Advice Starting Suboxone, ?s (Top voted first)

I am about to start Suboxone for the second time. The first time I didn't follow the rules and began taking it before I was in withdrawals. It was awful. I want to do it right this time. They say wait until you are at least in mild withdrawals. That is different for everyone. I am terrified of taking it too early. I am snorting heroin daily. I have weened myself off to just three lines per day. The dope I get isn't good either. My question is do I need to wait until I am a complete mess? Can I start taking it when I just start feeling anxious and restless? Should I be puking. Anyone with advice or personal experience please respond. I have to get it right this time. I have complete faith in this drug. Thanks!

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Here's my take on the whole situation. First off, I'm an IV heroin addict. I've been on and off suboxone periodically and never had a problem with it. The worst experience I ever encountered was before I knew suboxone could throw you into withdrawal if taken too early and took an 8 mg dose under the tongue first thing in the morning after having shot dope 3 or 4 times the day and night before. Approximately 30 min later my body got very achey and I didn't feel too hot. However, it certainly was no worse than a real withdrawal and by no means as bad as doctors and others have prophesized to me in the past. I didn't have any other symptoms, just the aches. And yes, my habit was to the point to where coming off cold turkey would leave me terribly ill, with the full gambit of symptoms including vomitting and cold sweats and all that good stuff. So, my point is that you there's no need to be overly apprehensive about when to take suboxone. General rule of thumb is it works best if you wait until your opiate receptors are pretty much empty. For different people that time frame is different, depending on how often you use and what kind of opiate you're using, I find it best to wait until I have those goosebump things where your skin feels leathery and you start getting goosebumps, but before the point of vomitting. When taken at that point you can really tell how good it works and you'll even get bit euphoric because of how much better you feel! I also find that suboxone gives me the energy back that heroin so insiduously rips out from right underneath you! Good luck

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To Patrick:
I've been on Suboxone for around 2 years ow and it has changed my life. I know that sounds corny but it's true. I am not spending all of my money o drugs ad I'm a completely different person. My family trusts me again and I'm not constantly calling in sick due to withdrawal. I started o 4 8 MG tablets a day (Don't know how I got him to agree to that high an amount) and am down to 1/4 of a tablet a day now.
When I started I just waited overnight so 12 hours sounds sufficient. Especially with such a fast withdrawal period as heroine. The drug is expensive and that's part of the reason I am on such a low dose now but I am not unhappy about it. I spend $20 every 12 days which is a lot better than possibly $100 or more in one day.
Do it right and you should enjoy the new freedom you get.

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just wanted to comment on something Lou said....... you said someone that can quit cold turkey without meds or and emergency room visit isnt physically addicted.... I beg to differ!!!!!!!! I used for a long time and i can promise you my withdrawals were very severe....... i got myslef into trouble and had to quit before i ended up in jail and lose my husband and my son.... so i did quit cold turkey and it was miserable... i vomitted and had diarrhea for 5 weeks ( i lost 23 pounds) I couldnt sleep through the night for months.... my skin crawled, i paced the floors, my limbs wouldnt be still, my muscles kept tightening up to the point of cramps, it was like restless leg syndrome but all over my body, i was completely exhausted and didnt feel like moving...... i dont honestly know how i made it through it and i dont think i could ever do it again now that i know how miserable it was.... i would literally sit in the floor and scream i was in such misery !!!! so dont say that anyone who quits cold turkey without meds or ER was addicted because I am proof that that is not the truth!!!!!

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i should probably add that my father was a heroin addict and used methadone n all the bullsh*t and used that to ween off for 17 years. I belive suboxin would have saved his life and saved me plently of nights with him and his horrific withdrawals. I know I came off a bit DrPhil earlier but I belive it is important to say. and anyone wo could stop cold turkey without meds or a emergency hospital visit wasnt truly physically addicted. in your case you should have definatly used suboxin because you woldnt have needed it for more than a day or two. I want to also send all my best wishes to those in recovery and if you could, like i said above, find other things to make you feel good. Hell, go on a F***in crazy rollercoaster or have some amazing sex, or spend time with your favorite people, especially kids. ha kids always make me feel good, reminds you of the stuff that really matters

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Best way to start is go to bed that night when you get up if you are ok wait a little bit until you feel the need to use then take it, or if you wake up and feel the need to use then take it. I know many and there is no need to wait until you are going crazy to start it.

