How Long After You Stop Suboxone Do You Have Withdrawal Symptoms? (Page 28)

My 63y/o mother survived chemo and radiation for throat cancer but was unable to stop the morphine 15mg twice a day without horrible withdrawal symptoms. Her MD put her on Suboxone 8mg/2mg once a day in June. She even took half the strip on most days and the doctor was very pleased and anticipated that she would be able to stop altogether in November. She unfortunately had a stroke 14 days ago and has been in the hospital. The first 7 days she was confused from the stroke but now she is weak and forgetful but is no longer disoriented. She told me tonight that she thought she needed her Suboxone. She said she thought she was going thru withdrawal. I was floored. She is not having any outward signs of withdrawal: no back/stomach pain, no nausea/vomiting, no sweating or tremors. Isn't 14 days long enough for the Suboxone to be completely out of your system and for withdrawal symptoms to have come and gone??? Any answers will be greatly appreciated.

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Marleybt if you're asking me about symptoms there are some that you will probably experience for at least A few weeks. the runny nose tells you that you are starting to withdraw- it takes up to a week for suboxone to be out of your system, or more!! Stomach pain, cramps, leg pain- which gets worse the second week, body aches , depression, lethargy, there's a bunch .. The worst is the night sweats with leg cramps for me, but everyone goes through it differently. It's day 4 for me and easier at this point than other times I've tried. But I know it gets a whole lot worse. This won't be easy, but like you I don't want to ride this train anymore. I've been on suboxone for 8 years, longer than I was addicted to pain meds at this point. It's time to say enough is enough for this girl! Good luck to you.

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Chickisoverit, ok well this totally blows my doctor says it should only take two weeks til I start feeling like I can function! I already have runny nose and sneezing like crazy! I'm kinda getting a mix of different stories here, some people say it gets better after day 7 so am I not gonna be able to function by August 20th . Your really scaring me! I can handle if it's just hot cold chills but are u saying I'm not gonna be able to get outta bed????? And did you try and vitamins to help you through this. I'm a very active person like I've been forcing myself to get up and go for a walk and exercise and after I do I feel great natural endorphins coming back . Please I just really freaked out now.

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Marleybt I'm just telling you what I have went through in the past. I'm in day 4 and honestly I'm not feeling much yet. The half life of suboxone is long, meaning it's not fully out of my system yet. Once it is, that's when things get worse.. If it was easy I wouldn't have went 8 years taking it.. I do take vitimans, added amino acids and doing protein shakes as well. I am active as well- I do a 5 mile walk daily and work 10 hour shifts. I'm a ball of energy- usually. Everyone is different. I would read all of the past posts and just try to get through it. Regardless of how long it takes there's light at the end of the tunnel :-) not trying to scare you and hope you succeed! Just know that doctors also have not been on the medicine- they don't know what it's like being dependent on something. Other people in this forum live it..

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Chickisoverit
Well I'm on day 4 and feel like poop I have felt like crap since I stopped my last tiny dose! I was feeling withdrawl since last Monday since I dropped really low in only one week! So I've been feeling like crap for a week and a half now. Even when I would take .25 it did nothing and didn't even make me feel better I still was having a rough time. So I don't know if that's why I'm feeling sicker more fast! Who knows I'm sure everyone is different! I've read people having fatigue for awhile and that's it! And others who go through like a breeze and others who can't even handle day one . So I'm just going to keep taking the meds they gave me , pushing l-tyrosine , b12, b100 , vitamin d, making myself going for my nightly walks and lifting weights! Eating lots of food for energy . Zofran helps with that and staying well hydrated! Keep me updated tomorrow how you feel and I'll let you know how I feel on day 5 as well! We can do this! No turning back!!!

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Marleybt

Hope your hanging in there. I'm now almost through day 6. Honestly I'm not sure why I'm not completely sick at this point. Only minor leg pain, been sleeping through the night and , though tired, took my walk with my dog and actually even dud my hair! I'm waiting to fall flat on my face but wow! Like I've said in prior posts I've tried before and it got so bad I started taking subs again. I cannot imagine working right now, but I'm not miserable either just chilling at home. Hope your doing okay as well!!

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Chickisoverit, talked to my doctor this morning and he says by day 10 I'll be able to sleep through the night! He says the worst withdrawals for me happen at night and he's right! I wake up covered in sweat , legs swinging, tossing and turning in my own thoughts thinking the worst! It's awful I just rock back n forth like a little kid! But at least I know I'm through the worst of the withdrawl since I dropped at such a low dose! So he wouldn't give me anything else , just said to take gabapentin , clonidine , and Valium! Which all of these don't work for me ! Maybe for an hour! Oh well he's right I have to power through! He's a great doc that won't just prescribe! He's wonderful! Hope he helps more people get off. Cause the main doctor at my clinic does not let you come down on a dose he will say your not ready ! They just want money it's 200 everytime cash! They make bank!!! It's disgusting ! Anyways I'm on day 7 here and I now see the light at the end of the tunnel , let's not forget tho that last week I was already withdrawaling from jumping down to such a low dose my body wasn't used to ! That was actually the worst since I had to work! Anyways hope all you out there are hanging in there! Things will get better and we are all here for eachother !

