Length Of Insomnia After Stopping Suboxone? (Top voted first)

I'm on day 19 of suboxen withdrawal. Only problems I have is sever insomnia. Have not slept other than 1 hour every other night for 1 week. I tapered off very small dose slowly (.125 or.06). The pieces were so small I had to grab with little tweezers. When will I start sleeping? Also when will restless legs at night stop?

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I took saboxyn for two years and the whole time the clinic lied to me they said it was getting me off opiates but the fact is that it is a opiate I'm thinking of during them fact is that they make you think they are helping you while really they are getting you addicted to there drug I stead of another that your insurance pays for I'm proud of you for trying to stop taking it but I'm sorry to say you may have to go to a rehab because you will stay in withdrawal for a long time even month I had same problem I didn't sleep for months good luck and god bless

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Hi everyone, thought I would update on my story. It took 6 weeks to detox and I still take med for restless legs. Life is normal and happy. I have no long term depression and stopped taking sleeping pill each night at around week 12. The worst thing for me was insomnia. I literally started losing my mind. Another odd symptom during week 2-6 was sensation of skin warmth and irritation. I think that was from not sleeping. I literally went I think 10 days with no sleep. Please remember to get anxiety and sleep meds. I tried to do it cold turkey and I really believe it made things worse. Again insomnia was what got me. I never had nausea, well maybe a little at beginning. No pain, thank goodness. Hope this gives insight to what expect. God bless.

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PAWS could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months- even longer, unfortunately. Everyone handles them differently.The acute phase generally lasts a couple weeks.

You could ask your doctor for some "comfort meds", ie Clonodine ( an inexpensive blood pressure med that helps with anxiety and RLS), a Benzo like Klonopin or Valium, something for sleep (u can also try OTC sleeping meds or supplements), Immodium, and plenty of Ibuprofen for aches and pains.

It's difficult to say how long your PAWS will last. You definitely need sleep though. I wouldn't hesitate to call my doctor and discuss it though.

Something else to consider? Maybe you're not ready to stop the Suboxone- your body could be telling you something. Alot of it is mental as well. You have have to be ready to quit and be determined. If you're having difficulties, it could be too soon for you.

My immediate recommdation? Talk to your doctor. Make a phone call. Get in touch with him/her asap.

I wish you all the best- I know the hell you're going through right now!

Regards,

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What dose of Suboxone did u begin with, how long were u on it, and how quickly was your taper? Again, insomnia is one of THE most common - and aggravating- symptoms of coming off Sub. The length of time is different for everyone, and it's useless to apply a hopeful date when you'll start sleeping normally again. It may initially start in small chunks, then grow into 3-4 hr blocks, then more so from that point on.

If the sleeping pill your doctor gave u isn't helping, call again. If he won't cooperate, call your primary care doctor and explain the situation. I still think you need Clonodine, the blood pressure medication- it's so commonly prescribed for Sub withdrawals. Also, Temazepam- a Benzo taken at night, helps quite a bit. Melatonin supplements, Valerian Root supplements, a daily multivitamin, Unisom, and there are also the Ambiens and Lunestas.

Again, I, highly recommend you Google the "Thomas Recipe." There are alot of helpful tips in there, trust me. You do have to do some work yourself.

Potassium supplements and bananas help the RLS. But I'm glad to hear that's getting better.

Take some ownership of your symptoms and make some calls. And even though you're likely going to hate this suggestion, it works miracles. Exercise!!! From a simple walk to aerobic work- it works wonders! A bike ride even. It allows the natural "feel good" chemicals in your brain (endorphins) to start firing again and make u feel better. Plus the physical exercise can always help you sleep better. I'm not making this up- it's from personal experience and lots of research!

The worst thing to do is lay around and watch the hours pass. I know it feels impossible, but be as active as possible.

I hate to even suggest this, but I've read that many people will use a little Marijuana and that it helps alot. I'm not necessarily an advocate of this, but sometimes you have to pull out all the stops.

I'm trying real hard to help you through this, so please feel free to message any time. I've been there, so I'm very sympathetic.

Hope you get better a little each day!

Regards!

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Gkedz, thanks for trying to help a few months ago. I read your post and see that I never responded. Life got worse after that. The insomnia was hell. My best advice for others is buckle up for the ride because there is no short cut for detox. Praise God for carrying me out of the addiction. I read the bible now with a clear mind. God bless.

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Day 33, still no real sleep; delirium. Swimming and walking are the easiest way to exercise during this time. Get some sun, read some books to occupy the mind if not otherwise employed. Meditate, if you can bear it, on the veil that's being lifted from our faces now, the fog from our thoughts clearing like a cemetery at dawn.

I'm so tired, coffee #3, forgive me...

Not only is this the perfect time to reprogram our brains, it's the only way we may ever know of doing so considering our obvious proclivities for lushness. Simply keep fighting the ugly bastard and try not to stumble into oncoming traffic and almost get hit by a big biker who yells MOVE like a zombie bear because you thought drinking alcohol was a clever response to this debilitating catabasis, and so walked your slow, sleepy ass to the bar 2.5 miles away at 11am with only 10 dollars leading to 2 watery beverages and a high noon walk home in the florida summer sun,
and got dizzy staring down the barrels of 3 red traffic lights.

Get rid of the detox skittles and ice cream as well. Eat "healthy" things. That sugar's only going to our bums right now and sugar is even tougher on the liver than alcohol which slowwwwws uuus dowwwwn. When I eat the sugar, I stay awake, so I stay awake and eat the sugar, a snake devouring it's own tail, the original issue sized down to a manageable wedding ring which you can take on the road and even show off to your friends in the correct light.

