chrisb245

Has anyone here came off of suboxone CT? I knew the wds would be longer but hell these things won't go away. It's day 23, I feel much better but I'm not out of the woods yet. Only had 3 hours sleep and I'm so exhausted it hurts. I have also been sneezing like crazy and my back hurts like a mofo.


I know it gets better, but I'm worried that it won't. I don't now how much more I can take of this. I'm not gonna use because all the pain I have been through will be a waste.

Thanks for listening to my pity party. Any advice would be most helpful.

FormerSurfer

The sneezing and coughing was one of the worst parts of wd for me. I literally had to take a week off work just because of that. I'm a bartender and they didn't like me sneezing in people's drinks. I'm only 5 days sober but I attempted to clean up a couple weeks back and caved after a week so my wd symptoms are mild in comparison to my previous attempt. The worst part now for me is waking up. I swear the first thought that goes through my head in the morning is '****!'. Just a combination of depression, anxiety, aggravation and pain that feels absolutely crushing as soon as I awake. If I get up and move around, shower, it slowly goes away and im left with my general malaise and itch for my opiates but it's a rough way to start everyday. I know it will get better, for all of us. Can't get any worse. Good luck to us all.

Bubovski

Good luck with it! Something I've never been on and don't know the w/d procedure. Done long benzo w/d tapered, maybe too long? as I still take 5mgs per week. If your medical advisors say tapering is acceptable, that might be the way to go.
Hang on in, it can only get better;I know that's hard to accept when your'e doing the hard yards.

chrisb245

Thanks man.

The mornings where the worst for me for around 16 days. They where just as you said. That part is over thank god! The malaise still comes and goes. The worst part is the exhaustion and lack of sleep. It will get better, soon than later I hope.

Olivilo

I couldn't sleep for almost 3 weeks without ambien, which I was scared to use but my third week I tapered off of that. Then slept 4 hrs on my own for a cpl of days, then 5 hrs for a cpl of more days 6, 7... And now I'm finally to 8, I even try to take a short nap during the day and it actually works. I'm at 41 days sober.
My energy is completely back but took so so so long, maybe 4.5 weeks maybe more, I didn't notice really.
Good job on staying clean!!! Be strong!!!

georgiagirl5

Hi Chris, just saying hello and of course I have never taken suboxone but I am fully aware of the insomnia thing. It is terrible especially in opiate withdrawal. I am not one to judge on this but my sleep problems started LONG before opiates as I was put on Ambien at 21. I am now 35. I am on 50mg of Ambien (yes, 50) and still close to 2mg of Klonopin on taper and I still do not sleep DUE to the sleep meds. They have royally screwed up my sleep and will for years. What I am trying to say is this--I KNOW that insomnia is the worst thing ever. But please don't get hooked on these god awful sleep meds. Yours is going to pass I suspect very soon. But if you start taking something to sleep you will end up like me completely 100% dependent on the med and it will mess you up for years. I really believe you probably are going get it back soon. Me on the other hand I have no idea because I am on taper (I started at 70mg Ambien--I do not even talk about that very often because the dose is so ridiculous). So in the short term, it is tempting to turn to sleep meds but in the long run they DESTROY your sleep.

Olivilo

Omg Georgia that's aweful, tell me more, how come such high dose and so early in life I mean 21 ???? I really hope there is something that can help u to get off the ambien

georgiagirl5

Hi Olivio, I was not on that dose when I started. I was on 10mg. I just built a huge tolerance over the years and the dose was just upped upped upped. I did not know what the heck to do. Luckily, I found the right doctor who is tapering me off both it and Klonopin correctly. But my sleep is SO messed up. At one point he (my doctor) added 45mg of Restoril and that still did not get me to sleep! Anyway it is what it is. I have a long road ahead of me to get to sleep without meds and I would HATE to see someone get hooked on sleep meds in opiate withdrawal and then have their sleep destroyed. Opiate withdrawal insomnia seems to pass at some point. My sleep is SO messed up again it is gonna take a long time to get it back to normal. I have not slept without a pill since I was 21. I was even on anti psychotics (Seroquel) at one point to get me to sleep and I am not bipolar or schizophrenic. And it basically took my whole personality away! So I just wanted to mention my story on this. It is SO tempting to take something to sleep especially in opiate W/D and then get hooked on that med to further destroy sleep!

Lyoness

That's good advice, georgiagirl! And nice to see you here! I, too, haven't slept without something for at least ten years. I am hoping that as I continue my suboxone taper eventually I will be able to get the sleep thing in order. I do sleep now but I use benadryl to help. I've just started using some herbal medicines (not marijuana) that repair neurons so I'm hoping that over time, with their help, I will eventually be able to just go to sleep. (Gosh I can't even remember what that is like! Scary!)

So if you can get through the withdrawal insomnia without meds that will help you in the long run.

Olivilo

This is so sad I am so sorry u have to struggle with something like this, I can't even imagine. Tonight I will say a prayer for ur health, for ur sleep to come back. Sorry u have to deal with this and thank u for sharing ur experience god bless u!!!!

chrisb245

Hey guys.

Checking in, it's day 26 and sleep is getting better. I'm taking trazadone to help sleep. Breathing exersices have helped the most. I found a vid on YouTube that teaches belly breathing. It has helped a ton.

Bubovski

My sister has taken sleep meds for decades and this helped create many other serious problems.
Some anti depressants are sleep inducing such as amitriptoline (better check spelling) but s/effs can be a problem. Its one of the old tri -cyclics.
Also some of the new ones are very sedating.
Check out with doctor; in saying that my sister's doctor used to deliver temazepam to the door and was later struck off the medical register following a host of complaints re dodgy prescriptions etc. There are doctors and "doctors" and sometimes it pays to get a second opinion.