mouths shut and just scroll down below your comments, nobody has put a gun to their head and made them listen to you. I thank God for people like you that are trying to help those of us who are trying to gett off of Subs.. You clearly state that you are not a doctor, so I don't know why anyone has a problem with you trying to help, I need help and would gladly accept any advice you have for me to get off of these strips from hell. I am down to taking a 1/4 in the morning and then another at late evening, any suggestions that you might have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks and God bless you!

[xxJenxx]

I have been addicted to suboxone for maybe yrs...I'm scared to death, I need to get off. It is ruining my life, I feel like I am the walking dead. I've tried over and over again to ween myself off. I can't. So I am now trying to do it cold turkey, and I know it's possible. How do I get the motivation to stick with this?? I am 36 years old and tired of sleeping through my life. Can you help?   jen colotti 1977 at g mail . com

[handsolo]

Get off ur high horse wolverine and find a forum for people that "always have to have the last word" conditions! People come here for personal experience dialog! Wether it's credible structured directions is up to the reader and their Dr's to decide! If ur that dumb to think we take everything we read on here as gospel then you're opinions should be reverted to infomercial junkies! Please leave this forum and your one last word, one last time and be gone...
Thx!

[digdiggity]

then tell me best way to do it please

[digdiggity]

i would love to no how to taper robert. how do i contact u?

[christos1110]

hey robert, can you help me taper off the subs, i been using them for only 3 months so i think i have hope to get off.  i am terrified by what i am reading about this drug online

[nursegirl6572]

Please star your own thread...this one is old and won't get the attention you're looking for.

[Ihatepharma]

Robert 325 i need your help! getting of suboxone, I've winged off suboxone twice  before on about 1mg of suboxone, I took the suboxone for about 2 year the withdrawal was painful the first time due to having to kick at a restoration christian program, the seconed time I was on suboxone for another year and i winged off very slow tappering 1/3 every 2 weeks and it went smooth. now I've been on suboxone for about 3 years on a crumb and thought it would be easy getting off this time around, but it has not at all, sometimes all have paws on the subs at night out of nowhere, and i urinate  allot, anyway I want to defeat this demon drug and I'm having mental warfare  big time. I'm a heathy eater and take lots of superfoods for energy and over all health but my insomnia is horrible still due to the suboxone, I believe in plant based medicine and holistic healing, but it just seems impossible to get of subs even taking a little crumb. Due to the long term use I've learned it is a completely different battle, please what is the remedy for this?

[jordan_310]

please robert_325 im on 16 mlg of sub, and im into my 2nd week of taking it. And hearing all these horror stories i want to start getting off of of it. please can you send me an email at ***@**** on how i should taper off thank you soo much!

[weaver71]

Hey there bob, you posted on a thread from 2010, click on post a question at the top of the page, you'll get a lot more support and advice. Most people taper slowly down to .5 or .25mgs. You can't really detox in a week from suboxone, it has long half life and really lingers. Start a new post and let us know how much and long you've been on suboxone. Looking forward to getting to know you.

[soonerbob70]

I would also like to get off of suboxone. Should I start by going to a week long detox or should I just taper off? Can you help me? My email is ***@****.