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Posted: July 21, 2015, 12:20 PM
I am interested in knowing how long people have been on sub? I have been on it for 12 years. Prescribed 8-16 mg a day. Some days I take 2, some days I use just a 1/2 of one. I am surprised my psychiatrist can prescribe it for this long and I feel like the pharmacist must wonder as well. My fear is one day the doctor will retire and it will all be forced to end.
I feel like it works as an antidepressant for me but I know I am misusing it because I take it to feel a slight high. It gives me energy. I take different doses on different days depending on my mood. Anyone else doing the same thing? or on it as long? Or even better has been on it a very long time and successfully got off? I am 52, started sub on my 40th birthday. I can't see myself taking it into my 60's - 70's....or maybe I can : ) I worry it will get harder to get off physically the older I get. I am in a much better place emotionally than I was 10 years ago and feel like it might be time to lower the does substantially and get off for good. Anyone in my shoes or have any advice? | ||
Posts: 57
Joined: November 26, 2014
Posted: August 3, 2015, 1:08 PM
Sorry no one has answered your post yet. I am on suboxone too and there is another forum website specifically for and about suboxone that I think you would find VERY helpful.. The website is www.suboxforum.com Just scroll down and you will see a list of topics you can pick on any that interests you and they have many many pages for each topic. Side effects, Stopping suboxone, Surgery on suboxone, Mood issues, Dosing discussion, Miscellaneous, Etc... There is a psychiatrist who specializes in opiate addiction that runs the website and he is also a recovering addict himself. He posted his story on the website and post other articles that he writes.
The website itself is SUPER informative. Everyone on the site or just about everyone who posts on the site is prescribed suboxone and know a lot about it so you can learn A LOT just from reading and scrolling through posts. I hope I was of some help :) The website was a godsend for me. The stopping suboxone forum page helped me to make my own taper plan and everyone on there is very supportive and encouraging. Its not a bunch of horror stories, and people telling you that you're crazy for thinking you can get off of it...Unlike this site. That's why I don't really get on this site anymore. A lot of negativity. Us recovering addicts are supposed to be supporting and helping each other whatever the situation not beating each other down. But anyways, Check it out. You will learn more than any doctor could tell you. WWW.SUBOXFORUM.COM | ||
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Posted: August 6, 2015, 9:06 PM
I have been on buphrenorphine since 2007. At first it was Suboxone, which my insurance graciously picked up the tab for for a few years, then my insurance changed and they would not cover it unless I was in drug counseling. Bulls*** I say. I certainly did not need psychological help after being off opiates for 5 years at the time. I don't care what anyone says. We drug addicts are all lumped into one group of either criminals (to get their fix), and people messed up in the head. I was neither. I paid a fortune for my addiction, never stole anything to get a fix. I'm not messed up in the head either. I had a job making 40K a year (I'm now retired). I have found much discrimination in trying to get help. Suboxone treatment appears to be on the edge of criminal behavior for doctors that prescribe it. I've seen one doctor totally shut down and his license ripped away....for exactly what, I don't know. But he had been giving me prescriptions for years for two (2) 8mg tablets (or films) a day. When my insurance stopped covering it, I had to find a way to afford it. So I asked my doctor if he would prescribe Subutex for me, it lacks the 2nd drug that is in Suboxone, naloxone. He did this for me because I had been on it so long and he knew I was no abuser. Buphrenorphine is the generic for Subutex and it is damned expensive. Since I retired, I can't hardly afford it anymore. In answer to the person's inquiry above about taking it to get high - I do not get high on it, but I certainly get energy from them, and they do act as an antidepressant, very much so. My doctor has cut my 60 tablet prescription down to 30......i'm damn mad about it. I don't see why I should ever have to go off this medication, or cut down. I'm used to taking 2 a day, so that is what I take, and then I skip a day, so I can continue to take my 2 tablets a day. People and doctors who are taking Suboxone/Buprenorphine/ and all the other name brands are being persecuted. I just don't understand it. This stuff is harder to get than a freakin' prescription for Hydrocodone. Until attitudes change about addicts and suboxone, nothing will ever change.
