Down to .25 mgs daily; more progress!

[Sitar]

Yes, you read it correctly; a QUARTER of a milligram per day! I'm absolutely thrilled with my progress of tapering off the Bupe.

Because the doses are getting so tiny, and splitting up pills is becoming a huge hassle and doesn't seem consistent, I'm switching to a liquid sublingual preparation. I can dissolve a pill in a specific amount of alcohol and use a dropper to drop an exact amount under the tongue. The alcohol will act as a preservative and to facilitate better absorption.

This method will allow a much more precise and consistent dosing, and be a lot quicker and easier to prepare and dose as well. And I will also be able to cut down on doses more precisely and in smaller amounts.

If I'm stable at .25 mgs in 10 drops for example, then I can reduce the daily dose by single drops if necessary. I could do 9 drops a day for maybe 5 days, then 8 drops for 5 days, then 7 drops, and so on. I think reducing by a single drop every several days will make for a very smooth, consistent, and comfortable taper.

Anyway, I just wanted to give an update with my taper and let everyone know that if I can do it, anyone can. I've actually been seriously considering lately the possibility of becoming a drug addiction counselor. With my intelligence and personal experiences with addiction, it would be selfish and a shame to not go out and assist others in their struggles with addiction.

Addiction is the only illness in the world that people will hate you for having, and which will garner no sympathy from others. It's time that people go out and try to educate not only addicts but the public as a whole to get them to realize that addiction is a serious issue that no one chooses, doesn't make anyone a bad person, and requires patience, understanding, and quite a bit of honest support, just like any other disease.

I felt so damn lost for so long trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and now I truly believe I've found a cause so important that I must pursue it wholeheartedly. And it's nice feeling like I have a true purpose for once in life, and something that can actually help a hell of a lot of other people out there that have no other support.

[Woowoo]

Two big thumbs up man!! You made a battle plan, stuck with the plan, and it worked.

Your alcohol method of breaknig a pill into extremely tiny amounts seems very sound to me. I can't think of a better way to do it.

You know, you're getting to the point where the dosages are so low, I wonder if a placebo effect is a big component here? Have you done an experiment to find out if you can distinguish between pure alcohol and treated alcohol? Might be worth a try. Who knows, you might discover you have no actual dependency at all!

In any case, hats off to you. Well done indeed.

[Sitar]

Strangely, even at this very low dose, I'm still quite physically dependent on it. If I don't take even this tiny dose I feel like total shit. It's not so much any mental withdrawal, but the physical WD is quite awful and almost as bad as regular opiate WD.

Hopefully, the lower and lower I continue to get, the less severe that WD will be until I can just stop taking it. I also suspect that the lower the amount you take, the shorter the half-life, since larger doses definitely held me for longer periods of time than these tiny doses. Hopefully that means that any residual WD I may feel from stopping won't last as terribly long as people say it could.

Bupe is prescribed for pain in doses of as little as .2 mgs so I'm not totally surprised that it's still producing WD if I don't take it at this amount.

[Woowoo]

I didn't know that bupe is active in such tiny amounts. Anyhow, more power to you. You're on the home strech now, for sure!

[nick]

Yes, you read it correctly; a QUARTER of a milligram per day! I'm absolutely thrilled with my progress of tapering off the Bupe.

Because the doses are getting so tiny, and splitting up pills is becoming a huge hassle and doesn't seem consistent, I'm switching to a liquid sublingual preparation. I can dissolve a pill in a specific amount of alcohol and use a dropper to drop an exact amount under the tongue. The alcohol will act as a preservative and to facilitate better absorption.

This method will allow a much more precise and consistent dosing, and be a lot quicker and easier to prepare and dose as well. And I will also be able to cut down on doses more precisely and in smaller amounts.

If I'm stable at .25 mgs in 10 drops for example, then I can reduce the daily dose by single drops if necessary. I could do 9 drops a day for maybe 5 days, then 8 drops for 5 days, then 7 drops, and so on. I think reducing by a single drop every several days will make for a very smooth, consistent, and comfortable taper.

Anyway, I just wanted to give an update with my taper and let everyone know that if I can do it, anyone can. I've actually been seriously considering lately the possibility of becoming a drug addiction counselor. With my intelligence and personal experiences with addiction, it would be selfish and a shame to not go out and assist others in their struggles with addiction.

Addiction is the only illness in the world that people will hate you for having, and which will garner no sympathy from others. It's time that people go out and try to educate not only addicts but the public as a whole to get them to realize that addiction is a serious issue that no one chooses, doesn't make anyone a bad person, and requires patience, understanding, and quite a bit of honest support, just like any other disease.

