Aa
suboxone withdrawal-how much longer??
I guess what I really want to know after that long post is how long should I really expect this? Like I over emphasized this is day 8, a Friday. I missed an entire week of work and am expected back on Monday which will be day 11. Will I be up to it? I work in NYC and the commute in is very physically challenging as a 2 mile walk is part of my commute. I know we are all different but could this really be WEEKS like ive read on here? Or Months? Really? Is my doc lying? Is he just uninformed? I read this forum before I quit a week ago and it scared me but I didnt really expect it to be this bad and to last this long.... Im losing it mentally. Feels good to be on here to see Im not along I guess
Well done J. Glad to hear your feeling good again. If you can stay as positive as you sound you can deffinately stay clean. I have been clean off the subs for 11 months now. If i can do it you can too. This site is great for support, have you worked out how to navigate your way around the forums yet? I only ask as it took me days just to pick up the basics, Im fairly new to the net!
Just wanted to send out a little more info. I am at day 21 and WoW what a difference. I take a vitamin in the morning with breakfast and a sports type drink with lunch and dinner. I drink water when ever I get hungry between meals and most of the time the hunger stuff goes away. I work really hard and try to relax a little in the evenings. Not getting good sleep yet but I know it will come. I can sleep 4 or 5 hours then Im up for a bit then some more sleep. Im thinking about trying melatonin tonight. Not sure about how much to take. I guess I am back about 80% and every day is better and better. By the way all of my stomach stuff went away a few days ago and Im eating anything I wish. And Lots of it. I wish everyone the best and You will feel better soon. Im going thru it. BTW I went cold turkey at 12mg of suboxone a day for a couple of years. Jay
of subutex w/d after five years and 3 year H habit before that. To those screaming class action suit and all of that, I say nonsense. There's a cap on sub that won't let you get higher from taking more than 24mg at a time daily which makes it far safer from an OD fatality standpoint and limits its abuse despite its withdrawal being far more insidious. I was well aware of the downside of transferring to subutex maintenance, and while the government may be guilty of
I'm fortunate enough to not to have had to sunk to the depths as most of you since I have decent insurance that covers in-patient detox for 5 nights that made the first six days painless since they keep you under the whole time. I strongly recommend this for anyone with the resources/insurance ready to take the plunge and can take a week off. Call your insurance and ask if they cover detox services and where. Turned out my secondary insurance covered what my primary wouldn't. Although I know this is hardly an option for everyone in the US as good HI can be difficult to impossible to afford and even obtain although that has recently changed so long as the conservative Supreme Court does not dismantle it this year.
I envy most of you who were sharp enough to its detriments to want to get off after only 0-2 years. Having been born into a family of enough resource whose culture is fundamentally unfamiliar and incapable of practicing the concept of "tough love", I could live an idyllic life of apathetic inconsequence with everything provided for except cold hard cash for fear I end up dead in a matter of weeks. This has facilitated my life as a reclusive and self hating tex-head, self sequestered in my palatial penthouse suite with not an ambition in the world, tex-inhibited lack of sex drive, and spurning all social contact since I'm a loser that does nothing. That leaves me sitting around downloading and watching 3 movies a day on my 60 inch 3D flat screen that's provided enough escapism over the last 5 years as a diversion to brooding too much upon my Loser-hood. I leave only to visit the gym 3 times a week (BTW, burning off opiates stored in fat really can give you an extraordinary buzz, especially after after a rigorous workout on an older vertical back machine that involves swinging your upper body up and down numerous times), re-up on my subutex and other meds once a month, and those times I'm pressed into duty to visit my parents and be reminded just how large the letter L on my chest had grown in my supine time of quintessential black sheep-hood.
But it wasn't always thus. It certainly wasn't how I was raised under loving and relatively strict parentage and all the opportunities and educational benefits that one might expect of being born into the 1%. I would be unrecognizable to my earlier childhood peers who saw an ambitious achiever whose exceptionalism made future success a forgone conclusion. It took years for me to finally admit subutex could be the only explanation as to why I had come to desire nothing, want of no one, and was no longer possessed of a preoccupation to dream and scheme of my immediate future.