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Posted: August 25, 2015, 9:05 AM
I just wanted to chime in. I wasn't planning on joining this forum but your thread interested me. I too, have been on subs for 12 years. I am currently tapering to finally rid the beast. I was stabilized most of the time on 6 mg. About three months ago, I decided that it was time since my doctors office is closing. I didn't want to be stuck looking for another doctor and starting all over with the UAs and the counseling. I have done surprisingly well….I've been tapering relatively slow. Basically anywhere from 5% to 10% until I adjust. Currently I am on .82 mg and steadily dropping every 7 to 9 days. I am not rushing it and I'm just getting used to the feeling of feeling like crap every day. I believe doing this .... Makes it easier at the end. Most of my symptoms up to this point are not being able to sleep in past 5:30 AM...I have this weird stretchy muscle thing where I feel like I need to stretch a lot. I also feel like I have electric shocks in my feet and hands. My energy level is very low. Sorry for hijacking your thread but I just wanted to let you know you don't have to be stuck on it forever….You'll never know if you don't try. At least for me. I'm sure it's gonna be a lot different when I finally make the jump but for now I'm chugging along OK enough to move on. Maybe I'll check back in and let you know how it goes… if I can do it on this length of time I have a feeling others can. Peace.
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Posted: August 25, 2015, 11:29 AM
im pretty sure the longer your on suboxone the harder it is coming off. im on day 36 cold turkey from 3 8s a day(3years). and im 29. im in average mayb above average physical shape. and im still suffering like hell. first few weeks feels like ur being water boarded evey minute. so im assuming at ur age and time used it will b even more difficult. however i suggest u try. try as hard as you can, if u cant then just b on em for life. if i dont fully quit now i will just b on em for life aswell cant go thru another month+ of self torture. im past the worst tho. one more month n i shud b "normal" again. goodluck to u. this is my advice. try to quit now , u must make it ur mission. if it lasts for more than u can handle (the w/d's) then just try tapering of just stay on them 4 life.
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Posted: August 25, 2015, 11:36 AM
@subutexgal
suboxone is a "criminal" drug in my opinion. try to stop taking it and see whats up. i was in tbe army 5 years infantry 2 deployments overseas and quitin suboxone has been easily as hard as humpin 80lbs of gear up a mountain and gettin into a firefight. ur completely misinformed. suboxone is a hook! it shud only b used first few days of detox. i felt great on it for the first like 3 months then its just like drinking water... u need it. dont vouche for suboxone doctors their crooks and u no it. really really pisses me off, if i had same strength of mind and will as i have now when i was on oxys i would have quit easily. suboxone was the answer to not b sick and get off pills and diesel. some answer isnt it day 36 and feel like a 80 year old man. f*** suboxone! if ur an addict jusy quit! or take suboxone for first few days of your short w/d period. suboxone half life is killer . dont expect to b clean and happy until at least 2 months!.. | ||
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Posted: September 25, 2015, 10:39 PM
I agree, suboxone is by far the hardest thing I've ever quit. I'm on day 31 and probably have another 30-40 still. I was on 32 mg daily for 3 years and quit cold turkey. Good luck, defiantly try to tapper off
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Posted: October 3, 2015, 1:00 AM
I was on Suboxone 4 years. The initial plan for vicodin or oxycodone detox is 2 mgs/day. Heroine and methadone detox can require up to 24 mgs/day. The problem with rehab doctors is they keep the patients on the hook by requiring them to attend "therapy." This can get expensive. The worst thing I did was ask my doc to increase my dose. She was glad to oblige. That was her guarantee that I was going to be a patient for at least a year. I got up to 16 mgs/day. If I had stayed on 2 mgs and tapered I would have been out the door in 2 months. But I probably would have been back on the pain pill wagon soon after. So I did 4 years in the program with a group. Sure the doc was happy but that, more than anything else, is what motivated me to self taper and quit for good. I was fed up with Suboxone and the hold that opiates had on me. It took four years of watching people really screw up their lives to realize I had to take back control. At 16 mgs it will take 6 months to a year to taper properly. Drop 2 mgs a month until you get down to 2 mgs/day. Then cut them in half and alter 2 mgs - 1 mg -2mgs -1 mg- 1mg-1mg and so on. Then do the same at 1/2 mg. Then take 1/2 mg every other day. No long term w/d. Looking back it was too easy.
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Posted: October 6, 2015, 1:12 PM
been on subs for about 15yrs have tapered off to .2microns but still cannot quit this drug my doctor retired 1yr ago so refered me to a drug agency but all they did was laugh at me and told me it was a mental block and i would not suffer. let me tell you as small as the dose i take i suffer without it just do not feel right when my script ended i went out and brought enough temegesic preflabin subutex to last me 4yrs and still buy more when i can whats going on
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Posted: October 7, 2015, 4:04 AM
I have been on suboxoneb for 12 yrs also. Methadone 4 yrs prior to that. I take it exactly the way you do for the exact same reasons. Im terrified I'll never be able to stop. When i think about how long I've been giving my body something to go on it makes me wanna cry. Ive tried tappering, has never worked since i always find myself rewarding myself out just wanting to feel better. Does anyone even knw the long term affects?