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I've been reading you two's posts about detoxing off of subs and thought I'd chime in. I've quit subs twice now. Once in 2008 when I quit CT at 16mgs/day for a year and again last October after nearly 3 years I quit after weening down to 1mg/day. As you mentioned gabapentin, that REALLY helped me with the RLS and even helped boost my appetite. The fact that I was eating good and sleeping a little really helped. The RLS is always the WORST symptom for me. I have a demanding job with long hours and 2 small children at home so the sleepless nights just make the days dreadful. As hard as it seems, staying active and keeping your mind occupied is huge! WDs are the worst at night because you have nothing on your mind but the wds. I always noticed when I had to drag myself off the couch to run errands and such is the only time i felt some relief. Try to stick to your daily routine as much as possible. An idle mind will only exaggerate the symptoms. Exercise! Even if its going for a walk around the block. It will kick start your natural endorphins which brings me to the most important aspect. A POSITIVE mind frame. If you were in a good mood while withdrawing, the physical symptoms would be tolerable. When I quit subs in 2008 I was so naive to the drug. I had no idea it was an opiate, how it worked or that you could even withdrawal from it. So I quit CT at 16/mgs without even giving it thought. I figured I had been clean from painkillers for a year so it was time. Canceled my Dr. Appt and went about my day like nothing happened. When the wds started a few days later it kind of caught me off guard but because I didn't know it was withdrawal I just pushed through my days. I went to work, I went out with friends, I went fishing. I did everything that I would normally do and just chalked up the way I was feeling to stress and depression because I was going through rough patch in my personal life (break up, moved, tired of my job, questioning my place on this world etc). While it was no fun, it was the most painless withdrawal I had ever gone through an before I knew it I was completely sober, happy, energetic and normal! So when I relapsed on tramadol in 2011 I easily decided to go back on subs. The second time around I did my research and found out that subs are actually a POWERFUL opiate and many people struggle mightily to kick them. By then it was too late and I was hooked.

That's when I began weening down and also reading threads about all of the horror stories. So when I quit this last time, I thought it would be hard so it was! Your frame of mind and how you look at your situation can't be under estimated! This last time around it took almost 3 weeks before the physical symptoms began to subside. The first thing that I noticed was my senses coming back. I began enjoying music again and conversations with old friends and all of these feelings that I had completely numbed while on subs. That was when I began to turn a corner. The days started getting easier and I thought about subs less and less. After the physical symptoms were gone, they would still come back randomly every now and again but not for long. Lack of energy also took the longest to subside. It's the part of withdrawal called PAWS and can take up to several months to go away but if you make it to PAWS the worst is over and it just becomes a mental chess match at that point and learning how to function each day without that go-to crutch that we all relied on for so long. It's basically learning to be yourself again. I've been clean for 10 months now and have never felt better. It's a long road but doable and so worth it. A good way to look at it is the pain of withdrawal is just your body HEALING and the light at the end of the tunnel is the TRUE YOU. When I quit subs and started to feel good again I actually felt like a kid again. I experienced emotions and true, natural happiness for the first time in a long time and it was AMAZING! Hang in there because the rewards are so worth the TEMPORARY pain that you are now feeling. The best part of it all is that I haven't been to a Dr since last September! I haven't stood in line at a pharmacy! I haven't planned my day around some god awful pill! I am free to live life on my terms! Good luck to you all. If you have any questions please feel free to ask an if you just need an ear to bend, bend away. Sometimes just posting on these threads helps!

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pfan34,

I'm now on day 8 and feeling ok! I get out for walks daily even tho I feel like I'm wearing a leather suit but I do it! I went out in public yesterday and it felt ok no anxiety ! Today I'm feeling tired again and cold chills! Tomorrow I'm going shopping for the first time since a week ago ! I feel l should buy myself a reward! I don't have to go back to work til Wednesday so as it's Saturday I still have time ! And I'm only going back part time ! So I'm proud I have made it this far! Sleep was a lot easier last night for the first time! It's weird I haven't been nauseous or anything like this thru the whole thing I've been actually eating more lol ! Oh well I have zofran if it seems to hit in eventually! Anyways I'm taking l-tyrosine to build up endorphins u ever hear on this ? Any other tips you could give me would be great ! Appreciate your help

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Marleybt & Pfan..

