Feeling 'sick' From Suboxone (Top voted first)

I have been on Subox for about 4 months now...I started at a very low dose. Only 6 MG a day for the first 2 days (and then after getting very sick on that amount) lowered my dose to only 2 mg total a day. The trouble is I feel really sick...horrible headaches, zero energy, body aches. It feels literally like I am being poisened slowly by the Subox. So why not stop taking it you will ask. I have tried to taper down and the WDs are as bad as coming off Oxy to me. I am now stuck between the option every day to feel like a '10' bad and have serious WDs and not take anything...or take a little Subox , not have the sweats as bad, but still feel like a '8' bad. There seems to be no good option anymore for me. Maybe my brain is truly damaged and will never feel the same without the exact meds I was on before. Oxy. Has anyone else had a bad experience getting off the Subox, even if they tapered very slowly? If so did you ever make it through? I just don't see any reward at the end of all of this.

REPLY

REPORT

Here is my thing about Soboxone. I have only been taking it for about a week and a half. Beforre I was using percoset, loratabs, vicoden, etc. Basically I couldnt afford the habit anymore. Since I have been taken the subs, I go to work and feel like i will pass out at any moment. I mean if i close my eyes i could fall asleep right there. They make it extremely hard for me to pee. I am constantly feeling sick to my stomach and today i woke up and puked. I get migraines that hurt so bad they make me throw up as well. I am always sweating... Are these going to last forever?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 18

i have tried suboxone twice now and its made me violently ill, even at half dose. Anyone else had this problem?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 13

I live in Tasmania, Australia and here Suboxone is rapidly replacing Methadone for maintenance therapy. That is, they don't put anyone on Methadone anymore and anyone needing opioid replacement therapy is put on Suboxone Film which is dosed daily under observation at a pharmacy. I was put on a dose of 16mg per day which should be plenty for what I was using but I feel awful more than 2 months down the track! Ever since I was put on Suboxone I have the same problem - every night I wake up in the early hours of the morning with cold sweats. I go back to sleep because I'm so tired but by morning feel AWFUL, shivering uncontrollably, HORRIBLY anxious, nausea, heart pounding and yawning and stretching like I'm beginning to go into withdrawal. I can't do anything, can't think straight, my body aches badly, I feel exhausted and restless and have muscle spasms and it just continues like this gradually getting worse until I drag myself out to the pharmacy to take my dose. When I take my dose, I feel it taking effect and finally get some relief from my back pain and the intense agitation in my body subsides somewhat, but I'm always left feeling weird, confused, lightheaded, spaced out, tired and a really weird sensation of being half-sedated, half-speedy, but neither in a pleasant way AT ALL, I feel uncomfortable and tense and edgy yet exhausted and sleepy at the same time and the worst part is knowing that is the best I'll feel all day because soon I'll have those desperate, starting to-feel-withdrawal symptoms again on top of the flu-like symptoms it seems to give me itself. To make matters worse, I was forced to taper off my diazepam to meet the super-strict Suboxone prescribing guidelines here and so now have nothing to take for my panic attacks and already severe anxiety (which Suboxone seems to make worse?! ) and nothing to relieve the tension, muscle spasms and discomfort of the withdrawal symptoms I wake up with each day.

So I too am in a situation of now being dependent on a substance which doesn't seem to agree with me at all or even last anywhere near as long as it is meant to, feeling like crap all the time and unable to function but knowing that if I stop taking it, I will face the horrors of severe withdrawal and although I know that is even worse, I also don't know how to go on when feeling so ill like this every day. I really relate to the "feeling of going in and out of withdrawal" and the feeling of something like a poison in my blood as someone mentioned above. I just don't feel right at all, I feel like I'm going crazy, but the Drs here won't listen/don't seem to believe me about how awful I feel and most people seem to feel fine on Suboxone so they expect me to as well, but I don't feel well at all and don't know what to do, how can I even get off this stuff without suffering more throughout a taper down when I've had withdrawal symptoms every day for the over 2 months that I've been on it??! :-( I'm probably one of those people who needs split-dosing but I don't have a car and don't want to have to travel to the pharmacy twice a day and sit around trying to dissolve the stuff in public (humiliating as hell) twice every day as well as paying twice since the pharmacies charge $6 per dose! I feel so hopeless, I wish I lived in the US where I could just get a script for it and dose in private as needed until stable and then taper down gradually by cutting the strips which is not allowed here. I don't know how the hell they expect this to work or how anyone ever gets off it this way and I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 11