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Posted: October 12, 2015, 12:48 PM
I'm on day 47 of going cold turkey off subs. I was taking 32 mg for nearly the last 4 years and I can honestly say it's been the hardest, worst thing I've ever done/felt. At day 47 my anexity is ok, I still can't sleep and I have no energy but I'm glad I did it. My husband and I were spending so much money on visits/ones we would find on the street not to mention I got suspended from work for it. I think around day 43 my insides stop feeling like they were on fire. If you have the option and can actually stick to a tapper plan, than do it because once you get to 1 mg I've heard the wd's are almost nill.i could never keep myself on a plan. My wd's were so bad I could never make it.If there is anyone reading this that is thinking about subs, only take them for two to three weeks any longer than that and the wd's will keep you on them for years. I had to go to a medical detox to make myself get off of them
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Posted: December 27, 2015, 4:33 AM
Before I get into my rant, a little about me. Used IV H for a few years which brought me to suboxone. As of today I'm 12 days clean after 12 years of use. Still in acute phase but it's starting to get a little better each day. Acute phase can last 4 weeks for heavy users. Don't let that scare you though, as you get over the hump each day gets easier and easier. If you can get your hands on the right meds it can be manageable. I hit my peak on day 9, and that was after tapering to 1mg. I suggest you taper lower than I did. I suggest around .25mg a day. Then start skipping days if you can. Unfortunately I didn't have the discipline to get that low. Just get as low as you can for no less than 2 weeks before you jump.
It really breaks my heart when people talk about staying on this poison for life. It will eventually impact your organs and most likely cause severe damage over long periods of usage. Just my opinion, and I have a few Drs in the family which highly agree. I almost fed into this long term. bulls*** until I did my own extensive research and made some calls to repuable honest doctors recommended by my uncle. Reckitt Bershire makes billions of dollars on suboxone a year, and the doctors are in their back pocket. Please don't always trust your doctor, do your own research. NOT saying all Drs are bad, but allot don't give a s**** about you and I. We're just $$$$s to them. I trusted mine and look where it got me! Suboxone wasn't designed for long term use. It was designed for short bursts (1 year max) at low MGs (4mg or less a day). Always take the least amount possible when starting. 4MG should really be your highest dose, not a starting point. The higher the dose and years of usage are only making it harder on you, not to mention stressing your organs. What happens if one day your forced to quit? What if you need a major surgery? Your going have to face this eventually. I promise it's not easy but very doable if you really want it. I know what's getting me through it if you decide to kick, so don't hesitate to ask. Please get out while you still can!!!! You'll feel better then you ever have in your whole life, in time of course. And don't let people frighten you with PAWS stories. Most PAWS symptoms are intermittent. Can go on for quite a while, but if you can survive acute WDs you can survive PAWS. I know many long many time users that kicked and absolutely love life now!! I want everyone on this crap to feel like my friends who've kicked suboxone. Without them who knows how long I woud have stayed on this crap. Best advice I can give is, taper, taper, taper, and plan , plan , plan. And most important, get time off from work. You need stress to a minimum during this time. I have failed before but this is what I did different. If I can do it, anyone can!!!! Please seriously consider not staying on this poison for life!! You'll regret it I promise! God luck, email or post if I can help in any way. I have done tons of research and can recommend several things that will help WDs that worked for me. Forgive any typos, getting tired, no time to proofread. Hang in there! James | ||
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Posted: December 29, 2015, 6:43 AM
Hi,
I was on suboxone for four years at 16 mg.per day.A little over 60 days ago I jumped off at .5 mg.My doctor weaned me off in 6 weeks.I never suffered acute withdrawls because he gave me Clonadine and Gapapentin and Bentyl for withdrawl meds.But it took 60 days to feel better.I dragged a** at work,felt a general over all crappy achy feeling and had bad insomnia.The doc gave me Ambien to sleep but even that didn't really help.I also ended up in the mental hospital with severe depression and suicidual thoughts.But while in hospital I started feeling better.I still and not 100 percent but the overall crappy feeling is gone.I never thought it would drag out like this.I think the longer you can taper off the better you will do.My doctor at the hospital told me that my Suboxone doctor tapered me off way to fast.Someone like myself on a high dosage should of tapered for at least a year instead of 6 weeks.It's a nasty opiate to get off of. | ||
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Posted: January 13, 2016, 5:26 PM
I've been on subutex and suboxone since 2004 so around 11 years. I am 32 years old. I started taking subs to get off of oxy 80s. I was on 8 mg for a week then weaned down fine. I had 7 surgeries n got back on again. Second time was harder. I ended up getting subs for pain. I am only on 4 mg. I've been up n down. I would love to get off totally. I take 2 mg then 2mg 6 hours later usually in am n in evening .
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