Hi Luna,

 

Welcome to HoH!!!  Is this your first post?  If so, thanks so much for bringing this up.  I'm in a similar situation and nobody here has posted about making the switch from methadone to suboxone (or even detoxing off of methadone) in a couple of years.  (I think Michele was the last one?) I have been slowly weaning down on my methadone dose from 110mg and am now down to 20mg/day.  I did this with the intention to switch to buprenorphine/subutex/suboxone, but kind of chickened out and have stayed at 20 for about five months.  I just need to call a dr. and make an appointment, but I'm wondering if (1) making the switch will require time off of work, as I've heard the switch to suboxone can be kind of uncomfortable for up to a week or two; (2) how long will I have to stay on suboxone before detoxing off?; and (3) will the detox off of suboxone be any better than the methadone detox?  I've never kicked methadone before.  I've been on the clinic for about 4.5 years and have been totally clean of heroin/cocaine/benzos for over three years.  

 

I'm not sure if any of the really active posters here have confronted this situation, but are there any lurkers who could share their experiences? What is it like to detox off of suboxone maintenance? 

 

Lovingmom Karen, you were put on suboxone to get off of morphine, right?  (Hi BTW!  I'm going to email you really soon, k?)  How is your experience of it so far?   

 

Thanks!

 

Sophia

 

 

 

Wow, I guess we were replying at the same time, Annieeastie!  Sounds like you have had a great experience with suboxone.  Will you please tell me more about the actual switch?  Like how long did it take for you to adjust?  And like I asked in my other post, what about detoxing off of it?  Do you know anyone who has done that, or how it works? 

 

Sorry for all the questions - I'm just really curious about this because I've been wanting to do it for so long but want to know more about what I'm getting myself into! 

 

Thanks so much.....

Hey, I'm also really interested in the exact same questions that Sophia and Luna has asked.

I'm on 55 mlgs of methadone now and was thinking about switching to sub.

 

luv,sue

PS:  by the way, can a person actually feel the suboxene (spell?)?  I think  I read up there somewhere about if you are an addict you should be careful with scripts of suboxene... Does that mean a person can get high with it or what?

THANK YOU.

Hi luna, welcome to  HofH.

I was on 180 mgs of morphine a day for chronic pain until A couple months ago.

I had to go off  morphine cold turkey 48 hrs before i could go on the suboxen.

I was so sick i was in bed in the fetal position waiting for my husband to take me to my doctor appointment.

Within an hour of being given my first dose my withdrawl symtoms went away.

The reason why you have to go cold turkey off pain meds or down to 30mgs of methadone is because it adheres to the same receptors in the brain  as the methdone.

It took about a week to get on the right dose but I wasnt too sick at all.

I was able to do what i had to do and I wasnt sick like i was going off the morphine.

After a week my dose was at 20mgs,

Since then Im weaning down and im now down to 10mgs and still dropping really slowly.

The withdrawl from suboxen is much much easier then morphine or methadone.

If it wasnt for the dose i take everyday i wouldnt know i was on anything,

You dont get high, you dont feel different you just dont feel sick...

Good luck, I hope things go well for you.

Oh, one more thing, If you have hepititis or any problems with the liver suboxen isnt a good choice.

The women Sophia is talking about, Michelle did wonderful on Suboxen but it interfered with her HepC and it made it worse,

She had to go off the suboxen and back on the methadone which killed her emotionally, she felt like she was going backwards, . SHe didnt want to do that.

She went thru HepC treatment, is free of the virus now and doing well.

Also Suboxen is a wonderful med for pain, its a great pain killer, and it also helps with the  depression that you would feel for months after weaning off methadone...

For me it saved me so much agony...............

Love Karen

Hi Karen,

I was wondering....did Michelle go back on Suboxene after she became cured of the Hep C.?

 

luv,

sue

 

 

 

Hi Karen,

I was just wondering about that because I have Hep C and I wanted to get on Suboxene in the future, but I dont think I can because of my liver.

Hey, I'd love to meet with you guys!  Let me know if Michelle comes to visit, the day and all that and I could meet with you two somewhere. 

Michael (baby) is growing!  I haven't seen him in a week and I'm having baby withdrawals.  I want to see him so bad, but my husband is back at work and I have NO CAR.  I hate not having a car.  Almost as bad as having no phone.  Robin will just have to pack up all his baby stuff and come to my house.  She said she doesn't like to bring him here because my apartment stinks like ciggerette smoke.............WELL!  Can you beleive that!?  I may just kiddnappe that baby yet.

 

luv,sue