I had the same problem such as: Headaches, sore tongue, swollen tongue, no emotions at all, going mad, suicidal thoughts but not enough to do it, no energy, no desire to do anything, lost 45 lbs in less than 6 months, and I can go on and on. I b****ed everytime I got a new script but I think I was being looked at as a drug seeker. I'm fine and dandy with opiate replacement therapy even though I was using them for pain management mainly and even used the subs to treat pain. It works wonders on pain, it's just that all the side effects aren't worth it.


I am most likely jaded on this because of my horrible experience. I know many who this has worked for but I only know one person who successfully detoxed off bupe but they also used cocaine for a month or two to take their mind off the bupe withdrawls and the lethargy that comes with it. IT takes up to 18 months before you feel normal again once completely off bupe or methadone as they are both opiates and you are just continuing substituting it for your brain since it can't make certain chems anymore.

My doc started me on 24mgs and I taperd down to 6mg in 5 months. The entire time i did not feel once like they say you should which is at least mostly normal. NOt like I felt when I was on methadone after 15 years. I swear, once I got used to Methadone, I really did feel "normal", like when I didn't use because I did kick it for a good minute but of course relapsed. I got sick of clinic life and found a doctor who put me on subs. He said only a few months and it was going to turn into indefinite. He just would not believe me about the side effects and that they were as bad as you described for my entire treatment. I asked to go back to methadone because he prescribes it like candy to other patients. Fortunately (but not really), I was able to go to a Pain Clinic and get Methadone instead. I actually found a doc who believed me. Subs just didn't sit well with me. I don't care who you are, if you don't feel better after almost 6 months of sub use, then you are not a candidate.

These docs seem to think this is some new miracle drug but I know lots of people who like it because of that not caring about anything feeling except for them it's like prozac, they feel happy , I didn't get the happy don't care, it was anxiety based and maddening to the psyche.

I felt like I had poison in my veins, literally could feel it enter and leave my body when I would switch back to full on agonist or back to subs. I don't know if it's mental but I swear I could feel it in my blood.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 7

I've been on subs for about a year. It is terrible. I feel really depressed. I have muscle soreness , migraines, and don't want to function. I feel like a lazy ass half the time. The only thing that kind of helps is adderall. It helps you deal with the lazyness and tiredness. If I don't take adderall I feel like s*** all day and super tired. Like literally I just want to go home and sleep. I want to get off.... but who knows maybe I'll feel this way without it? I'd love to hear from someone who tooks subs and is now off and how the feel after?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

To make a long story short... I went from Vicodin, to Norco, to Methadone, and now Suboxone. It all started with back pain. When I went from Methadone to Suboxone I had to be off the Methadone for 12 hours. I did this during the night. In the morning I started the Suboxone. 8mg in am & 8mg at night. I didn't feel good the first day or two. I lowered the Suboxone myself. I dropped down to 4mg twice a day for a week and by the end of a month I was completely off of it with no problem except I still had back pain. I will tell you this. I honestly believe if you don't try to get off of it in a short amount of time... It will be very difficult when you do decide to do it. I ended up taking norco again for pain and then always had withdrawl. So I got back on Suboxone. I have been on it now, daily for about a year and a half. I got down to a 1/4 of a pill in the morning. Only 0.5mg a day and then tried to quit. I couldn't get past the 4th day of not taking anything. I had sweats, I was anxious, I hurt for the first 3 days. I gave up and went back on it. I really wish I would have just stuck it out. Think about how long you were on whatever you took before. You allowed your brain to think you had to have that drug to function. I think that getting off suboxone will take time for you to feel completely normal again. Your brain has to get used to not needing a drug or not having a drug in order to function. I know that it is easie said then done. Believe me. I wish you the best of luck.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 6

What happens is the naloxon in sub's hits our blood stream and triggers ur white count to shoot up like its stacking a viruses but there's no viruses so ur body attacks itself...the naloxon only last for 45min but when it triggers ur white blood cells it can last for a while..