Day 8 for me as well. This may sound crazy but I'm still waiting for it to get bad! I have had any RLS and have slept every night for a full night. I have sweats a bit and a bit run down but really that's it. I keep waiting for it to get terrible but it hasn't! I've been through this a few times and never has it been so smooth sailing.

I'm doing this without the help of and withdrawal meds because when I told my doctor I was going off I got a "good luck". That was it. This is part of the problem, at least in CT where I live- there's no after-care for a suboxone program. In the beginning I called a few detox programs and was told they were not equipped to do a suboxone detox. Wow. Thanks!

Pfan what are PAWS? I've been around for a while, on subs for 8 years and never heard of this until I started reading the threads. Good job Marleybt!! Way to go! Glad you are doing so well!

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PAWS is the part of the process when the drug is completely out of your system and the physical symptoms have basically subsided but your brain is still healing and catching up to the rest of your body. You can expect random recurring symptoms but they usually only last one day here, one day there and they come on unexpectedly. You'll also experience lack of energy, cravings and depression because your brain is still learning to make its own endorphins but its not yet at the pre-opiate levels. I've heard it being compared to chronic depression. For me it lasts about 30 days after the physical symptoms subside. I've read other people saying it takes up to 90 days or more but I personally have never noticed it last that long. Like I said, PAWS is all mental. I have heard of people using L-tyrosine but never tried it myself. I took a B-complex vitamin for energy and fish oil to help rebuild the central nervous system (anxiety part of withdrawal). Other than that I stuck to fresh air, comfort food, and doing things I enjoy just to retain normalcy. Also the gabapentin for RLS but I only took that for a few weeks. I'm glad you both are doing well! 8 days is a MAJOR accomplishment! Really it should all be down hill very soon. Chicksoverit, if you are still feeling ok after 8 days, I'd cautiously think you may have dodged a bullet. Just keep to a routine, stay active and celebrate the small victories and it will be over before you know it!

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People getting off of Suboxone on their own need a little medicine cabinet with a few prescription drugs to help them through weeks 2-5. Catapres (clonidine), Klonopin, Ambien, Nuerotin, Lidocaine Lotion, Ammonium AD and lots of soap and water (two soapy showers a day). If you have access to a steam bath, it is very useful in getting the toxins out of the skin. This drug is the only opiate that stores in the fat. You have most likely read about the timing, use and purpose of these drugs. I am in day 130 and still have acute withdrawal symptoms. Sixty nine years old, over weight, on oxycontin for 5 years then Suboxone for 5 years. I am also taking colonics which are a great help because it is the only way to get the toxins out of the colon a 7 foot organ. Good nutrician and exercise is very important. Everyone has a different withdrawal. My Psychiatrist and Toxicologist told me to look at nine months to a year before I have normal days. Two years for the brain to produce the right chemicals. There are at least 10 different withdrawal symptoms that are not killers but are very uncomfortable. The benefits I have received out weigh the ugly withdrawals. YouTube has several reviews. Don't bother listening to anyone unless they have been off for three months or more. Some people think being on Suboxone is being clean. 99.9% pure synthetic opiates is clean? My problem with the drug is that it is improperly administered and prescribed. People are on it often way to long and in many cases should have stayed off of it originally. Opiate users are the target for this drug. I never used opiates and do not have any cravings for opiates. It gives them a feeling of normalcy but in reality anyone on Suboxone is in a fog and do not realize it.

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Pfan34, tommyc, & Marleybt..

Thanks for the info Pfan34. I used to work in recovery and those PAWS symptoms were referred to as residual withdrawal. Thanks for sharing your story Tommybc. It helps to hear what everyone else goes through- tremendously!

Day 10 today. Last night I didn't sleep well. Not so much the WS but emotional craziness. I lost my father a few weeks back and I was doing the "thinking too much " part of addiction and just couldn't stop the crying-and thinking. It was a nightmare when he passed because of his girlfriend so I guess it finally just hit me. Honestly I'm grateful I am grieving. Suboxone kept me numb to most outward feelings and reactions..

So day 10/aches, some leg pain, exhaustion. Still no RLS. My blood pressure has been high as I have had headaches, one migraine so far but that I can handle. I know I'm withdrawing though because that whole feeling of dread is ever-present and I really don't have any energy to get off the couch. Yesterday I went to a fair and out to dinner. Today I snoozed and watched tv. I know I need to get up and move tomorrow so that is my plan. My aunt (my father's sister) is getting married Aug 6th and I am a bridesmaid. I need to be able and step up and be an active participant in her wedding, and life, so I am hanging on. Keep posting MarleyBt and Pfan34, and you too Charley because it does help to talk to people who "get it".

