How Long After You Stop Suboxone Do You Have Withdrawal Symptoms? (Page 24)

Updated

My 63y/o mother survived chemo and radiation for throat cancer but was unable to stop the morphine 15mg twice a day without horrible withdrawal symptoms. Her MD put her on Suboxone 8mg/2mg once a day in June. She even took half the strip on most days and the doctor was very pleased and anticipated that she would be able to stop altogether in November. She unfortunately had a stroke 14 days ago and has been in the hospital. The first 7 days she was confused from the stroke but now she is weak and forgetful but is no longer disoriented. She told me tonight that she thought she needed her Suboxone. She said she thought she was going thru withdrawal. I was floored. She is not having any outward signs of withdrawal: no back/stomach pain, no nausea/vomiting, no sweating or tremors. Isn't 14 days long enough for the Suboxone to be completely out of your system and for withdrawal symptoms to have come and gone??? Any answers will be greatly appreciated.

1132 Replies (57 Pages)

Page:First PagePrevious Page24Next PageLast Page
Earliest Newest Votes
461

Long story short I was on heavy pain killers for over 25 years due to five hurneated disks and Trigeminal Neuralgia. Most recently was taking 400mg of extended release morphine and another 120mg IR morphine plus 8mg Dilaudid/day. I lost my pain doctor (separate story) and eventually went into total narcotic withdrawal when meds ran out because I couldn't find another pain doc. Wound up in the ER, spent 3 hellish days in the hospital detoxing and another 5 days in Carrier Clinic where they had me on Subutex. They started me around 16mg and tapered me down to around 4mg in five days. I felt terrible and just started suboxone with a local doctor seven days ago who has me on 2.5 8mg strips per day. Obviously I still have a lot of pain w/o the opiates but also I still feel kinda weird (restless and kinda anxious at times and severe sweating at night) and read somewhere the carbamazepine I take for my TN could be reducing the effectiveness of the subs. I feel like I don't remember what normal feels like anymore. What scares me is all of the stories about how hard it is getting off subs so I'm wondering if I should either stop or do a quick taper before my brain gets hooked on the subs. How quick can I taper and since I just started how bad will the WD be? I'm just confused and worried and desperate to feel "normal" again. Any advice would really be appreciated, thanks.

Was this helpful? 0
462

Considering what you've been through, sub wd should be mild in comparison but after 25 years of painkiller use, your brain needs time to heal. I would suggest sticking with the subs and letting your life get back to normal, then start tapering. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Just taper as low as humanly possible. I jumped at 2mgs/day and it was no fun but I've read stories of people tapering to .5 MSG a day and only feeling mildly "off" for a few days but otherwise fully functional. The subs WILL help you get into a routine that doesn't include taking pills all day long, which in the long run can help tremendously. Subs aren't a good choice for the "new" addict or somebody who could withdrawal in a few days but I think yours might be more drawn out than most and subs will help you find that normalcy. Slow and steady taper and get to as low as possible!

Was this helpful? 1
463

(My posts aren't posting & I have very carefully chosen my words????) anyway I swear, if I only had some scientific studies to look over, you know, legitimately, I wouldn't have to come on websites that are surely, at least monitored by the company(s) lacking said studies??? Ya know? Like: How long will I have tinnitus?" "According to studies..."
Tinnitus: 72 days and counting boys & girls! I can't decide whom I love more, Reckitt or Benckiser. They're both so dreamy....

Was this helpful? 0
464

My 49 yr old partner had been on 4ml suboxone for around 2 yrs, he had not took any for the last 5 days as he's booked his self into a private clinic for a naltrexone implant tomorrow afternoon, we are now in an hotel room and he's really suffering, vomiting running to toilet legs all over he's in a right mess and talking about backing out of the implant, any one have any advice on how I can help him? He's had diazepam but they don't seem to be helping, today is the first proper signs of withdrawal and I feel so helpless!!