REPLY

Was this helpful? 6

I was on 120 mgs of MS Contin when starting Sub, could not handle the side effects of severe headaches, got lost 3 blocks away from home, could hardly talk normal. I took it upon myself after 5 days to stop and taper with my MD fr the MS Contin. The addictionologist made me stop every med I was taking, I went there on my own because of a succesful surgery and no more pain. No reason to change or have such control over me. He said I would be on subs for over a year, I told him no way, he said I was an addict and that's how it works. My MD started my only other med of .5 Xanax 2x a day and tapered me successfully off MS Contin. The hardest part was jumping off the last few mgs, but very doable. Xanax for panic and a one time script for phentermine for energy. I am now off everything but 1 .25 pill of Xanax once and awhile. Addictionologists like to take control and maybe a good thing sometimes. Not for people who no longer have pain though, I was made to feel the lowest I have ever felt. But I shook that feeling off and I am just fine now.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE in my experience. Tongue swelled and hurt, weight liss, fatigue and insomnia, horriblr headaches. This lasted for nearly 6 months until Thank God, I went to a doctor who have me methadone as another option. I think 17 years of use wirh no breaks has made it impassible for that drug to work. Everyone else I knew who took it days it worked first day, even for them buzzed. HOW???

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

I just recently was prescribed Suboxone, i tried for 2 days and got violently ill. Doc said go back on hydrocodone and then when withdrawal symptoms happen take a doze. Well woke up first night with sweats and rls and took half a pill and have been sicker than a dog for two days. Anyone else experience this and what did your doc suggest?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I was the same as you Ash, I tapered off methadone slowly but was still in severe pain and very weak after 90 days, I could barely get out of bed to get to the bathroom and I live alone so eventually I relapsed, getting some methadone off a friend just to function! :-( Then he lost his take-homes (he had been using other drugs and got caught out) so I began getting oxy off another guy but couldn't afford the habit as I am on a Disability Pension and had financial problems and ended up back at the awful clinic here again who put me on Suboxone, and I suffered a lot after only 3 weeks as they forced me off my diazepam due to their new policies, they "tapered" me off 15mg diazepam in only 3 weeks against my primary doctor's advice during a time of severe stress and several life crises, I fell to pieces and ended up in q psych ward for over a month, suicidal and suffering panic attacks... But the psych ward would not help me, they kept me on 2mg diazepam per day then took me off it as the Suboxone clinic doctors instructed them to, then just as all the accumalitive dose drops in diazepam began to hit me and I found myself suffering withdrawal symptoms from the diazepam as well, they sent me home more ill than when I went in, they treated me horribly and discriminated against me due to being on Suboxone, treated me like nothing but a "druggie " and would not listen when I told them how ill I was, I have severe anxiety and panic disorder and now cannot function, I am lost... I wish I had never gone on Suboxone, it has ruined my life going back to those quacks and they won't even acknowledge that I'm having withdrawal symptoms or that Suboxone doesn't agree with me, nor will they allow anyone to prescribe me diazepam, I am now so ill that I can barely get out of bed even ON Suboxone, I had been functioning very well previously on methadone with split-dosing and on diazepam, now I am a suicidal wreck and can't cope with anything anymore, Suboxone makes me feel awful enough let alone having panic attacks 24/7 due to being forced off diazepam so fast ... The system here is insane!!! I can barely drag myself out to take the Suboxone each day and am terrified, I have no idea what to do, I've been told the only way to get back on diazepam is to come off the Suboxone but I'm on 16mg a day and don't have months to spend in bed again alone trying to come off it, I