At least I hope it's the subutex and I just haven't somehow turned into a deadbeat.
I had my place cleaned prior to entering detox, although that hasn't stopped me during heavy withdrawal periods from scouring every square inch of it in hope an accidental crumb left behind could provide immediate relief. It's quite possible such shameless desperation has led to a lot of sublingually ingested lint the past week.
I was told it would take two weeks, but seeing as to how I'm on day 12 and still feel nowhere near a return to anything approaching normalcy I'm glad to confirm that it's more like 30 ... giving me the mental fortitude to prepare for the days ahead. Thanks for sharing all. Since I'm one that's found AA/NA too intrusive and counterproductive for me, writing within the relative anonymity of this medium has been cathartic of sorts.
I'm fortunate enough to not to have had to sunk to the depths as most of you since I have decent insurance that covers in-patient detox for 5 nights that made the first six days painless since they keep you under the whole time. I strongly recommend this for anyone with the resources/insurance ready to take the plunge and can take a week off. Call your insurance and ask if they cover detox services and where. Turned out my secondary insurance covered what my primary wouldn't. Although I know this is hardly an option for everyone in the US as good HI can be difficult to impossible to afford and even obtain although that has recently changed so long as the conservative Supreme Court does not dismantle it this year.
I envy most of you who were sharp enough to its detriments to want to get off after only 0-2 years. Having been born into a family of enough resource whose culture is fundamentally unfamiliar and incapable of practicing the concept of "tough love", I could live an idyllic life of apathetic inconsequence with everything provided for except cold hard cash for fear I end up dead in a matter of weeks. This has facilitated my life as a reclusive and self hating tex-head, self sequestered in my palatial penthouse suite with not an ambition in the world, tex-inhibited lack of sex drive, and spurning all social contact since I'm a loser that does nothing. That leaves me sitting around downloading and watching 3 movies a day on my 60 inch 3D flat screen that's provided enough escapism over the last 5 years as a diversion to brooding too much upon my Loser-hood. I leave only to visit the gym 3 times a week (BTW, burning off opiates stored in fat really can give you an extraordinary buzz, especially after after a rigorous workout on an older vertical back machine that involves swinging your upper body up and down numerous times), re-up on my subutex and other meds once a month, and those times I'm pressed into duty to visit my parents and be reminded just how large the letter L on my chest had grown in my supine time of quintessential black sheep-hood.
But it wasn't always thus. It certainly wasn't how I was raised under loving and relatively strict parentage and all the opportunities and educational benefits that one might expect of being born into the 1%. I would be unrecognizable to my earlier childhood peers who saw an ambitious achiever whose exceptionalism made future success a forgone conclusion. It took years for me to finally admit subutex could be the only explanation as to why I had come to desire nothing, want of no one, and was no longer possessed of a preoccupation to dream and scheme of my immediate future.
At least I hope it's the subutex and I just haven't somehow turned into a deadbeat.
I had my place cleaned prior to entering detox, although that hasn't stopped me during heavy withdrawal periods from scouring every square inch of it in hope an accidental crumb left behind could provide immediate relief. It's quite possible such shameless desperation has led to a lot of sublingually ingested lint the past week.
I was told it would take two weeks, but seeing as to how I'm on day 12 and still feel nowhere near a return to anything approaching normalcy I'm glad to confirm that it's more like 30 ... giving me the mental fortitude to prepare for the days ahead. Thanks for sharing all. Since I'm one that's found AA/NA too intrusive and counterproductive for me, writing within the relative anonymity of this medium has been cathartic of sorts.