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you have to be in full blown withdrawl for it to work. if u take it too soon you will get very sick. sicker than withdrawls. the dr. said wait 2 days and the pharmacist said 12 hr. i tried the 12hrs and felt 100 % better.. i hope u realize that this drug is addictive too and that u will need to ween off them too which is not as easy as it sounds. they want u to stay on subs for ever. i think that the dr.s get a huge kickback for keeping us all drugged up in this great U.S of A....also, if u try and quit the subs and go back on opiates, its not true what they say about the drugs feeling stronger and that u need way less to feel the effects...its the other way around...u dont feel them and need to jack the pills way up to get a buzz. if u take any drugs while on subs u will be very ill. good luck in whatever u choose.

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Thanks for the help. Yes I am using a Dr. I followed his advice the first time and it failed miserably. Basically he said as long as I waited twelve hours I would be ok. I know the risks of Sub. addiction. I was sober for six years and fell back into trouble after a severe accident. I am not as naive as my original post may make me sound. I am aware of my mistakes, risks, and the viscous circle created by opiates. Cocopuffs thank you for the specifics about your experience. That is exactly what I am looking for. Because I didn't get great advice from my doctor (I know everyone is different and I do not blame him) I want to hear about others' experiences starting Suboxone. Please everyone who can comment on this subject please do so. What was your habit, how long did you wait, how much sub did you take, and what were the results? These forums are great tools. They can motivate and help junkies. Thanks to everyone who participates. Good luck with your own situations.

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I would not consider myself an addict but friend and supporter to many recovering. A friend of mine was staying with me to get clean and I introduced her to cymboxin which i began taking 1 every 2 days to get rid of my body's physically strong desire to use oxycontin after a short 3 week binge. I have chronic back pain and just hours after an oxy high I would be in a Lot of pain, not sick like withdrawal, but unable to walk comfortably at all. The cymboxin does in fact make you less likely to get as high from the same amount of opiats, However, after you no longer want opiats(full recovery) the slight addiction you have to cymoxin is not in any way physical like opiats are. The addictive personality however of the (former) opiat addict continues use of cymboxin as a pickmeup. after recovery, my friend still took them but less n less. now she may take a half or even a quarter to feel better n general even tho she has no desire for opiat use. i believe there is a big difference in desire and addiction that many blur. EVERYONE wants to feel energetic n painfree. the addiction comes from the strong opiat high we chase which then becomes physically addictive and the mental addiction can only TRULY change when we change and find different ways o feel more energetic and pain free. by treating our bodys better in everyday life afterall the reason people tak suboxin is because we dont WANT the opiats anymore but we feel our body needs them for lack of knowing another way to feel that good n u will nevver feel THAT type of high naturally, but there are better highs, not stronger but better because you are no longer a slave to opiats

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I too started subozone before i was withdrawling and it was worse than not having any pills at all. the second time i did it right and it worked. but i relapsed and been taking pills for 10 years altogether now. it's hell..good luck to those stuggling....lisa

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ive been a chronic pain patient for 17 years with lupus fibromyaligia diabetes degenerated disc probs. i need help please..i wwas on suboxone couple yrs ago but got back into pain mgmt doc and have been on 1160 mgs of oxycontin op and three 30 mgs of roxiecodone a day, of course i was using them all up in two weeks and lying in misery...las nite after going to a suboxone doctor with no other options i took an 8 mg strip...i wont lie i had a few of my oxycontin op's leftover woke up felt like s*** even after waiting 24 hrs to take my first suboxone and did a stupid thing i know..i took 160 mgs of oxycontin op i had leftover..now my heart is racing at about 120 beats a minute im vomiting and dont feel my oxy's could tht one strip block the effects o my oxycontin or what..i have kids at home and im scaared sick and afraid im in pain and dunno wht to do..any advice?? oh btw reason i went to suboxone again was i got throw out of pain doc for low pill count.

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I switch backand forth from using dope and tajing subs quitw often. as long as I'm dope sick the subs work. i only have to wait like.6 hours but that's bcause i do six or seven bags at once and thsy only last a few hours before withdrawls kick in. just wait till ur nose.starts running ur eyes r tearing and u can't stop yawning n ur gwgting. old sweats and u should be fine