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

If your taking it at different times of the day or not the same amount everyday you will experience withdrawal symptoms i've been on it for 6 months on 3 8's a day and i wouldnt take all three because they made me sick to my stomach but on days that i felt like i needed to i would take more and it made my body go crazy i had the same withdrawals that i did on H... and it's horrible... so maybe try that.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hi! I am actually trying to figure out the same thing as you! And feelin almost exact same as you! Except I find when I take it I feel worse for a couple hours and then can finally sleep but still feel horrible! I'm being told by some people that it just doesn't work for some people and then other doctors are saying to keep trying and take more! But right from day one when being monitored the first time it didn't put me into precipatAted withdrawl but it definitely did not make me feel good at all!! I felt like I was having a panic attack and just completely out of it and lathargic etc. and it's now almost two week and if has gotten better but still definitely not good! I have to use to be able to get some comfort ... I got on it cause I heard it was a miracle and would make me stop using so I don't want to give up after the hell I went through now! But apparently It just might not mix with some people! Let me know if you got any better? And maybe we can compare to one another and see if we can get more Info on what to do together? I'm not ready to give up and go back to methadone and using everyday but I also can't take feelin like this anymore

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I started this question nearly a year ago and am quite relieved to see they're are many others suffering the same but shocked at how many. Supposably this may be due to all of us being super sensitive to the narcan. Most aren't as much abd it could be the duration we used or kuck of the draw genetically. Uf you can try just bupe but I did and couldn't get subutex because they think it's more abusable than subs but I disagree. Peeps still iv sub to make themselves feel high. u know, gross. The naloxone doesn't matter fir most people because if they are not sensitive, the bupe actually blocks the nalixone. Look it up.

Anyway, the only thing I can recommend is trying to find am old injury you can then use as a reason to see a pain doctor and resume a full agonist. Look, we're stuck on subs or other stuff so you may as well be comfortable and ween ever c so slowly off that. I know the stigma sucks but anyone ever consider 30 dat detox off methadone? Is quick enough and powerful enough to work and the short usage supposably keeps physical addiction to it low. I made the mistake and took for 17 maybe 18 years but it was too late, I so wish I tried 30 day detox. I think it'll work better than sub because of less discomfort and if not, worth a shot. Just a suggestion, I'm no dr. but seeing so many people go through hell.

U may not think it while wds but I can vouch sub wds aren't as bad ass full agonist but don't take it lightly. It lasts much longer, same as long term methadone, 30 to 90 days depending on duration of use. 90 days for me before I can get out of bed without someone to lean on.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Krystal, what ever happened?. I pray subs worked cause it's easier doctor wise. Did you have to get back on the juice? If so, never give up, there are good personal doctors out there. It's just that much garder after the oxy/roxi craze. Thanks Florida!.

We were in similar places at one point so I wanted to see what happened with yall.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hey, you're on disability so my point is, was it cause you're hurt? Is you've been hurt our even had surgery in your life, Try a pain clinic and get whatever doc you want. Go to a new primary care doctor, tell him you have been buying benzos on the internet cause it's so easy, I have 4 legit places but not cheap, and I pRomise he'll give you the meds, doctors aren't cruel usually and will help your anxiety as well as keep you out of Benz o wds. As far as a pain dictor it's tricky to get in but once in, you can go to any pain doc in usa.. all they do is write narcotics. I get 90mg methadone a day, used to get dill ok es but stopped getting on my own. My first doc dea shut down but new doc was easy. They do drug panels but you know when.