I took subutex for 7 months and started at 2-4 mg a day. I never exceeded 4mg, that would be for a random day. The last month I dropped down to breaking it down to around .2 - .5. This is day 5 for me and I feel significantly better, the RLS is gone, everything seems to be gone except chronic fatigue and lack of energy. I got a B12 shot from doc a couple of days ago, I'm taking a lot of supplements and multi-vitamin, klonopin, clonidine, promethazine, but no immodium because I'm not really getting much diarrhea. I still get cold every now and then, but it's getting better it seems. Maybe it's everything I'm taking masking the effect, supplements: potassium, magnesium, L-tyrosine, B6, Vitamin C. I slept for 11 hours last night, untouched by RLS and I haven't had it all day. Just started taking the supplements today, and I had 3 hours of relief when I first took them getting back from Walmart, (which I dragged myself to) I exercise every other day, I started a month before I began DT. I get dizzy and lightheaded every time I get up from the bed or the couch, I almost fall but once it clears I seem to be ok.
I really hope my withdraws dont end up lasting 3 or 4 weeks. Im only on day 15 but I felt ok today. I put on my headphones and crank it up. If not i will just stop working and head to the car for a rest. A Monster Energy helps alot also. Has your appetitie returned yet? Sunday was only OK. Monday was good and yesturday just sucked. Today Ive been eating everything in sight. Maybe its the little things are the best to look at? Jay
I am a RN, specifically critical care (emergency/trauma), I've been on suboxone for almost 2 years and have tapered myself down and come off completely. It is now day 22 for me, & unfortunately I still feel like absolute crap. Some days r better than othera, the malaise and fatigue r what's lingering currently. Even taking a shower everyday is effort. I know a lot about this drug and addiction itself. Remember, just 1mg of suboxone is equivalent to about 30mg of Morphine (Intravenously, not orally. IV absorption is almost 100%) this is a general rule, and it only reflects the concentration of the drug, not half-life or mech of action by anyway. So, when ur on only 1mg, ur still taking about 30mg of morphine a day, & if u know concentrations of IV morphine, that's a crap load. I stopped from 1mg to zero. I'll b honest, quitting cold turkey IS NOT THE WAY TO GO! U will need adjunctive therapy to help u otherwise your likely hood of relapse is over 85%. Dont fool yourself, u probably won't b able to do it cold turkey. There are great drugs to use for the suboxone withdrawals. First off, your blood pressure will b high during the come down, so a anti-hypertensive agent is recommended, specifically Catapress (Clonidine) which is used for opiate withdrawals as a unmarked use. (it's great for bld pressure, anxiety, & general body aches), second, a benzo might b indicated, like librium, but only take for the first 2 weeks and taper off of them (or u will become dependent on them), if u don't want the benzo, Vistaril is a anti-histamine that works wonders for anxiety without the narcotics. Neurontin is a seizure medication, but few people know that seizure meds calm the brain & make withdrawals very tolerable. (trust me) plus its non-addicting. You should ask your doctor specifically for those meds if possible, of ur doc knows anything about addiction he will know. Also, for the never ending diarrhea, (after 3 weeks it still hasn't let up), Levsin and/or Bentyl are great for the stomach cramps. I tried stopping suboxone countless times on my own account, but could never do it alone. I was going to TJ to buy the subs. I finally came to the realization even as a veteran RN, that I can't do it alone. I'm know just over the 3 week mark, but without the adjunctive therapy I would b doomed for failure. Less than 10% of addicts can stop cold turkey on their own account (not counting going to jail where your forced to stop regardless). If u don't adopt the AA/NA meetings, it's ok. Neither do I, but what works for me is seeing a therapist every week, and a doctor every week while I'm detoxing. If u don't deal with the issues that got u to ur insanity/addiction in the first place, u will relapse, maybe not today or next month, but it WILL happen. I am still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but I will find it soon. This 3-4 week withdrawal keeps reminding me that I NEVER want to go thru this again, more like I can't do it again, I am too weak, once is all I can handle so I'm trying to do it right. Good luck to all of you, your not alone even though it feels like it.
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