Need Some Advice About Quitting Suboxone!!

Hi! This is my first time writing about my experience on Subs. Let's see....it has been about 4 years I have been taking them. I was taking 80mg or more a day of oxycontin. I was wearing a size 0 in clothing, wasted every dollar I could get my hands on to go buy more (and where I live they were $70-80 per pill). And even worse, me and my husband were both on them so that doubles the money we were spending on them. After 2 years and nearly ruining our lives, we started the local Methadone clinic and things seemed to be getting better. We done that for a year when I had finally had enough of dozing off, falling asleep and gaining weight that I told my husband I was quitting cold turkey. I was getting my doses by the week at 80 mgs a day so we split it up so we both could do it and slowly lower the amount we were taking every day. When we had finally ran out, I had no idea what withdrawals were going to be like, OC's were bad but Methadone was the WORST!! I thought i was going to die!!! I was so sick and couldn't move, eat or sleep. But the mental part was the worst! I was so depressed suicide was filling my mind with every passing day. That is where Sub's came into our lives and changed it forever. For the first time we were not feeling like a couple of junkies. We took our sub and were cutting a quarter piece in half and splitting that between us and that was enough to last us all day. But after I graduated college and was in between jobs, I was sitting at home bored and started doing more sub through the day. When I started feeling a little low I would do a tiny bit more just to pick me up. The cravings for the oc's were there and I still had my moments of wanting to go buy one but I noticed the more sub I took the better I felt and that I didn't even think about the oc's. At that time, no dr's in our area wrote sub's. We would have had to drive to Memphis, TN which is like 3 hours from where we live. So we were buying them off the street. But they were such a life saver and seemed to make our lives 100 times better! It was like a dream come true! But the only problem was finding a steady supply of them so I heard a place in my town would write you a prescription if you went into talk to the counselor and then he would refer you to the Dr on staff there. So I went in and talked to him 3 times about my problems with addiction and was totally honest with him about everything and the next time I came in he said he spoke with the Dr and decided Sub's were not a good option for me that I needed to go to Rehab right then and there and had already called the closest one and told them to prepare for my arrival. I was freaking out!!! I tried to explain to him that I didn't need to go to rehab, I had been off the oc's for over 2 years with the help of Sub's. So I left and never went back.

So for the past 4 years, me and my husband have tried every possible thing to stop taking subs. We just think it is time. We live a comfortable life, he has a great job but it is like we have a dark cloud hanging over our heads by needing Subs to get through the day. When we can't get any we feel like crap and no one in our family knows we are still taking them. THe truth is, we have tried cold turkey and we are too terrified to try it again. The longest we went on cold turkey was 3 days and we were both stuck in the bed like a couple of bed ridden elderly people with rls and diahrrea. As soon as a friend called and had got some we were driving to her house like a junkie. And that's the problem I don't want to feel like a junkie but when we run out, that's what it feels like! I HATE feeling bad and I HATE needing a pill to feel normal every day. I want to wake up in the morning feeling good on my own!

So this is where things get complicated. So me and my husband will take a whole 8mg tablet of the generic orange sub and he will do about a quarter of it and I will do less than a quarter in the morning. Then in the after noon we will do half a quarter each. Then right before bed do another half of quarter. So what is that like... 4 mgs each a day? So my question is ... what would be the best way to taper from that? We really want to try to have another baby soon and I do NOT want to be taking subs while pregnant. I want to be completely off and free of anything before I will permit us to try to have a baby. So I need something that will work for us both to quit. I know it is goin to be hard and it is going to take some time. And we are very supportive of each other so I know we can help each other through it. I just need to know exactly like if someone knows how we can work out a tapering schedule that will work for us. If anyone can help me out! I think subs are wonderul and they have done amazing things for me and my husband but I know its time. We don't have the temptation of doing oc's because they stopped making them and we don't like any other kind of drug so it's time. We are adults and I want my life back. I want to move forward and not be afraid of not having subs to live a normal productive life. I have read some of these forums and know there are some great people on here who can help me. I just need a plan that will work for me. I think because we don't do a whole 8mg a day if a positive but I think the fact that we have had sub in our body almost every day for 4 years is where it is going to hurt us. So please anyone with comments who can help please let me know any tips that could work. I am willing to try anything new I hear to make this work and get off of them completely. Thank you!!!

REPLY

REPORT

1 Reply

@barelybreathing,

I just finished reading your story and I realize things may seem like a roller coaster with trying to live an otherwise comfortable lifestyle as you begin to lessen your dosage overtime; but even though you've been on subs for 4 years I believe the right tapering schedule could definitely minimize whatever symptoms you might encounter along the way. There are a lot of individuals on here who have personal experience doing this as well and can offer feedback on their approach. However it seems to be just a matter of finding a good doctor out there who will provide you only with the amount you need in order to follow whatever tapering schedule/method they've come up with. Understanding that you want to be off the med completely, but in a slower manner in order to not withdrawal, should tell the doctor that you are serious about your goal and maybe that will give them extra incentive to want to be of help.

Have you tried consulting with any other doctors regarding this situation?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I am trying to be supportive of someone who is addicted to pills (oxy, perc, vic-anything opiate). I thought I had an ad...

14 REPLIES

My doctor change my script from oxycodone acetaminophen 5-325mg to oxycodone acetaminophen 7.5 I'm allowed to start ...

2 REPLIES

I have been taking Suboxone for 8 months. gone off a few times, bad decision. was off suboxone recently for a week takin...

1 REPLY

Here's my story. I started years ago occasionally using roxi 30's on every few weekends a month. Not a habit or ...

2 REPLIES

Hello, I am new to this, but my this is what happened, I really need some feedback so anything would be appreciated. I h...

16 REPLIES

I am on day 8 of suboxone withdrawal. Last night I finally got some sleep after several Nyquil and a lyrical. I took 8 d...

2 REPLIES

I have been prescribed Vicodin for the last 7 years by the same Dr for a back injury that occurred when I was struck by ...

9 REPLIES

hi! i am needing some advice on a couple of things. i was o an extreme amount of pain pills for about 8-9 yrs then back ...

43 REPLIES

my wife has been taking high MGs pain killers! her last dose was 2 am she ran out and took a suboxone and says it didnt ...

8 REPLIES

On day 6 and feel alone. Anyone want to talk. How much longer before I can get up and have some energy? ## Hi DeeDee, I ...

2 REPLIES