How Long After You Stop Suboxone Do You Have Withdrawal Symptoms? (Page 5)

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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I thought the subs had done permanent damage to me also, because of how long the PAWS/Withdraw lasted. But I feel now, that there is no permanent damage, although I cannot say for 100%.. I feel great.. and once you get to where I am, I am believing that you will feel as good as I do. Its just hell to get thru, and it feels like it will never end, but trust me, it does. I thought there was no end in sight, then one day, I was back to normal. And strangely, the PAWS has not returned...which is amazing in itself. Just keep plugging along.. you will get there

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Yes u okay with em lightly super light for two weeks and it's all over again not as severe as my cold turkey after years but long lasting s***s sneezing any sleep feel like s*** depression bad sucked man I am now feeling like my old me and it took forever since last June to now I an just now sleep and wake up easy depression gone energy coming back and man did I want to do every other bad drug all last year I would take anything which wasn't me looking back the withdrawal is way more crazy than I saw going thru it. Subs are like satan man if u would of known I would of just stopped the oxys and taken it like a man , I was just to sacred and subs being called treatment made my family happy and wife ect but it trading one for a way liner lasting withdrawal do not let your doctors keep u on it insist u taper and just deal with lighting feeling and I took it down to a razor 1/16 inch cut into 3 on a 2 mil film. And if I are one of those now it pull lay two days that's go strong it is after u r off I bet most people would in the beginning take less , if u eat too much when u r not used to te dose u will like violently just if I could go back on not take subs u will loose your job For sure give your self 0 days of hard code suck have cannabis walk hike music food I wish I had sleeping pills but no I made it so maybe not but man the hardest thing ever man and I am not new

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Mike, that is one thing I forgot to mention. I sneezed like 20-35 times per day after I quit suboxone, and this went on for over 40 days. Now im 90 days clean tomorrow, and Im sneezing about 3-4 times a week.. not too bad.. Ive never had allergies, and I dont have them now. And also, the yawning... My goodness, between the sneezing and the yawning, I didnt know if I was coming or going. It was a crazy time from Nov 15th thru Jan 10th or so.. was just insanity, and I never will go thru that again. One thing Ive noticed, and read from a doctor's written report.... is music, and hiking... for the 8 years I was on suboxone, I was numb.. I listened to 0 music, only talk radio. I didnt do anything but work, and sit on the computer. Now, the music has been non stop for the past 40 days or so. What is happening, is your/mine, brain is struggling to create more Endorphines, because of the loss of them during suboxone. Naturally re-creating more endorphines is what is taking place. Because the re-creation of your neurotransmitters do no good whatsoever, if you do not have enough Endorphines. So you start craving music, listening to music re-creates those much needed Endorphines in your brain, to keep up with the re-production of the neurotransmitters. Also, inhaling Vanilla Extract will help produce more Endorphines. This paper that this doctor did, his thesis, or whatever its called, he emailed it to me, before he was going to publish it. Its from a doctor from Florida. It was a gigantic help to getting me thru those first 35-40 days... But you will see what I mean about the music.. And here is the address for the ways to naturally re-create/produce those much lost Endorphins. rd.com/slideshows/8-ways-to-naturally-increase-endorphins

