show2014

Ive had a long bout with opiates recently subutex/suboxone for the last 4years. I was on 12 mg but just got sick of it so decided to jump off. It got pretty bad day 7 but the physical symptoms are fading in and out at this point. Cant wait for the 1 month mark. Using tizanidine to keep still. Day 8 and not stopping! I will update as i progress.

show2014

Day 10,, I had an excellent WD free evening yesterday after the gym,, but I think I was actually maybe hypomanic,, not an episode, but just almost euphoric, mind racing,, mildly uncomfortable the zanaflex I had calmed me down for sleep if you call it that maybe 4 hours Any Bipolar's experience this before? I had a BP NOS diagnosis, but even the psychiatrist said she thinks doesn't know if I am,, I'm taking it as my brain coming back, but this could be the reason I was so attracted to opiates for mood stabilizing effects. Thoughts appreciated!!

show2014

Mood came back to normal overnight day 11, and the WD is getting to me again,, fades in and out,, took some more tizanidine this evening to stop from flopping around on the bed,, even before the tizanidine,, I feel like I'm wearing a lead jacket,, hope to get some good sleep tonight

SparklingSeven

Thanks for the updates. I've just started reducing Subutex from 12mg (medically supervised) at the moment so it's nice to know how others are getting on.

show2014

No Problem,, I decided to document how I felt through the worst of it here,, to help others,, but everybody is different,, I have been on opiates for 10 years,, buprenorphine for the last 4,, day 12!!. Yesterday got bad again but not as bad as the previous 3 days,, I got the most sleep I've had yet last night,, so that weighed down feeling is not as bad.

neferkamichael

Show2014, 7 days off suboxone is FANTASTIC, congratulations, rootin for ya.

show2014

Lapsed on day 12 with certain stimulants,, continuing on,, I am aware of craving looks like I can avoid them quite well for a couple weeks, not good enough

show2014

this is the end of the third week,, of bup wd,, one lapse on stims,, early this week, but I feel my energy returning today going for a run this morning that is a gift from god,,

show2014

best Ive felt yet 3.5 mile run,,,, I see the light!

purechaos

Quiet forum but good to read your posts. Good to see your doing well.

show2014

33 days off buprenorphine!! had some rough rough weeks,, last week I was like I don't want to feel this feeling,,, but now as long as I get up an move,, go walk, run, or lift,, keep busy,, my energy is definitely more manageable, and I'm improving, I still can't sleep very well, and after a few hours I wake tossing and turning,, but its much better than the previous weeks.

paopiateuser

Do any of the rehabs that are advertised offer to detox a person off of Suboxone and then keep them in house until the w/d's are over? I have never seen any place that offers such a service and this makes me wonder if Suboxone is in a class by itself and getting off this stuff may be very difficult. Input from anyone would be appreciated.

show2014

Suboxone and Methadone are the long acting meds,, keeps people stable, and maintained, but the withdrawal can be longer,, rehab I went to wanted people to be detoxed before going in

SparklingSeven

Well done Show! I think that s 35 days now.

That's was some thing, jumping from 12mg, lol

I've been tapering down from 12 and am at 6 now, dropping to 4 next weekend. Long, slow turning of the knife. Part of me wishes I could just get off it like you did, then you get on with the suffering, then it's over. This lingering limbo is a pain in the penis lol

Anyways, wanted to say well done!!

show2014

I think I should have taken my doctors taper he was going to give me,, but the time was right I was a week in already when I saw him, Im unemployed,, getting ready for work in the fall,, so I had time to recover which I need,, Im done with the withdrawl,, but am getting wicked bad cravings,, but I have good days and bad,,

heyzeus

that's great, I mean you seem to have had it easier than some.
I think sub is in a class by itself, because while society at large has mixed opinions, the medical establishment holds an opinion that suboxone is not a drug that 'needs to be gotten off of'.
when it comes to pharmaceuticals, it is pharm vs patient, and pharm usually wins. if the drug company says the drug has no problem, that's what the dr says too.

show2014

It sucks,, I mean hear a month and a half almost later, I can still feel that tense WD like feeling in the mornings,, when my endorphin's are real low,, and I cant sleep, but once I get up I feel much better

heyzeus

yeah. same here. I hope to be quit by 2 months. no sense getting addicted to something that only helps sometimes.