Water! All of it's lovely forms. Hot to ease our muscles, cold to slap us in the face, oceans, pools, showers, rivers, lakes. Water is the healing element. Be it because this is.

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Hey..i was on 8 mg of subs for 2 yrs...im on day 7.... I feel beter than day 4 or 5.. My stomch is still a lil upset but not as bad...not sleeping is rough and the sh ts sucks...day 7 ..working on day 8... I know beter times r comming....i wish sonner...i cant wait to sleep solid even for 2 hr...i work constrution...forced myself to work day 4 .5.and 6....im glad i did.....dont give up...hang tough..we can do this

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Hey.. Still going OK.. On day 22..stomach is better.. More energy.. Still can't sleep good.. About 4hr a night.. Stick with it people.. I promise it gets beter... Force yourself to move.... Go outside for a walk... I was so miserable the first 2 weeks... Now I feel and see a big difference.... Just 2days ago I turned the corner...

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Should I ask my Dr to prescribe a sleeping pill?

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Please does anyone know how long my insomnia will last from sub detox. I never took more than 1mg for 1 year then down to .5 twice a day for another year then I tappered down to aprox.06 over a month. Have been off suboxone for 3 weeks and haven't slept for 7 days except maybe an hour every other night

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Day24....Hard to tell but I might be turning the corner. Hard to tell. Restless legs are 75%better, insomnia still tuff.Only got 3.5 hrs of sleep last night and that was with sleeping med. At least I got some sleep and did a few exercises today.

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DEEDEE, I ALSO TOOK SMALL DOSAGES OF SUBOXONE FOR ABOUT TEN MONTHS AND TAPERED DOWN MYSELF TO ZERO. I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE BAD WITHDRAWALS BUT AM EXPERIENCING INSOMNIA AND RESTLESS FOOT, MEANING MY FOOT JUST MOVES ALL NIGHT WITH A TINGLING SENSATION. I'M NOT SURE BUT I KNOW I'M COMING UP ON A MONTH NOW... ITS GETTING EASIER AND EXERCISE HELPS.. LOTS OF FLUID, WATER PREFERRED....

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Yes, IMO that's your best course of action. Insomnia is a very common side effect of PAWS (post acute withdrawal symptoms) after stopping Suboxone, regardless of the amount you were taking.

Some use OTC meds like Unison and the like, others use supplements like Melatonin and Valerian Root.

But in my experience, most Sub doctors are sympathetic to the after - effects of coming off Sub. Since Sub has a half life of nearly 72 hours, it takes a very long time for your MU receptors to be clear of the medication. Plus, there's the "stacking effect". Each day you take Sub there's still some in your system from the previous days, so you end up building it up in your system. Essentially, this is why it takes quite a while to be free and clear of these symptoms.

I would highly recommend you getting in touch with your doctor, explain to him/her how you're feeling, and ask for some "comfort meds." You may not even need to ask- the doctor may just start writing some scripts for you. Clonodine (a non-addictive blood pressure med) is extremely helpful and a very popular medicine that doctors prescribe to help ease these symptoms. A Benzo (careful, can be habit-forming) like Valium, Klonopin, or Temazepam is often prescribed as well. There's also Ambien or Lunesta (I don't like these much but they do work).

Point is, instead of suffering unnecessarily, call your doctor and ask for help. It's better than simply suffering and not trying to do anything about it.

One more recommendation. Google "The Thomas Recipe". It's a recipe for dealing with coming off Suboxone that has helped many, many people. Look into it, I highly recommend it.

There's absolutely no shame in asking for help for what you're going through. You're not going to get in trouble.

Best of luck and keep us updated! My prayers go out to you.

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My doctor gave me a sleeping pill, unfortunately I only slept about 2.5 hours. I think I'm on day 23. I'm shocked because I took so little compared to most people. I must be really receptive to subs. I will let you know if I sleep, trying to nap

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Lulu do you have any thoughts about how much longer my insomnia will last? I think I'm on day 23. I'm shocked this is happening because I was on a tiny dose. Please tell me that it would be unlikely to last past 30 days. Even my RLS is a lot better.

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Well I am on day 4 and it seems to me my withdrawals are getting worse. I can't sleep, eat, considerate. I am so miserable.

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ask your doctor to prescribe Clonidine, its a blood pressure medication that is used for opiate withdrawal and is a sleep aid as well

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This is my second time I've gone off suboxone. Don't ask me why I tried it again after a horrid w/d but I did stupidly. I'm on day 22. I was fooled becuz I just stopped cold turkey. I was on about a quarter. The first week I felt depression and crying but I could sleep. I now have hideous insomnia. Last time it lasted 5 MO but I had been on it for 2 yrs, this time only six mo. I'm hoping it'll take less time then that before I can sleep. As far as I'm concerned the stuff is poison. They say the w/d is worse than opiates. Never again.

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To sheia Parker: What are you saying? Example: "...I'm thinking of during them fact...?" What does that mean? Also, there isn't a single bit of punctuation in your entire post so it's impossible to tell where your sentences begin and end. You didn't even correctly spell the name of the medication which you say you took for two years which makes it difficult to take you seriously as someone knowledgeable about this subject.

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Hello, DeeDee! How are you doing? I'm sorry about the problem that you're having.

It may take another week or two, before things start to return to normal. When you come off of a such a potent medication, you tend to have both withdrawals and rebound effects, so things can be pretty bad for awhile.

The FDA lists this medication as being a narcotic analgesic that is most commonly used to treat drug addiction, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.

Asking your doctor to prescribe something to help you sleep is an option, they may also have ideas for other things that could help.

Are there any other questions or concerns?

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