Day 15 Of Suboxone Withdrawal. What The Heck?

I'm on day 15 of no Suboxone. I took a low dose of 1/2 mg a day, if needed, for 18 mos. I never took more than that at any time. I jumped & didn't taper b/c I felt w/d at 1/4 mg anyway. It's not getting any better & I'm beginning to wonder if things will ever swing upward. My RLS is pathetic. It's even in my arms & I feel like flailing my hands, as if it'll escape out my fingers. I can't stand for it to be quiet & I'm so nervous every single second of the day. I can't relax, let alone sleep. However, I'm fortunate to have access to Neurontin & my dentist husband gave me an Rx for Tramadol today. (Hard to imagine this would actually be worse if I didn't have these.) I'm eating well, keeping myself hydrated, using Benadryl, melatonin, Hyland's Restful Legs, a B-6 complex, & even Dramamine in the super horrible moments. Is there anyone out there that was on my low dose for an extended period of time? I feel so alone when I read these forums, as many people are jumping from 2+ mgs & are feeling "great" at day 6, 10, 14, etc. I don't understand. If anyone could comment & shed light on this, I would be appreciative. Just tell me how it is, good or bad. I'll never use Sub again & I'm determined to win this. I think Sub is evil & prescribed by too many ignorant doctors, It shouldn't be used unless it's saving your life, which I know it does for some people. I would rather go c/t off of hydrocodone instead of this any day. At my rock bottom, I detoxed off of 20 tabs a day of Lorcet 10/650, & that was easier than this by far. What the heck? Why am I still feeling so badly after 15 days detoxing from only 1/2 mg a day? It should be out of my body according to what I've researched. I don't think it's PAWS just yet, b/c I've been like this from day one. Thanks for listening. Blessings to all...

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Hello, Chelle! How are you? I'm very sorry that you're so miserable.

Much of the withdrawal process really depends on the person and the way their body responds to it, some people don't have any problems, but some do and it may take a month, or so, before you really feel back to normal. It can even vary depending on the opiate involved.

For example, when I was on pain management, I had horrible withdrawals from stopping Morphine cold turkey, but I had no problem, at all, another time, when stopping Oxycodone after being on it for awhile after surgery.

It's really just a matter of time, to be honest, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, you'll eventually feel better.

Be careful with the Tramadol, because that is also classified as an opiate by the FDA, so it carries the risk of being habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, headache, dry mouth and constipation.

Can anyone who has experience with Suboxone chime in?

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Thanks, Verwon. You're so nice. Today is Day 17, & I'm feeling better. The Tramadol has really helped, but I'm only taking 1 q 12 hrs. I'm being careful & my husband dispenses them to me so that I don't take too many out of desperation for relief.

What do you think about this... Could I be metabolizing Sub differently b/c of my size?? Ugh...but unfortunately I'm really overweight. Like, 310 pounds. I'm starting to think that that's my issue.

Please share your thoughts.... Thanks.

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Don't feel alone. I have been on suboxone 3years. I usually took 1 a day.
Then I just took a pinch for about 7days. This has been my 7th day. I have not had a single w/d plus I need to know if I'm over it or not yet

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Hello, I know this is posted a little "after the fact" but I also remember that when I was in sub withdrawals I "glommed" onto any info I could:

1. It won't last forever. That is the most important thing anyone could tell me.

2. I am not alone. Unfortunately lots of other people feel (or have felt, me for instance) just Iike you do.

3. There are ways to feel better. If you are lucky & medically supervised: Gabapentin, Klonipin, Clonidine, phenergan, Imodium. If not I strongly suggest that you become so. There are herbal suggestions as well, that info, plus more can be found on this website.

Best wishes (our recovery rate is not high....)

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It is because you maintenanced the suboxone instead of detoxing for 5-7 days off opiates. You are going to feel withdrawals 3 months to 1 year or more. Never ever take suboxone maintenance for more than 7 days.

I know someone that went to jail for 30 days, tapered after 2 years on suboxone and he didn't feel right for 8 months.

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This is my experience I am pasting from another reply:

I myself am a small girl going through suboxone withdrawals. I was taking 8mg dilaudids idk how many a day I just did it when I wanted them for about a year. One day I stopped taking them and starting having what I thought was the flu..I couldn't get out of bed if I did was puking. I was at a motel for one night from the winter storm after work, ended up staying there for three days simply because I could not get out of bed. I soon realized I developed my addiction. Then my biggest fear I couldn't get anymore. I finally got suboxone which coated me an arm and a leg. I have started tapering down and now on my very last 8 mg strip. Right now Im down to a corner piece a day just enough to get me up in the morning but does not last long. I feel it wears off fast. Keep in mind I never done an entire strip not even half at a time cause it was too much for me made me sick.

Anyway it is still very uncomfortable but I am happy to be doing one tiny tiny piece a day about the size of this "O".
After a couple hours I start feeling the awful tired feeling like someone is sitting on my chest and the cramps, indigestion feeling, achy restless legs, but NOWHERE near my first initial withdraws before tapering down. I have yet to go a day without any. Although I read people can not sleep, I don't have a problem with sleeping as I will yawn my face off during a withdrawal. If anything I can make myself sleep through them which really helps! Only thing I can't really do is eat if I feel that breathless feeling. If I do its not much. Anyway I'm so happy to feel this at on one tiny piece! I can only believe I'm getting better and not think about what's going to happen next. I have no choice but to quit being broke but I WANT to quit. I don't want to worry about my life being controlled.

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Please don't take offense to anything I say I'm just trying to help and I'm not having a go at you at all I have been in your exact shoes and have done the same thing but here is what made your withdrawal more painful than it needed to be.