Was this helpful? 0
465

Hi there. 4mgs is a really high dose to jump from an suboxone has a long half life. I stopped at 2mgs and felt horrible for 3 weeks before the physical Ed's began to dissipate. All total it took about 3 months to get my life back. The naltrexone implant will not help the wds. Not to scare you but today is the first day of a long journey. Be sure you read up on naltrexone before commiting if you haven't. Once it's in your system there's no backing out and I've heard some pretty rough stories about it. To be honest, I would suggest (and I'm no Dr, just experienced with subs and sub wd), staying on suboxone and getting to a MUCH lower dose before stopping and going to naltrexone. Most positive/success stories that I've heard we're from people who weened down to .5mgs or less. Some Drs tend to underestimate the power of buprenophine and the level of physical wds. My Dr told me stopping at 2ngs would be a piece of cake and mostly physiological and would only last 2-3 days. He couldn't have been more wrong if he tried. It's possible to ride it out from here but be prepared. My wds didn't even peak until day 10. If you choose to ride it out, try to get some neurontin or lyrica. That was a lifesaver for me.

Was this helpful? 0
466

Thanks for your reply, my partner spent an awful night last night, I agree the docs just seem to think 2 mg is easy to come off, my partner is in a mess, so much so he's backed out of the naltrexone implant even after arranging and paying privately for it, He said it's been easier to come straight off opioids than this, im lost for what I can do for him now and feel so helpless.

Was this helpful? 0
467

Whoa, yeah! I had a 30 day shot of naltrexone (Vivitrol) & it was NOT good. I am an alcoholic & Suboxone really helped me with that, so I thought I would just eliminate the Buprenorphine. Nope. Negative. Bad idea. I didn't want to drink; I didn't want to do anything! I don't support either anymore, but you cannot SAFELY go from 5 mgs to 0. Your partner needs a caring physician on his side to taper him & monitor his progress.

Was this helpful? 0
468

Hey I was addicted to painpills for almost 7years. I finally got tired of the hunting and spending money I didn't have on painpills I could eat 20 10s a day if I had them so I went to a suboxone Dr they put me on 1 8mg tablet a day. My husband was also addicted to painpills to so what I done was go to Dr get me 30suboxone a month and half them with my husband. Here we are 5yrars later and still taken a half a day the withdrawal from the suboxone is awful no sleep hurt stomachs just water hitting you from showering hurts! No energy chills sweats all day and we have 3children. I thought at first wow the suboxone was a miracle drug its legal no hunting etc. Not once has a doctor made a plan for me to quit this drug at all they seem to be in it for the money not truly helping you. Questions are how do we completely quit this drug????

Was this helpful? 0
469

Have you TOLD your dr that's what you're going to do & you need his/her help? Because they are medically responsible for your safe withdrawal if that's what you request. I am going to keep my opinions about Suboxone out of the rest of this post & focus on sharing with you what I know about withdrawal, ok? First, there are a lot of great threads on this website already. Look for some from Verwon, I believe that person monitors this site. Those posts will lead you to a lot of good, solid medical advice. I am at the tail end of my Suboxone withdrawal, & I can tell you 2 things for sure, sweetheart. 1. It wasn't easy. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. 2. It feels GREAT coming out the other side. I did it. I got a lot of great advice & support off of this site. I'm not going to confuse you with a lot of other stuff right now. It sounds like you have enough going on. But I will say one thing, taper if you start to stop. Taper. Do NOT try & go cold turkey.

Was this helpful? 1
470

Hi Jen, if you're still taking 4mgs a day that's actually a very strong dose. I was told by a Dr that 2mgs of subs is equal to 50mgs of oxy so keep that in mind when you try to quit. You need to ween down as low as possible and if your Dr is unwilling to help, maybe try searching out a new Dr. I stopped at 2mgs a day and went through acute wds for almost 3 weeks followed by 3 months of PAWS before I began to feel OK again. I would suggest regularly dropping your dose. You should be able to get to 2mgs a day fairly easily but after that you should try dropping .5mgs a month until you get down to at least .5mgs a day, if not lower. I've even hear of people dissolving the pills in water and putting it into an eye dropper to get the smallest amount possible. The Drs in Europe are more experienced with subs and they even make a .5mg pill over there so patients can easily get down to .25 or even .05 before stopping. It seems like a crazy small dose but it reall isn't. From my experience, stopping at anything above .5-1mgs a day is a rough road to travel. Just plan a taper schedule AND STICK TO IT! It takes will power but in the end, it's worth it. Hope that helps!