I felt so damn lost for so long trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and now I truly believe I've found a cause so important that I must pursue it wholeheartedly. And it's nice feeling like I have a true purpose for once in life, and something that can actually help a hell of a lot of other people out there that have no other support.

Way to go Sitar.Kicking CAN be done.....it just sucks.

Oh and I work in user advocacy,councelling and HR and man it's stressful if you're sober.Hell,it's stressful if you're high as a kite.

I'm sure you'd do a fine job,but DON'T get in to it till you're ready.

Much good luck with the taper and be sure to keep us posted.

[Sitar]

So I took my last intranasal dose of .25 mgs yesterday at 3 pm, and went to sleep with some Ambien at around 2 am. I woke up at 6:30 am and tossed and turned for a couple hours until I was feeling so lousy when I got up at 9 that I had to take my dose of Bupe shortly after.

So today was the first day of taking my new liquid sublingual preparation. I dissolved 6 milligrams in 240 drops of vodka, put it in a little glass vial and use a dropper to administer it. That's a quarter of a milligram in 10 drops.

I wanted to see if there was much difference in this liquid sublingual method and snorting, so I just used 10 drops, assuming that if there was a significant drop in efficacy I would notice it pretty quickly. I took 10 drops under the tongue a little after 10 am and now it's after 1 pm and I feel totally fine, despite feeling wretched before taking it.

I'm excited about this liquid SL method. It seems to be working fine and I don't notice a difference in strength between this and sniffing it, at least not yet. Liquid SL is much quicker and easier than sniffing it, and far more consistent. So far so good.

[doctor diesel]

I didn't know that bupe is active in such tiny amounts. Anyhow, more power to you. You're on the home strech now, for sure!


Ja, my missus, a chronic pain sufferer, is prescribed 200micrograms (0.2mg) Temgesic (pure bupe) for her pain, and it works very well.


Doc.

[nick]

You keep going man.A lot of the turkey when you get to small doses is psychological,so stay strong.It can be done.

Much good luck.

Oh and Doc,does your location mean you're in Milton Keynes.

[Sitar]

Actually, the surprising thing about this whole taper is that it's really, really easy mentally. Psychologically, I'm in such a good place that it seems hard to believe. It's just that physically, it's a bit taxing. I really feel crappy physically until I dose again for the day. I can't wait until I can live life normally again without the stupid rollercoaster ups and downs of feeling like shit then taking something to feel normal. I don't even have the benefit of getting high, so what's the point in continuing to take a drug? Once I'm past the point of physical dependency, I'm off this stuff for good.

I'm gonna have to take at least 5 more drops today though. It's about 6 hours after the first dose and I'm starting to feel crappy again. I guess the sublingual absorption is definitely less than intranasal.

[tptptp]

Thats good news man keep at it, I've read that bad WD effects have even been felt at as little as .125mg! but a hell of alot easier than jumping off CT I'm sure. Keep at it.

[Sitar]

Well it seems that since sublingual is less effective than intranasal, I think I'll have to use 15 drops a day for a while, which is .375 mgs. But it feels the way that .25 intranasal felt so I don't feel like I'm going up in dose. The only issue is getting accustomed to this new dosing method, since I'd become really habituated to snorting.

Not snorting it is cool though since it makes it seem less like a drug and more like an actual medicine. Quitting drugs is all about changing your personal habits and behaviors in addition to eliminating the drugs.

Anyway, I will stay at 15 drops for several more days and then take it down to 14 drops and so on until I'm off of it. I really think this is the most effective and simplest way to taper. I'm looking to be done by the end of April.

[Diluted]

I am really jealous of you - and wish for the best. Everyone talks of 'slow tapers' - yet hardly see accomplished. Esp. if you're not just not doing the whole two weeks of xanax to ease wds, etc etc. It's alot of work. funny how .25 is doing it though - you'd think at this point it's mostly pscyh. I want you to do it. Yet, I've always gone in circles.. never areal this small taper.... plan to stay sober? girlfriend tells me to stay away from here if shes paying for my suboxone to get clean why b e here.. yada yad...

anyways, good luck.

[Sitar]

OK, this is awesome. For the last couple of days, I've survived on only 9 drops per day. Now, each drop is only 25 MICROgrams of bupe, so 9 drops is LESS than .25 mgs. And It's been relatively fine.

Another cool thing is that although I have a script to Klonopin and have a good stockpile of benzos, I haven't even touched a benzo in about 2 months! So most of this taper has been accomplished with no comfort meds whatsover. I wouldn't even want to mess with the benzos anymore unless absolutely necessary (such as a panic attack). I have some Clonidine for the taper also, and I hardly ever even need to touch that, so the tapering off bupe is not too hard, although some days are better than others.