You reset your rls by using tramadol if you didn't use it it would have been gone by day 5-6 or 7 but u used an opiate and a strong one tramadol has a high half life of 86hrs never take a benzo or an opiate while in withdrawal as you are just hurting your self more trust me I have been through this a few times. I came off 12mg a day cold turkey and cause I didn't taper the suboxone was completely out of my system by day 5 and the rls was gone and I started to feel great. My advice to any one wanting to get off just stopndont taper 4 days of pain is better than weeks and you will have withdrawals for weeks if you taper of suboxone I was lucky to have an honest doctor who was not in it for the money and told me the truth that tapering will only make your withdrawals longer a little less intense but they will last weeks instead of days as suboxone builds up and while your tapering your just topping up the mu receptor.

I suggest every one wanting to quit does there home work don't make your pain worse by trying to elivate the symptoms with more opiates or benzo any narcotic and stay away from caffeine completely for the first 5 days as cafine intensifies the rls.

I tried countless taper plans and they all made me relapse as the withdrawal lasted so long but when I went cold turkey and didn't use anything for the pain at all nothing and stayed away from cafine and to my shock and surprise on day 5 I actually felt good and that night I slept with out an issue at all.

But that's what worked for me and I came of a ten year addiction to opiates. It can be done I'm proof of that and I'm here for any one that needs help you don't have to suffer long only 3-4 days it sucks I won't lie but if u stay away from all drugs apart from ibuprofen you will be alright the ibuprofen is to lower your body temp to stop the cold sweats .

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Re: Matty (# 7)

Matty, very interesting.. I think you are correct. I was on opiates for 5 years and suboxone for the last 13 months. Usually 8mg a day. Sometimes 12... Had a situation and was kinda forced to quit cold turkey (this happened the day after I went and got my script filled, so coulda tapered a bit but cause of work I needed to get off it ASAP). Anyways, day 14 here and feel pretty good. Little brain fog that comes and goes, been hard to get good sleep. Finally got a full night's sleep last night though. Honestly from all the horror stories it made me feel like a sitting duck, people saying it won’t even hit you for 5 days, then a week. Then it could hit you 10-14 days later. Well, all that time came and gone. Never puked or broke a sweat (which usually are my main 2 issues off pills). Minor rls days 5, 6, 7. Nothing near what I expected, almost feel guilty cause I was expecting to just get blasted hard. Brain fog still comes and goes but nothing that’s not tolerable. Weird feeling your brain and body literally fixing itself. If anyone is reading this, just make the jump. Please stay away from all the horror stories cause they will make it much worse. I’m not saying people don’t have a tough time, just saying not everyone will... If you ever withdrew from narcotics or pills, this will be very manageable. Stay active and stay out of your own head. Prepare for the worse but hope for the best. I just called to cancel my appointment at the sub dr for Friday and told them I won’t be back. There’s $250 savings already. Good luck!

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Re: Matty (# 7)

This is bs... I'm prescribed Xanax for anxiety and used it to get off 24mgs of sub and it was my saving grace, never reset the WD. Stop handing out false information!

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im prob posting in the wrong place, but today is day 15 for me. Jumped from 3 ML, The past few years id been doing norcos and subs. But i could manage on 3. Any way I took the jump im threw the worst but im just so tired all the time! Will it ever get better?

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It honestly depends on how long you have been on suboxone. I have had different withdrawals from tapering. I was on suboxone the 1st time for 6 months and tapered. My withdrawal lasted only a week the 1st time.

The second time I quit cold turkey off of 16mg suboxone. When I tapered I was only sick for a week, but when I stopped cold turkey I was sick for 15 days straight. It was awful, I couldn't handle it.

I just tapered myself to about .05 and I'm on day 10 of no subs. I do have to say I took percocet on day 3 of w/d and I took it until day 8 of no subs, and the next day without the percocet I was in full-blown w/d. So you're saying I delayed my withdrawals. That sucks because I took my vacation days to get off of it. I have been very depressed on day 10 and just generally feel like s***. I'm a bus driver so I can't have opiates or other controversial substances in my system.

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OH YEAH!! I was taking a quarter tablet of a two milligram and am going c.t. RLS arms legs exactly as you described it. I am on day four. Haven't slept since i started. Wandering around the house like a zombie all night. Your fortunate to have a Dr. as a husband to help you through it. Maybe i'll try some of your otc and see what happens. I bought equate lidocaine but they only helped for a while. I wish you the best. Drs. suck. They claim to be helping you then they dump you. I've had multiple back surgeries which is why i am where i am today.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

Yes I was on subs for a lil over two years weaned myself from 8mg down to two mgs a day......... Thinking that was a low enough dose I do regret not tapering down lower. I had it pretty tough the last thing to go is real and sleep deprivation. After day sixteen was my first full night of sleep and the real is so very minimal now.. you can and will do it. I highly recommend you do it without other opiates.. or your not truly getting off them... Remember one thing .. withdrawals are just a part of getting your life back and being sober.. you will make it and it doesn't last even though it can break you.. showers, music and meditation really helped me.. you got this

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Re: Matty (# 7)

I've been tapering off from taking three 8mlg. Suboxone a day and I'm down to a sliver of a piece. I'm not taking any tomorrow and I'm feeling very, very anxious! I've had five different kinds of cancers and countless surgeries so I was put on opioids like percocet, oxy's etc. And I was addicted so I went to my Dr to get off of all the pills! But now I'm sick of being controlled by a substance and I'm trying to get healthy due to a heart issue now. I'm reading what you said about just cold turkey and I'm just worried bcuz of all the pain I have from the scar tissue and other issues from the cancer.

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