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I really want to accurately tell how it was for me to come off of Suboxone/ subutex. I've done it TWICE, first time in 2008, second time in dec 2013 into feb 2014... It's hellish, there just is NO nice way to put it. The first time, I started at 24 mg/day; in June, 2007. I was actually paid by UALR to take part in their Suboxone study; it was a pain in the ass to get into, and by the time I did I had already detoxed frm h, dilaudid, oxy. In fact, I went ab three weeks, finishing the acute op wd's by ab 10 days. It's not like they take you just bc ur very sick w wd's; they first hv to take ur blood, diagnose for disease, and UA to see what else cld be in ur system; bc I had Rx'd benzos in my system, benzos I'd been rx'd for a few years, and made me wait "till my benzo levels drop" well, one of the psychiatrists there was such a ****er, he condescendingly remarked "what doctor wld put you on Klonopin, let alone any benzo? I'd NEVR RX U a benzo" Well, I wanted to say the truth, that I was switched to Klonopin in one of the best rehabs in the world, in the diagnoses based on several amazing psychiatrists, not some doctor who cldnt even get hired at the rehab I attended. However, I just went along w his crap, saying, ok, yea, yea, whatever. I did that to speed up the process to get on bup. By the time I was initially dosed, I didn't need it at all. My body had already gotten thru the worst wd's; in fact, I prob had close to no op tolerance, bc the first day, when it finally hit, I went frm feeling buzzed to absolute smashed. I cldnt even walk, my husband had to hold me up, I felt higher that any dilaudid or h I'd evr done, & unfortunately I have too much experience being blasted on both. I cldnt believe how wasted I was. In 2007, I was unaware that bup wd was so brutal, I thought it was a much better solution to methadone, which I was well aware, is a hellish NIGHTMARE. As for being on Klonopin, I stayed on it, bc at the time, the benzo showing up was Valium, also rx'd to my by my doc who knew I was going thru wd's. I was on Valium for a short time, but it's half life is one if not the longest, for benzos. So I stayed on Klonopin the entire time, the UAs then did not show Klonopin, due to its chem structure, a benzodiazepin. It didn't cause me to be more messed up, I truly had good reason to be on Klonopin. Anyways, by April 2008, I wanted off, and I had no notion of any signif. wd symptoms; my psyche didn't prepare me for anything. Well, that might seem like a good thing, but it didn't matter, bc by day 7 I was squirming out of my skin and mind, screaming into pillows w agony. I went to the ER twice, and due to a four wheeling injury, I was able to lead the doctor to bel. that my misery was frm the leg injury, which was really bad too& clearly visible. Two diff Rx's of lortab 5s helped TREMENDOUSLY; I also got a small amt of methadone to deal w the unbearable. By late June 08, I act. felt ok, mostly better. So, it took a good 8-9 weeks to feel ok after stopping bup; I was 25, and I turned 26 ab 8 weeks after stopping, by 10 weeks I was able to fully function. I went on to stay clean till early 09, then got strung out on h for 9 mos after a painful surgery. I was so surrounded by it, and I cld not take living like that, so I thoughtlessly though " f it, I'll just get on methadone" bad idea. The clinic I was at started off w the philosophy of staying on methadone for a short enough time so ppl CAN get off of it, not bec.lifers. Well, the $ was just too good for them, it bec a living nightmare, w a philosophy of "keep the dose as high as poss. so. no one will ever get off of it" all decent nurses and counselors left, many due to the policy change of insuring to make lifers. So anyone w a conscious left. I wasted almost four yrs of my life on methadone, miserable; tapering was hell, no one there wld guide me on tapering properly, so I did it myself, tapering frm 95mg down to 30mg, and it was horrible. I knew how brutal md wd was& I didn't know how to handle what wld most likely last six mos. I gained over 65 lbs on methadone, I just wanted to die. It's my own fault for not considering I'd gain such excessive weight, bc I'd been told, but id been thin my whole life, I guess I didn't want to think that side effect wld hit me so hard. I knew I HAD to get off methadone, for I didn't care ab anything on it, and that bothered me, as well as seeing my weight skyrocket, as a young woman, I refused to accept being like that. So, by 2013, I was in md wd's& couldn't deal w it, so I chose to see a bup doc, who put me on subutex in aug 2013. I only wanted to be on it to deal w the worst of md wd; and it did help me avoid the dreaded md wd's; I stayed on it for ab six mos, taking bet 16 mg/day for ab 4 weeks, then beg.to taper, down to 2 mg/day. I figured, hey, this will really suck, but I'd rather deal w 2 mos bup wd over a poss 6 month md wd. Once on subutex, I lost 30 lbs of water weight & fat. I still had 30 lbs left to go. After six mos on subutex, I jumped off at 2 mg ar jan 20. My bup doc has zero interest in helping me get off subutex properly, it was a mirror image of the greedy attitude of the clinic, all u had to do was exchange methadone for subutex, and that REALLY pissed me off. So, again, I had to wade thru bup wd on my own, this time knowing how terrible it wld be. So my reg doc rx'd me clonidine, phenergan, Valium( I went back to Valium after almost 8 yrs of Klonopin, and it works so well w my anxiety) and restoril for sleep. She knew how much suffering I dealt w on md, and took clonidine, Valium, phenergan& restoril as I quickly tapered. Once I jumped off subutex, the misery slowly progressed to a level of extreme physical & mental hell, it practically unraveled me. I was lucky my regular doctor upped my clonidine, phenergan& Valium to deal w the next 8 weeks of hell. Still, I did not sleep for two weeks, I cld not walk for almost two weeks, I could not eat ANYthing for three weeks, it was so bad I collapsed on the bathroom floor, delirious. I lost 20 lbs in those first 3 weeks. This time, however, I did not take ANY short acting ops, or ANY ops, to deal w the living hell of subutex wd. I'm just SO SICK of this s***, I said, fk it, I'll do this wo any temp op relief, in part bc I was beyond sick of dealing w ppl strung out,& in part bc I felt I'd suffered enough,& wanted off not just the md, but the subutex too. They both made me MISERABLE. I'm 2 days out of hitting the 5 week mark post subutex,& I'm still dealing w the cold chills, excessive sneezing,& insomnia; when I do sleep, I suffer vivid disturbing nitemares& even night terrors, where I jolt up screaming out of sleep. It's hell. I get by thru slowing starting to exercise, move around, even though it's very painful; it's how to begin the process of new receptors forming that respond to the body's natural endogens again. I occasionally think ab how stupid I feel that I even considered bup again for any reason, ESP after my first terrible go 'round. Then I think of the bigger nightmare of md, and there was no way in hell I was staying on that rotten s***. So in my head, I felt I was choosing the lesser of the two evils. I do not recommend subutex, it makes h wd's seem like a cold, over in 5-10 days max. However, md wd is worse, at least in my own personal experience. There are ppl who haven't or won't have the same experiences I had w each of these lousy drugs. They are made for lifers& if u don't want to be one, I do not recommend either md or subutex. I lost a little over four yrs of my life on these s***ty meds,& it makes me angry, at negligent doctors, and my own stupidity for my lousy decisions. Does subutex work for some ppl? Yes, it does; and that's fine, if you're on subutex treatment, and it's helped improve your life, to where drug seeking behavior ceases, and improves your life, then I see no problem, if that's what works. It just didn't work for me, and to get off the monster of methadone, I chose to be on subutex, knowing I'd be in for hell. I was on md long enough to see what a failure it was w the majority of clinic goers, including myself. Plus, I refused to accept being overweight at my age, I wld not give up my health & being in shape for md, which was never helpful to me. It's up to each person on which route they choose to take. For me, subutex was horrific, & had I not been facing the even worse md wd, I wld have never taken it again. Just as in 2008, the subutex wd's I've recently been thru have been so fkn awful. I knew it wld be bad the second time around, but after 8 weeks, u will feel much better; some ppl find it takes less time, some more. I have my first experience frm 08 to go on, making this final time seem like I can see the light at the end of this brutal tunnel. Think VERY carefully before you embark on subutex treatment. It's not for everyone.