Best of luck, I'd take a Norco and go back on methadone if I were that miserable, been on done 17 years, I'm. A liter but I'm ok with that. It doesn't feel like liquid handcuff when you are Rx'd and get from pharmacies.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I know this post is old but I have recently broken free from my suboxone handcuffs. I was on 24mg a day for 5 years. I jumped off at 24mg because I had a positive U/A for coke. I hadn't touched it in months prior to failing, come to find out it was amoxicillin that showed as coke. I had the Amox for a tooth infection. So after a week of no suboxone, my doctor had called me and said "good news the lab found out it was amox showing as coke" and offered me a script...I'd been without seven days at that point...so I decided to take the jump. Yes I was at a ridiculously high dose to jump from but I felt I had to. I ask that no one gets offended by what I'm about to say. The suboxone withdrawals are far worse than opiate w/d. A lot longer (3 weeks minimal) than any opiate withdrawal. After seven days of being miserably sick, I tried switching my sub withdrawal with opiate withdrawal. I got a prescription of norco 10mg. Would take two a day for the first two days. After that I'd take one norco max per day just to get me by. Remember it's not about being high anymore. To my surprise after using up my norco my sub w/d's were gone and I went through a three-four day sick spell from the v'a. After that I felt great. Still have anxiety problems and all that good s*** but I'm no longer puking every two seconds and my ass is no longer an espresso machine. Please if you try to use opiates to help get off subs PLEASE DO NOT use your d.o.c. Use something you don't like. Norco worked for me. Also understand you need to WANT to get clean. You can do it. You'll feel amazing when you're done. This doesn't work for the weak hearted as many people have relapsed this way. Well I truly wanted to be clean and I can honestly say ten norcos saved my life. If you've had sub w/d you know what I'm talking about. Weeks of no sleep, suicidal thoughts, randomly waking up balling your eyes out feeling guilty for no reason and so on and so forth. Suboxone is a horrible drug. It did help me get clean but at the expense of another addiction. Pure h is more healthy than suboxone: fact. Another huge helper is any benzo. Again you don't need to take two bars and black out, take a half a bar every four hours or so and it'll help tremendously. I really hope this helps someone because I know how it feels to be trapped by a stupid little film. I know my way to recovery isn't ethical but it can work with the right mind set. Again you have to WANT TO GET CLEAN. If anyone needs advice I'm all ears. After going through what I did I feel like I have to help anyone I can. Whether it's just being a listening ear or giving advice. I help everyone dealing with any addiction pills through. Uncle Sam wants us walking around like brain dead zombies, it's time we fight back. God bless all of you going through anything similar. I'm just a random guy but I genuinely care about people. I know it sounds crazy with what I suggested but I'm only doing it out of my want to help others. I hope this helps. You guys and gals can do it. We're awesome creatures capable of anything.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi I came off 8ml of
Methadone twhrseeks ago waited 13 hours not my choice my worker gave me an 8mg first day then 16mg the next day Its been two weeks on Suboxone now I feel like c'''p???could this be withdrawals from methadone still going on??, :-/how long will this take I've had enough pain help!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My addiction was painkiller up to 50 a day even the doctor that works at the drug clinic nearly fell Off his chair lol, after doing this for years I finally got help........ like you I waited 12 hours b4 starting on 6mg Of subutex the first and second day were fine, 3 and 4 we're HELL, I'v now been On subutex for 3 weeks at 12 mg at which I am still getting withdrawal symptoms I am waiting to see doctor in 3 weeks, I have been told the highest amount I can go up to is 16mg which doesn't fill me with much hope......... I defiantly think you are in withdrawal you need to go back to your key worker and be as genuine and honest as u possible can and tell him or her your situation if u don't u could possibly relapse and that is the last thing you want to do especially when you have come so far Xx pls let me no how it goes xx

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was taking 30 m percocet for about 4 years up to 10 a day couldn't afford it nomore so quit was took suboxine it's been 14 days with no percs and last week I took the smallest amount of sub I could take crumbs and still can't get rid I the frustrated withdrawls how long will it take to get back to nothing again and have to call very say for colar code and can take chance of failing with sub but just so bad can't sleep need this to be gone already!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was on methadone for 15 years, up to 300mg at the most. I recently switched to suboxone, after a slow taper to 20mg of...

3 REPLIES

is this possible or is it all mental? I know someone who is on suboxone but prefers the subutex (white ones). He says th...

5 REPLIES

I take 56mg of methadone every two days was wondering if I wait the 72 hours will 3 8mg suboxone pills help me so I can ...

9 REPLIES

I was wondering if anyone has experienced this and has any knowledge that might help. I have been an opiate addict for r...

11 REPLIES

I take 12mg of suboxone a day and it keeps me level headed and happy for the most part. It’s saved my life, but it...

5 REPLIES

I've been taking suboxone for2 days now and I'm still sick. I was on fentanyl 75. Can I put back my patch to get...

4 REPLIES

I started taking Suboxone two years ago and it has been a very positive experience, I'm off the hydrocodone, taperin...

2 REPLIES

I'm a recovering addict, been on suboxone for 6 months now.. just had ileocecectomy for crones disease. Was given 48...

3 REPLIES

I've come off methadone and on suboxone but after several days I'm still sick. When will this stop so I'll f...

2 REPLIES

im always taking percocets ## You would need to check in your area and see if there is a doctor the provides Suboxone tr...

1 REPLY