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Chicksoverit
So sorry to hear the loss on your father! I can't imagine how hard that must be plus going through this. I'm praying you get through this! I didn't sleep at all last night and praying I can tonight for I go back to work on Wednesday! I still have the damn chills ugh! Wish they would go away. The sneezing doesn't bother me! Went for a mile walk today and I'm getting faster and faster! Trying to push natural endorphins ! L-tyrosine is helping me I think ! Thinking of everyone going through this! It only gets better everyday! Let's push through this people.

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Good luck to all of you who are breaking free of this awful addiction. I have been studying this mess I got myself into for a long time. I have found the younger patients have a harder time breaking free usually because they have to work to support their families. The older patients with slower metabolism and usually over weight from opiates take longer to get through withdrawals. Everyone is different as it relates to the withdrawals. There is no free pass to just walk through the park. Onset of withdrawals can be up to two weeks or as short as one day. I found most people revert back to subs before 30 days. Many for economic reasons and others who cannot handle the prolonged withdrawals. If you can stick with it and withdraw it is worth the discomfort. Nobody dies getting off of opiates. That is not saying they don't wish they did. This withdrawal is a lesson to stay clear of opiates even if you have to make all new friends. I was never a opiate or methadone user. I religiously followed my Dr's instructions for 10 years and see where it got me? Thank God for a supportive family.

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Hi TommyC

I just want to say I hear what you're saying but OxyContin IS a synthetic opiate. I also was in OxyContin/Percocet and legal opiates for about 6 years and put on suboxone to get off the opiate pain meds. My suboxone use was for 8 years.

It's important for people to realize that OxyContin is an evil drug which even the non-addict brain will become dependent. Doctors should try every outlet before putting someone on pain meds such as these. I never abused anything until I started taking Percocet and then made my way through the "legal" opiate market. I am still an addict regardless of my drug of choice. Suboxone is a great med to keep the addiction demons away- but only short term in my opinion. Eight years later here I am fighting the same demons. It just has to stop at some point. Tired of anything having a hold on me..

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Chicksoverit!! Are you doing ok!??? Are you still feeling no symptoms!! I'm still cold all the time and runny nose and low energy ! But I'm pushing through and the sleep is the worst! But oh well I'm on day 13 I believe! Exercise is helping me ! Hope ur ok !

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Marleybt I'm hanging in there. The sweats and RLS started to kick in now & totally having trouble getting sleep. Pushing myself to at least clean the house today. Pretty much slept the day away yesterday. Cannot believe it took this long for the onset of withdrawal symptoms. Glad to hear you're doing okay! Hopefully being back at work keeps your mind busy!! Keep up the good work!

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Good for you that you're finally getting off this crap. Unfortunately, there few tips that I can give you that will take the physical symptoms away. However, it's not as bad as you think. Stop psyching yourself out. They're bad (I won't lie), but it can be done. It's done everyday. What helped me was that I hoped for the best, but expected the absolute worst. I didn't expect to get sleep or feel normal, so that when I did, I was pleasantly surprised...and when I didnt, I wasn't disappointed.

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Finally done
You should have shared the tips for others who going through! I'm on day 14 and I'm just kinda moody and tired , but the worst is over! I made it this far ! Which my doctors office said people come crawling back after day 7

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Finally done let's hear those tips!!

Day 14 Marleybt! Me too, but I'm in a totally different spot than you. I think it's because you tapered down the week before I did and maybe the withdrawals started then for you? This must be what the mean by everybody is different..
I'm gonna be totally honest- the last 3 days have been pure hell. The restless legs is all day, pains and aches, headache, stomach issues, and then the mind games. No need to explain that to anyone who has detoxed. It sucks but I'm in it for the long haul. I'm sure my issues are intense because I did not taper down- jumped off at 8mg for 3 days after being on suboxone for 8 years. Please don't try this at home!! There are reasons I had to- my doctor who prescribed my subs is being investigated (all are) but they are going full force on him. He's wonderful but my state is crazy stupid about this drug. This is the 8th doctor I know of. But that's a different discussion. I just lost my dad- he passed away at hospice/ I was with him every minute EXCEPT the hours it took for me to go to my suboxone appt. he passed away 32 minutes before I came back. Take this as you may but if something can pull me from my father's side it has a hold on me more powerful than my own free will. It's now or never how horrible I may feel. I will not live my life addicted to any substance that has such power over my life.

So here I sit in hell- hoping these days get easier and I can feel somewhat like myself by Labor Day: I'm in my aunts wedding (my dads sister). It's important to me to stand up and be present- and clean to me. And for my father..

Keep up the great job Marleybt- you are doing fab!!! Your story may help others so keep up the updates! I know I've waited for them because they definitely help me keeping up the good fight.. :-)

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