I also stopped drinking booze a month ago, and I've felt great ever since. I do believe now that alcohol can definitely cause depression and compound any other issue you have. I have a good friend battling an addiction to benzos and alcohol right now and I've been trying to encourage him to slowly taper off of those.

Psychologically, I'm doing absolutely wonderfully. I can't WAIT to be off the bupe and mentally this taper couldn't be easier. It really feels as if the ONLY withdrawal I will be getting from bupe is the physical stuff. It's as if the only receptors it's even messing with now are the physical ones, like in my back. I get fairly bad back pain if I don't take my dose, and I'll get sniffly, yawny, and have no energy. It's definitely NOT psychological in nature, because I'd LOVE to be free of this stuff as quickly as possible and have no mental desire to take it.

I feel like I'm finally getting to the point where I could jump off soon. I want to cut my dose down a little further before attempting it though. Once I'm down to .1 mgs, then it's go time.

My success in this taper is sending my self-esteem back up where it should be. I hated myself so much when I was using and thought I was worthless. And to think, just a few months ago I thought I was a hopeless lost cause. Man, if I can do it, anyone can. Seriously.

[candyshop]

OK, this is awesome. For the last couple of days, I've survived on only 9 drops per day. Now, each drop is only 25 MICROgrams of bupe, so 9 drops is LESS than .25 mgs. And It's been relatively fine.

Another cool thing is that although I have a script to Klonopin and have a good stockpile of benzos, I haven't even touched a benzo in about 2 months! So most of this taper has been accomplished with no comfort meds whatsover. I wouldn't even want to mess with the benzos anymore unless absolutely necessary (such as a panic attack). I have some Clonidine for the taper also, and I hardly ever even need to touch that, so the tapering off bupe is not too hard, although some days are better than others.

I also stopped drinking booze a month ago, and I've felt great ever since. I do believe now that alcohol can definitely cause depression and compound any other issue you have. I have a good friend battling an addiction to benzos and alcohol right now and I've been trying to encourage him to slowly taper off of those.

Psychologically, I'm doing absolutely wonderfully. I can't WAIT to be off the bupe and mentally this taper couldn't be easier. It really feels as if the ONLY withdrawal I will be getting from bupe is the physical stuff. It's as if the only receptors it's even messing with now are the physical ones, like in my back. I get fairly bad back pain if I don't take my dose, and I'll get sniffly, yawny, and have no energy. It's definitely NOT psychological in nature, because I'd LOVE to be free of this stuff as quickly as possible and have no mental desire to take it.

I feel like I'm finally getting to the point where I could jump off soon. I want to cut my dose down a little further before attempting it though. Once I'm down to .1 mgs, then it's go time.

My success in this taper is sending my self-esteem back up where it should be. I hated myself so much when I was using and thought I was worthless. And to think, just a few months ago I thought I was a hopeless lost cause. Man, if I can do it, anyone can. Seriously.

you are my hero right now seriously-you are exactly where i want to be
soooo important for people that are trying to get free to hear positive success stories
i know it is really motivating for me to hear of your progress
i hope to join you soon

[BloodIn]

I believe you about the totally non-mental physical effects. I have tapered down to about 1.something mg (I cut an 8mg pill into 6 pieces and take one a day)
But if I miss a day I FEEL it. No joke! I still even get the itchy nose kinda about 2 hours after dosing.

Thanks for the alcohol solution method (I was wondering how i was going to keep cutting these pills smaller and smaller)

Keep posting!! let me know how its goes, or even PM me!

I'm headed that way, and noone likes the unknown...

______________________________
you're unique, just like everyone else...

[Sitar]

Well folks, I've been stable at just 7 drops per day for a few days now and feel fine. This is awesome. That's just .175 mgs sublingual per day, in one single dose and it's working well.

I still feel yucky if I don't take that little dose, but the yuckiness seems to be less than it was before at larger doses, so that's encouraging.

I had originally estimated that once I started the drops, it would take me a month to get down to this point, but it's only taken 2 weeks. So I'm at half the dose I was just 2 weeks ago. So I'm guessing that by the end of the month I can be off the bupe totally.

[nick]

Well folks, I've been stable at just 7 drops per day for a few days now and feel fine. This is awesome. That's just .175 mgs sublingual per day, in one single dose and it's working well.

I still feel yucky if I don't take that little dose, but the yuckiness seems to be less than it was before at larger doses, so that's encouraging.

I had originally estimated that once I started the drops, it would take me a month to get down to this point, but it's only taken 2 weeks. So I'm at half the dose I was just 2 weeks ago. So I'm guessing that by the end of the month I can be off the bupe totally.

Way to go man.

You CAN do it.