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Posted: May 4, 2016, 8:06 AM
I'm looking for some non-doctor advice.
I was addicted to Percocet for about 2-years. Started in 2012 because of back pain, and at that point, I was on-and-off. I don't think there was any addiction present at this time because I didn't want or need them, and could go without them for months. I would only take 2.5MG each night, and that's it. Fast-forward to late 2012, another bottle appeared in my house, so I started taking them at night again, same thing, 2.5MG each night. It's interesting how addiction works and creeps up on you. It's definitely progressive. Once I got over my back pain, I started to feel the "good" effects of Percocet. It would make me happy, I'd feel great, I loved it. My 2.5MG 9PM dosage for "back pain" eventually stopped working, so it became 5MG at 9PM. A few weeks later, I wanted that "feeling" earlier, so I would take the 5MG after dinner. I would actually eat less food for dinner so the Percocet hit me quicker and harder. How sad? A few weeks later, it became 5MG before dinner, and 5MG after dinner. Not so bad, right? One single 10MG pill daily, what could go wrong? This went on for about five months. Eventually, that "feeling" became more of a "demand". Slowly and progressively, my body "needed" it earlier-and-earlier. 5MG before dinner and 5MG after dinner became 5MG at 4PM and 5MG after dinner. A few weeks later, it was 5MG at 12PM, 5MG before dinner, and 5MG after dinner. We're now at 15MG daily. I've got this under control, it's recreational, no big deal. 5MG at 12PM became 5MG at around 9AM after my workout. Eventually, I couldn't get through my workouts anymore because I constantly had to use the bathroom. Guess what? 5MG when I woke up at 5AM. Here we are, about 18-months into the drug; give or take, taking 5MG four times daily because my body "needed" it. The months to follow became even worse. I could not function without my Percocet. Now I needed 10MG four times daily. Eventually, I needed 10MG eight times daily. Then I started chewing them. I never took more than 10MG ten times daily, for a grand total of 100MG. I shopped for a "private" Suboxone doctor for months. I was terribly ashamed of myself and really embarrassed. I didn't want to sit in a waiting room with a bunch of drug addicts, because that wasn't me. Bulls***, that was me. In July of 2014, I found a doctor that would prescribe Suboxone, and the office was very private. He wanted me to start with 16MG daily, and he wanted me to start that day. I refused, because I researched online for months, and read that you should be in withdrawals prior to your first dose, and that 16MG was way to high. Prior to my first dose, which was only 2MG, I waited 48-hours. I made it! I felt "great", almost "normal". I feel great on 2MG of Suboxone three times daily, for a grand total of 6MG! Wow, this is "easy"! Fast forward a month, my second visit with my doctor to obtain my next prescription for Suboxone. This doctor did draw blood and urine during my first visit, just to confirm the drugs I was on. The results showed NO Percocet in my system, nothing. Zero. Was I even on Percocet for two years? After the two doctor prescribed prescriptions early on, I had to purchase third-party, and I always purchased from the same person. I never went for a second opinion, because by the time I went back and received the test results, which found no Percocet in my system, I was thirty days off Percocet and thirty days on Suboxone. Well, here we are, two years later in July of 2016, still taking 6MG daily of Suboxone, and READY to taper. My doctor wants me to taper down 1MG per month until I'm on 1MG daily after five months. Then he wants me to go a month at 1MG daily, a month at 3/4MG daily, a month at 1/2MG daily, a month at 1/4MG daily, and then 1/4MG daily for two days, one day off, repeat for two weeks, and then stop. This is basically a year-long taper "program", which I'm alright with, because I do NOT want to experience any withdrawals. Has anyone here experienced a similar long-term taper program? If so, how did you make out? If not, what do you think? What taper method did you use? I start my taper next week, so as of now I'm still on 6MG daily. What's weird is that for the past few weeks, I've noticed my body changing. I'm going to the bathroom "easy" again, without any issue, I do feel a pit in my stomach throughout the day, here and there. Has my body gotten used to the 6MG daily? Does it want more? Or, is it getting tired of it, and does it want less? I guess I'll figure it out once I start to taper? Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long post. I guess it feels good to share my experience, which I don't often do. The only person that knows about my "problem" is my wife, no one else. | ||
Posts: 81
Joined: April 22, 2016
Posted: May 4, 2016, 8:47 AM
Like other opiates, the body quickly develops a tolerance to suboxone. Most likely the feeling in your stomach and being able to go to the bathroom easier are due to your body needing more to manage and are technically going through early stages of withdrawal.
If you want to experience as little withdrawal as possible, this is certainly a nice slow taper to use. It takes awhile, as you said, but will make the transition more comfortable. I was placed on 6mg once every morning to curb a really bad heroin addiction. After about 9 months I was starting to be "done" with them. I decided to self taper. I dropped to 4 mg the next day and stayed there for about 3 weeks. No problem. Dropped down to 2 mg. I started to feel it after about 2 days. I was at a fork in the road. I could either go back to 4mg and delay my taper or say screw it since I'm already feeling withdrawal just jump. I thought about it hard and next morning I just said screw it and jumped. Most people would advise against jumping from 2mg since you can go lower and no need for the discomfort. Honestly, the first week was rough but it wasn't that bad in my opinion. Now, this is someone who has dealt with a heroin withdrawal which is basically the same as a perc withdrawal, just WAY more intense and last's a little longer. In comparison subs were a cake walk, again my opinion. Some will argue with me that is worse but I was mentally ready to be done. That's a huge factor in it. If you fear it and dread it then the symptoms are going to be amplified. If you accept it's happening and don't stress over it then it becomes quite manageable with a few days where it gets a little rough. Nothing you can't get through though. Sounds like you're in the same boat. In your mind you are done with taking the subs and are ready to begin the road to recovery. That will help when it comes time to jump. Keep that mindset. If you think withdrawal will send you back to using then taper slow as your doctor says. You've come this far... no need to mess it up just because you're getitng impatient. You need to learn how to do deal with these things because they're going to seem a lot harder once you're truly sober. Every little thing will make you crave to use or think about using. Then you get the thoughts of rewarding yourself because it's been a few months and are better now or how the day sucks and you can handle just one pill to make ti a little better. Even though your pill use only lasted 2 years, the changes in your brain have already taken place. You may not have it as bad as myself who used for 15 years, but you're still going to experience the same issues to recovery as any other addict. Also, it's good that you admit you're an addict and that you're no different. You don't necessarily try to downplay your problem by saying it was only 2 years or that it wasn't that much. These are all very good signs that you're mentally ready to do this. You've accepted your situation and that you needed help to get out of it. This is all the easy part. Just read any post on here and you'll see countless stories of people struggling even more once they detox and are truly clean (can't say you are cuz of the subs). Getting clean is the easy part. Staying clean 3 months, 3 years, 3 decades... that's the hard part. Listen to your doctor, gradually work your way down to a little dose as he will give you. You never know, one morning you may wake up and just be ready as I was. If so, then jump. But do so knowing that it's going to get rough. Your sobriety won't come without a fight. No pain... no gain!! -------------------- "He who master others is powerful. He who can master himself is mightier still." - Lao Tzu | ||
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