johndelatouche

I. Am sub free at 8 months. My paws is still bad after lunch. It takes Solomon to say goodbye. Full withdrawal my last another year.

show2014

coming up on two months no opiates,, however I've noticed severe cravings due to some combining I did a few months up before I stopped buprenorphine,,,, one of the reasons,, I stopped,, it really sucks having cravings that rival withdrawl,, stimulant cravings, they can ruin your day,, but I've been stuck in my room for two months,, with no job,, no car,, but thats about to change,, I think thats why the cravings are so bad, because Im in my room staring at my ceiling,, but these cravings I think will interfere with a job,, so I just got my unemployment approved, and am gettting a new car, so gym run no matter what, I really miss the energy I had on subs,, I could run 5 miles like it was nothing, now a mile is much harder,, but its all headed in the right direction,, now I need to focus on not substituting one for something worse,, relapse is part of recovery I guess,, I have a fitness center a couple miles from my house I used to run to lift walk back,, but I feel havnt been there as much as I'd like to since my energy is lower,, Its headed in the right direction good days and bad,, I guess being on opiates for 10+ years,, subs for 4 Im getting used to the change in the way I feel,, but I know it will be much better as time goes on, like more and more good days,, then ultimately feeling better and happier than on opiates,, as well as having emotion,, good and bad. I was getting to the point on sub that I was getting depressed they had almost no effect on mood,, other than keeping me out of WD,, one of the reasons,, I stopped,, opiates are a path to either taking more and more untill you can't safely take anymore, just to be normal which isn't normal,, its depressing,, or go through the pain and get better every day instead of worse, at least thats the way it was for me. Even though I've lapsed on stims a few times,, I have a strong resolve not to take opiates,, but there is that AM,, oh no opiates, but im craving desperate, this other thing isn't an opiate its bad but im craving blah blah blah,, seriously, almost half the day intense cravings,, these are going to take awhile to get rid of. I guess the Withdrawl took my strength to battle the cravings,, and I havnt really had cravings, for a long time being on subs,, so I'm getting used to how to handle them,, time to find more strength, and be proud of sobriety. I mean Ive done everything,, every drug, prob stuff that people havnt even heard of, and I remember feeling great without drugs,, full of energy and life and interest, and I'm going to try to hold on to that as I recover,, WD sucks so bad,, but it goes away,, I remember going through it time and time again ,, I failed because I believed it wouldn't or it took to long,, even Methadone cold turkey,, long time ago,, that was why I relapse two months into WD in the past,, I still felt that feeling. I still feel it in the morning to this day,, sleep is hard, and have mood swings,, anxiety. I feel every person in here that is struggling,, this disease is so hard so much pain,, and people ridicule you for it, or it was your choice,,, no one chooses to be an addict it just happens over time, yes I made a choice when I was a teenager,, oh my god I made a critical mistake that overwhelmed me over time when I was a teenager! and overtime the choice to do drugs was driven by addiction and craving that I didn't know how to deal with yet. I think a lot of people are arrogant like myself and say "oh well im not an addict I just like doing coke or meth,, every now and then",,, If your human your brain will develop addiction or physical dependency over time,, some like me obsess over how they want to feel or instant gratification,, like me I had a drinking problem when I started opiates, and I wanted to stay on opiates because I liked it better at the time,,, sometimes I think that now,, but there is no excuse to use. I thought the same thing when I was younger, oh well I'm not an addict,, I can use whatever I want because I want to, and I can quit anytime now I realize,, thats why I wanted to so much,, addiction was developing. Anyway,, WD is over now PAWS,, sometimes I thinks PAWS is worse not at any given moment cause WD is constant suffering for a month, not many people but us addicts deal with this kind of pain, with respect to people with other horrible diseases, but I know in a year I'll be jumping for joy,, I already have,, but my work now is to deal with cravings,, I'm headed back to the gym,, only think I know that can deal with addiction the best way I know. Exercise speeds up the way your brain heals receptors as well in your brain,, its just the energy level at first thats hard to deal with. Just a thought sober today and staying that way,, I overwhelm myself with thinking of the future and think it doesn't matter I cant see the future, no wonder now just off long term opiate and stim use,, I can't see myself being sober the rest of my life, now I realize it doesn't matter don't worry about it just worry about today, make a plan and deal with it as best you can,, if your sober for a month a day a year,, and you lapse,, find out what went wrong and move on and stay in recovery mode and don't forget to ask for help.