shd1678

Hi all- I am hoping that I might be able to get some guidance and advice on a very tough situation. My boyfriend is currently in residential treatment and I am helping him in a 'fact finding' journey regarding Suboxone. He has been on the drug 8-12mg per day for the past TWO YEARS. He went in to residential treatment 30 days ago to DETOX off of the suboxone in a safe environment. Unfortunately after being completely off the drug for almost 10 days...he began suffering MAJOR withdrawl symptoms to the point that he could not tolerate it after 4 days so the Dr put him back on 6 mg per day.
WE ARE FRUSTRATED and out of money and the goal of getting off this drug has not been met. The treatment center wants to send him back home on Suboxone and then have him slowly over the next 60-90 days 'wean' himself down.
THIS sounds crazy to me? I am honestly very concerned. They want to release him next week....
Any advice, stories, resources for GETTING OFF suboxone???
Thanks so much!!

shivers

yeah you should have read up on the effects of suboxone before you put him on it in the first place. Way to screw him up worse than he was with his addiction. He's so deep into sub it'll be next to impossible to cut him off, horrible decision to go that route. The ONLY option he has at this point is to slowly wean/taper the suboxone down to just a tiny itty bitty sliver. Then at that point beg a doctor for some other opiate, vicodin, percoset, tramdol, and put him on that rather than the suboxone... then just maybe...maaaaaybe he would have a fighting chance of kicking this thing for good.

BeginAgain

If they yanked him off the Sub at 8 - 12 mg I am not suprised he was in WD. It does require a taper. Usually 1 mg per week at minimum. Most people level out with 1 mg drops 1-2 weeks and then drop again. It is usually not too difficult down to 1mg then generally .25 drops and then off. So yes it takes time, you can't just stop at high doses. But, Sub can be a good tool if used correctly and tapered correctly. It is intended (in my opinion only) to be part of a recovery plan and not a stand alone "cure". It holds off the cravings, wd, anxiety while you work on recovery and provides a way to taper slowly without craving more and more of the drug. There are plenty of people who have tapered off successfully - slowly - with support of counseling, meetings, therapy or some combination that works for them.

Also, FYI there is a way to get the sub through the pharmaceutical company with the help of your doctor. Each doc can only have one patient on the plan and I am sure there are income limits..but if it works out you can get the sub at no cost. The doc can contact the manufacturer or you can go to the Sub website or NAABT advocacy site to learn more.

Good luck.

mikiglen

shivers, maybe i am taking this the wrong way, but your post seems to be not only blaming this girl for "screwing him up worse than when he was in his addiction", but then not offering her any hope for his recovery.
surely that was not your intent.
i know there are many success stories of people getting off sub, and others will be here to encourage you
i wish i could, but i know nothing about it. i just wanted to tell you that i do know it's not hopeless and you and he can beat this thing

spark-o-cet

just wanted to let you know that i was on subone on two different occasions and was NEVER able to make it work,no matter how low i taperd.im sure it can be done but imo it is few and far between. also beginagain what dose are you now on and what is your plan with the sub,stay on it forever,good luck-spark

northbelle

Well I have kicked a very high dose methadone habit in the past and of COURSE it CAN be done.
The discomfort last some time though and I had some terrible anxiety for a long time. But I just walked through it one dayat a time. There is just no easy way to get off drugs like that . You just have to tough it out..I know he will make it if he he can just stick with a taper. Easiest way to go..
and I also realize YOU did not put him on this medication..my god..it is certainly not YOUR fault...try to take care of yourself too kay?? Nar anon is a great group for families of addicts!!! I know you would get alot of relief there!!
love north

awis25

Yes..Just like everyone else here said...Taper down..It's the only way....I can't belive they just stopped him cold turkey like that...If they are a detox center they should know that it will cause serious WD without the taper...Let him taper down, if he really wants off then he can make it work....

woops

Nothing personal to add here other than to say there seem to be many forums dealing with suboxone and subutex - Beginagain mentions NAABT -
Must be worth reading as much as possible on this?

lmb1964

Shivers...You seem well informed on Suboxone? Do you have a personal experience with the drug? I have just started Sub at 2mg a day and I feel much better. Maybe I will not increase the dosage.

soulseeker

I've been on Sub at 12 mg daily for last 6 months. My psychiatrist wanted me to stay on in indefinately but I felt cut off from my Higher Power, 12 step group, husband, family, et al. I begged him to help me taper down, because although I'm a nurse I know that I need to let someone else run the show. He tapered me down 2 mg every 10 days, then 9 days ago I was at zero. I scheduled 4 days off work and thought I'd be fine but at day 3 I got slammed with the gamut of WD sx: sweating/chills, intense anxiety, crushing fatigue, GI upset and nausea, insomnia... After my husband called my dr, he did put me on some clonidine 0.1 mg 1 to 2 every 6 hr...it does take the edge off, (very important to monitor blood pressure on this drug).
I've choosen to look at this situation as a really bizarre kind of gift. When I wake up after 2 hrs sleep sweating and anxious I pray, deep breath, try to relax, take a bath if all else fails and remind myself "I never have to go through this again." I do not believe we deserve to suffer but I don't think there is any painless way to get clean off opiates. Luckily, my not-so-swift psych dr has put me on short term disability and I have a supportive husband who drives me to meetings daily so I can practice asking women there for rides. I need to be there now while I'm sick, vunerable, desperate because I am REALLY good at seeming like I'm okay even when I am dying inside.
So I guess my message is that, even if he tapers, your BF may have to go thru some of these really awful symptoms but that (in my opinion at least) they can serve an important purpose. Good luck and God bless you.

angelgirl

lmb

I am on suboxone.. Less is more.. The smaller the dose the better off you are. For me it hasn't been a bad medication, but then, I am still on my taper, a very, very long taper. I can tell you that when nothing else in my life worked to help keep me clean, the sub did. But it was very important for me to work with my doctor, and follow what he said. I was as high as either 8/ or 10 mgs. I can't remember. If I did get up to 10, it wasn't for long, and I am down to 2 1/2 mgs. Tapering to this point hasn't been real hard, but I know from others experiences, that getting off the sub from 2 down is harder. But it is also doable..

Sub is not real popular here. You will get alot of opinions.. But in the end, what's best is that you do as much research as you can,, and then make your own decisions. Some doctors are better than others are working with their patients when it comes to making decisions on the dosages..

Good luck.. There are others here that have been, or are on suboxone..
There is also a govbernment website that you can google suboxone and find. If you can't find it, and want to,, PM me, and I can help you. It has alot of info on it. From what I understand, sub has been used for years in Europe, ( as many drugs are before they ever are used in the US, due to our strict drug laws), for many years.. This is my understanding..

Hang in ther soulseeker.. Praying for you..
Hang in there..
Prayers,