Was this helpful? 1
471

Yes I have told my Dr even requested counciling to go along with this they just dismiss me write my scripts and send me home and I'm the one seeking help because I know suboxone can not be something that I take all my life! It cost me 215$ a visit plus my subutex is 101.. I do half my tablet with my husband we both had the same problems.. I tried 2mgs yesterday and had sweats and chills feels like a never ending tunnel..

Was this helpful? 1
472

Maybe try doing 2mgs in the morning and then just 1mg in the evening to keep you comfortable. Give it a week thentry to cut out the 1mg in the evening. From my experience, it took about 5-7 days for my body to adjust to each drop in dosage. Take it slow. Sub taper is a marathon, not a sprint and trying to taper to rapidly could just set you back.

Was this helpful? 1
473

I usually don't start withdrawl till 3-4 days after last dose then I've taken as long as 20 day to get a full night sleep at least 10 with almost no sleep the other with. Symptoms where the worst .. For at least 5 day it felt like I had an ant farm living inmy joints.and this one can come and go through out the 20 days and even pops up when I get a craving..

Was this helpful? 0
474

It ends when you are ready to suffer thru withdrawals. I was on 7 30mg oxycodone every 4 hours for years & stopped working for pain switched to suboxone & was on one year. I am about a month & 1.5 weeks into withdrawals & quit cold turkey & its not killing me but is definitely making me feel beaten & at times withdrawals are high hopeless it will get better. I just saw my new much better pain management Dr. & addiction specialist this week, he prescribed me clonzepam for the horrible legs, as this my major problem other than sleep deprivation & still diahhrea, (which imodium does seem to keep things normal if take max daily dosses. For me anyways, i am NOT A DOCTOR OR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL. My advice to you is if getting it from a Dr. ask him to tapper you down slowly & gradually so withdrawal symptoms wont be so bad. They can do this very well inpatient or outpatient, you just need to keep the wheels move on and remember that this is only temporary and you will get better and back to a more normal life when the process of withdrawal is over exercise helps a ton along with keeping yourself is busy as possible and distracted as possible from the side effects of withdrawal I hope this doesn't scare you having been on seven years but I don't want you to go off by yourself alone or cold turkey because you will experience probably the worst withdrawals of your life I withdrew several times from oxycodone extreme doses and it is nothing compared to the withdrawal from suboxone get help from family and friends and definitely your Prescribing doctors. I have all the faith in the world but if you do these things you will be so happy that you want off of it.

Was this helpful? 0
475

I was hooked on percs for many years. A friend gave me one suboxone. I took 4mg one day. 2mg the next day. 1mg. Then 1mg. I was completely fine until two weeks later my neighbor gave me free percs. I didn't have any withdrawal doing it that way.
Now I'm prescribed subs. Been on only subs for a month And a half (was taking subs and percs for 4 months because unlike most people, I didn't get sick by taking both). I'm currently working on getting off subs because I refuse to be addicted to yet another drug. I'll be completely sober in two weeks and my mind will help me overcome the withdrawal, if I have any, which I won't.

Was this helpful? 0
476

Jen, in my experience & what I gather from all the posts I have read (hundreds!) it really is a subjective experience. It will be based on so many factors it is impossible to calculate exactly what will happen to one person. For instance, when I quit, I tapered down to the tiniest bit of sub I could-like 1/32. I had zero withdrawal symptoms. None. I did not expect to have any afterwards either. 3 days later I had a physical withdrawal very similar to the ones I have had kicking large amounts of opiates administered via IV. I handled that. Gatorade, ibuprofen, loperamide, phenergan, etc. Two weeks later, I completely lost it. I honestly thought I was losing my mind. There was a MENTAL & CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM meltdown that I could not handle, nor could I get a medical professional to verify or even acknowledge it. Thank God for this website. I found posts from people who had been through Suboxone withdrawal & gave comfort & suggestions.