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azumpire, I have read your entire blog with great interest and admiration for your struggle and perseverance. I have a son in law who is returning from an 18 day stint in a local rehab center, but only now (day 13) is he really getting extremely sick with the aftereffects of this terrible drug. I am not sure what they are doing for him; and what he is doing, himself, to help himself out of this misery. I certainly plan to share this blog with him, as I think he will gain much from your notes and directions. What I am looking for is this: He has to leave and go back to work - as a miner, and the problem is the people who got him started on Suboxone were old miners prescribed this for "pain" - when he gets home next Wednesday. Is this a good or a bad thing- going back to work on day 18 of withdrawal?? What can my daughter do to help him most ( She is his wife and is currently pregnant with their second child. They also have a one year old) What can I do to help the whole family, including him? Should he attend NA or AA meetings , and how often? Do they help? Is there a listing of therapists that specialize in this type of addiction- post in patient treatment- so we can find someone to help with his personal problems/withdrawals and depression issues- and the family's potential well being? Thanks- and God bless you for your insight and willingness to share.

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To whom it may concern,I was taking 2 8 milligram strips of suboxone once a day for a 10 day period and quit cold turkey and went into withdrawl 7 days later. Hope this helps. Lg

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Well folks, today is day 36 and I have felt so much better over the last 6-7 days. It was been a tough ride and I am glad it is just about over. I appreciate all the great info on this thread. It helped a lot. Also, if you are going through suboxone WD it is difficult but stay mentally tough and fight through it. Gatorade helps ALOT! Also, get proper nutrients makes a big difference to. Wish you all the best of luck with your recovery.

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I was on it for almost 2 years and it's day 10 and I feel the same way ,are you being treated by a dr?

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No, I was not under any doctors care. I was on 8 mg for about 7-8 months and quit cold turkey. This was the second time around on Suboxone. The first time I was on 8 mg of Suboxone for a little over a year. The first time I weaned down to 1 mg then jumped off. The withdrawal still sucked but was not as bad as this second time around. It took until about day 28-29 before I started feeling better. Even after 37 days I still have anxiety and some issues sleeping. I do feel so much better though then I did 2-3 weeks ago. The first 21 days were the most intense for me. Just hang in there and drink gatorade and a lot of water. It helps flush out some of those toxins in your body. Stay away from caffeine it will make your anxiety worse and cause more sleeping issues. Take a multivitamin daily, and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. You will still hurt but doing these things early will help knock off a couple days of withdrawals. Exercise really helps also. Read this whole thread because the advice and help given is amazing. Thanks again to all of the people on here for the great information. This is a great thread.

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feelslikehell, around day 36 was when I started to feel almost 100% normal again. This after 8 years on suboxone. Everybody is different, depending on the vitamins and aminos,and the exercise they do. I think I had told everyone that the insomnia was the worst...probably cause of the many years I was on it. I am however extremely glad that the PAWS was short lived after being told it could possibly last a year or more. Glad to see you have made it 36 days.. keep going ,as it will only get better for you.