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You people have no idea about how subutex/suboxone works. 1 you don't need to wait anymore than 24 hours to start subs if using heroin. 2 subs are both agonist and antagonist so once you reach a certain dose they effectively block out any other opiate/opiod that you try to use. 3 taking other opiates/opiods while on subs will NOT make you sick, you just won't feel their effects due to the subs blocking properties. 4 subs are not the magic bullet for addicts as you also become dependent on them and after being on subs for a while you will find that coming off them is VERY difficult and extremely long winded, the best you can hope for is to taper down to the smallest amount you can (I'm taking crumbs here; break your pills into small pieces when you want to get off them) but even doing this will cause you to experience classic opiate/opiod withdrawal. Don't believe what the so called medical professionals tell you as they talk out of their arses. 5 subs have an extremely long half life so if you try to use another narcotic drug it will have no effect until the subs start to leave your brain (this can be anywhere from 48 - 96 hours after last sub, but may even take longer depending on your metabolism and the size of your sub habit) in my opinion people should only use subs as a quick detox tool, ie only take them for 1 or 2 weeks maximum and then get off them before you become too dependent, believe me sub withdrawal is no fun and if you stay on them for long you will find out the hardway.

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I just recently went through the worst withdrawals from taking Subs too early. I only took a quarter of an 8mg sub after not snorting any H or OC for about 16 hours. I felt bad that's why I took the sub but it only made it 10 times worse. I had leg cramps, my mind was racing out of control, it was terrible. After abut 4 or 5 hours I took another quarter and it still just got worse with no relief. I felt relief only while it was under my tongue. It seemed like once it was all the way dissolved it kicked in the withdrawals worse. I ended up giving in and blowing some H. I'm trying to get on the subs so I'm going to give it a try again. I'm so worried about it being so bad again though. I don't know how much longer I have to wait and how much worse it has to be. I can't even explain how awful it was. I seriously thought I was going to die. I wondering if I just didn't take enough of the suboxone initially. Any suggestions?

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Help! I found cocaine in my wife's purse. she said it couldn't be hers because she was taking suboxin (sp?) She made up a story that she stopped using drugs over a year ago and she was just going to sell the left over cocaine to a friend. Based on her physical symptoms, I don't believe it for a minute. She has turned me into the bad guy for throwing her stuff out instead of talking to her about it. So my question is........even if she is taking suboxin, can't she still use coke? Then there is the question of whether or not she is really taking the suboxin. Her attitude has grossly changed in the last 3 months, her sleeping patterns have chnaged, she sits in the house and does nothing anymore, she goes to sleep on the couch as soon as she gets home from work around 5:00 and then is extremely restless after that.

Help!

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my advice is to stay away from methadone,it's the hardest drug to come off of,i know after 20 yrs of 120mgs,i swithed to suboxone 6 months ago and am down from 16 to 4mgs with no ill effect,that was never the case with methadone.

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Please tell me if you can get high from suboxone. They have pu tmy daughter on this for coming off of methodone. I am afraid of treating a drug with a drug.

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have been on sub for almost 2 years, due to financial reasons decided to quit and be sick for a week, didn't work (took perc's, going back to a=hole doc with borrowed money today), all it caused was for me to realize I'm still the same addict I was 2 years ago... sub is ok, but not no miracle drug, it's a LEGAL substitute.. I have 2 months until I graduate and for that time I have to be on top of my game, then it's treatment for me, wd from sub is hell....same addiction just relieved in a different form

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***** sorry correction on my previous statement.... dont say that someone that quit cold turkey **wasn't addicted**

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Just filled a script for Subox yesterday, waiting for the withdrawl to start from methadone. Last dose was 48 hours ago and I still dont really feel sick. My dopefeind mind wants to go grab a tab of Suboxone before it gets rough. Kind of worried about doing it too soon after reading some of these posts though.

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I have been taking roxy 30's up to probably at worst 15 a day...i have a chronic degenerative back disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia and i have been in this vicious cycle for 5 years and want to stop. I have tried over 60 plus drugs to help and failed all non narcotic forms of treatment..started with vicodin, then to percocets, then to the roxicodone. I am scared to try suboxone....and wonder if it helps with chronic pain or if it just keeps the dope sickness away? I want to be a better mother that doesn't need meds to work, move but don't know if this is a reality for me...there is no high involved but enough is never enough and when the bottle is full i empty it...i need some really good advice. my husband is a recovering addict and introduced me to a lot..i was always the one that could put whatever down but the pain is unbearable daily...to where if I didn't have kids I would rather be dead. If i wanted to try suboxone how long do i need to wait to try it...coming off 6 30's or 2 oxy 80's.....someone please tell me what to do i have tried everything and am tired of treading water and the cycle every month of being sick for a week or more..I can't do it anymore. please advise.

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