Suboxone withdrawal is no joke. I believe it is minimized by the medical community. It is well known that methadone is hard to withdraw from. Suboxone, from what I understand runs a close second. So, it is important that you withdraw carefully & slowly. Otherwise, your chances of success are slim, because it will probably be unpleasant. Some people can do it easily. It appears that they are young, otherwise healthy, physically active, and have good support systems-socially & medically. I am not that person! I have, literally, been forced into exercising.... It "sounds like" you & your husband are "feeding" off of one another's symptomology. Maybe, you could try to support one another instead? I'm just sayin.... I feel for you. Suboxone withdrawal can be all-consuming. It's worth it! I'm single! I'm DIVORCED from that union. But I must remember where I came from. Blessings.

Was this helpful? 0
477

Can anyone give me advice please!!! I start my first sub app tomorrow and I have no idea what to or what not to say,

Was this helpful? 0
478

Hi kc Virginia, my advice would be to stay on subs for the shortest amount of time possible! Subs are a wolf in Sheeps clothing. It was easier withdrawing from my DOC than it was subs. I wish I had never gone on sub maintenance. I simply traded one addiction for one much worse and it took months to get right again after stopping and I had tapered down to less than 1mg a day!

Was this helpful? 0
479

I didn't even know it's been around for 7 yrs! I feel like the whole opiate world is an endless circle but I KNOW there are many who have kicked it and live on the other side so I know it's possible for us. We have to have complete dedication in our minds and a back up plan no matter what. And most of all I know that in any critical time, what will help pull you through is crying out to God and Jesus. If you aren't a believer, you will become desperate enough when going through WDs to try anything right? Pray to God and ask for his help. He loves you and wants you to survive, we just aren't meant to be loaded on drugs forever, we have to pay the consequences unfortunately even if our doctors put us here for medical reasons. Stay strong and God bless you all :)

Was this helpful? 0
480

I agree nothing seems to help ive been on a 8,mg suboxone for six years and nothing helpps withdrawal at all I ordered that withdrawal ease and recovery ease thats supposed to help with paws it dont at all my wife on same boat hers is a 2mg a day so ple a se pray for us!!!!

Was this helpful? 0
Page:First PagePrevious Page24Next PageLast Page

More Discussions:

how long do you have to take methadone to get withdrawal symptoms

So if you are in severe pain and in the middle of nowhere and the only thing anyone has is methadone if you only took it...

20 REPLIES
How long does it take for the withdrawals to go away after taking Suboxone

Hi, I was put on the 8 mg. strips at 3 per day in Oct. 2012..I used 3 per day for a couple of month's.. I quickly ta...

88 REPLIES
how long do you have to take methadone get withdrawal

Hi i take methadone for 3yrs now i take 80mgs a day. But Tuesday the 6th i took 70mgs and wensday on the 7th k took none...

9 REPLIES
how long do you have to take methadone to get withdrawals

Hello everyone who is one methadone and wants to get off. I was on methadone for 6 years....I wanted to get off so I wen...

27 REPLIES
how long after you take first suboxone dose

I took my last pain meds @ 5 am today and I plan on taking suboxone until I'm able to make it to my appointment. It&...

2 REPLIES
How long after taking methadone can you take suboxone?

I took 60 mgs of methadone sat morning at 8 am... today is monday 4 pm. Am I ok to take 4 mgs of suboxone today? ## It r...

12 REPLIES
how long after taking a suboxone can you use methadone

How long after taking 8mg suboxone can u take methadone ## Hello, Michael! How are you? It usually takes about 3 days, u...

9 REPLIES
How long after taking suboxone/subutex can you take methadone?

I tried taking a suboxone 2 days after my last dose of methadone but am now in withdrawal. Can I take methadone now to b...

58 REPLIES
how long after taking an 8mg tablet of suboxone does the blocker remain in your system

how long after taking an 8mg tablet of suboxone does the blocker remain in your system? i am having 6 teeth pulled at on...

10 REPLIES
how long do withdrawal symptoms last?

Hi there, I have been taking 25mg of seroquel nightly since 2002 or 2003 and am finding it really hard to fall asleep. I...

1 REPLY