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Wow Reading all this I have a couple more weeks to feel close to normal I have been off suboxzone after taking it for 9 years When I would ask to taper down This Pain Clinic would always give me good Excuse why I shouldn't My mind started feeling real fuzzy and my memory was being effected So I stopped Cold Turkey They told me to go to meeting's ! That's there help after being such a good customer I originally was addicted to 20 Vicodin A day Suboxzone Should not be taken for this long I have been off for 21 days And it is the sickest I have been my whole life If you are going to get off this Medicine I suggest You go to A Good MD Doctor that cares about their patients Not Pain Clinics That do not It is just a big money thing! Anyone have suggestions of how to get back to Normal ?

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Dont post a bulls*** comment like that claiming to know the truth about suboxone then tell him/her that f***ing methadone is the solution when the methadone w/d's are 10x worse...

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I know this is going to sound crazy, but marijuana, and preferably potent, seedless, tasty, sticky, resinous marijuana, is probably THE best thing for withdrawal whether it be from Suboxone, or anything. Trust me. it got me through over 45 days of withdrawal from subs last year at this same time. now a year, later im back to day one clean from subs.

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stop the subutex now. It is way worse to withdrawal.from.and your only.going to get deeper into it.

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Hello, I have been reading this. I have been taking suboxone/subtext for a yr now. 1-2 8mg. A day. For the last 5mo. I have been on 2 8mg a day. I quit cold this is my 5th day. I feel a little anxiety and cold chills night sweats depressed but for the most part tolerable. My question is: Are the WD going to get worse? Is it just built up in my body and slowly running out of its reserve? I have noticed the less I think about it the less severe they are. I also do not know what PAWS stands for can someone please help to answer these questions?

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I have been on 8mg strip for about a year and have decided to get the heck off this stuff after going through a painful injury and not being able to get relief during a two week period. I'm glad this happened because I'm finally getting off after almost 12 months on this stuff. I stopped for about 5-6 days with no withdraws and then they started about day 6-7. I went from 8mg to occasionally 12mg a day down to 2-4 in about 2 weeks but that first week I didn't need anything as I had so much built up in my system. I'm going to follow the plan listed on a previous site, here.

subutex-suboxone-taper-method.blogspot.com

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PAWS stands for post accute withdraw symptoms. They are worse than the withdraws themselves, at least for me they were, and they can last anywhere from a month to a year. Mine lasted about 40 days, and I was on suboxone for 6 years, 6mg per day. The good thing with you, as you have only been on sub for 5 months.. You should not have it too bad hopefully. Also, Increase your intake of raw fruits and vegetables…you get little or nothing from canned foods…fresh fruits and veges are loaded with fiber which help bind and remove toxins from your body…they also normalize gut function. For 3 weeks you must remove all red meats from your diet. Red meat has chemical components that increase inflammation and pain. Fish, chicken, eggs are good sources of protein. If you are having a hard time taking in solid foods go to a health food store and buy protein powders that can be made into smoothies or drinks. You absolutely must have increased protein intake…proteins are the building blocks for all enzymes, neurotransmitters, and enzyme receptors in the body. No chemical works in the body without receptors. Valarian Root 450 mg will remove anxiety, and definitely help you sleep at night. Then, finally, you need to pick up some L-Tryptophan. This will help a bunch with your depression. Sorry to write a book here, but I feel that what I went thru, is pretty close to the worst of the worst, and any help I can give, I will....

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Today is the 71st day I have been off suboxone and I feel so much better. There is an end to this terrible drug if you stay strong and fight like hell through the sickness. I feel normal again and trust me it's well worth it. Keep fighting and things will get better. Usually, around day 30 you will start feeling a difference. It took till day 37 before I really started feeling normal again. By day 60 I felt great and each day gets better and better.

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Thank you all for responding. It is day 6 and Iam slowly sstarting to feel worse. I thought this might happen. I am trying very hard to stay strong and stay busy..you see I have a husband who does not and cannot understand what I am going through. Of course he did not know tell he found my pills. I tried explaining I'm tampering off and he said me or them. I cannot blame him really after all the lies. But he feels I should be able to just get around like normal. I feel like I'm fighting for my life, my marriage, my family and most of all my sanity! Again THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLY!! I will do as you recommend.

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Hi desperate for answers,
You stopped at a very high dose. You must be starting to feel terrible. I feel so sorry for you. Not having someone who understands what your going thru is rough.
You and husband really should go and talk to a dr. who understands and treats addiction.
Have you been seeing a sub dr. or just getting them from whoever?
If you been seeing a dr. you and your husband should go talk to him and do a proper taper.
If you aren,t seeing a dr. maybe it,s time you do.
Keep your husband 100% involved in your recovery.
If seeing a dr, is not possible and you have subs left you could allways take no more than 2mg and taper SLOWLY from there.
Allthough other people have jumped from 16mg/day I sure would not want to.
Let us know how your doing.

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