making the big switch to suboxone tomorrow

[rebecca]

Hi there..I am currently taking 10-14 hydrocodone a day (500)...going in for suboxone on monday and am scared!Any advice for w/drawls tomorrow,or for after the suboxone?I have 2 little boys and am just wondering how much help i may need to get.I have heard that it stops the w/drawls,but does it completely?i just want this to work..please help if you can :o)thank you kindly :o)!!!!

[bi11i]

i've switched from opiates to suboxone on more than one occasion and i can tell you that i waited until i was sick to get on the sub, but i didn't wait until i was in agony. i actually just woke up sick (and did enough dope to sleep through the night) with the chills and whatnot around 5am, and then did my first amount of bup around 6 or 7.

how long does it take you in going without before you actually start to get ill (chills, cramping, etc?)

I know those who haven't waited long enough, and they've been in agony for hours, however I would totally feel comfortable in telling you to just make sure you're a little sick going in, not full blown DT's. you can always take more and more sub to 'push through' the withdrawal if some where to come on, but don't overdo it.

Just know your body; don't go in and make the switch knowing you're not sick enough, but don't go in not having slept through Sunday night because you're in full blown withdrawals....

relax - nothing to worry about. you'll feel totally normal, except emotionally; it's kind of a wild ride in that area, but a real kick. i like it, personally.....

anyone else know what i mean?

good luck - come back and tell us how it went...

[bi11i]

i should add to this that most doctors are very reluctant to start anyone out until they're visibly ill. i'm guessing the training materials provided to them emphasize the need for absolute and total withdrawal before administering the drug, although you can 'push through' with more buprenorphine if needed, even though it's not all that pleasant.

i've gone in before and 'faked' being in total dt's. don't get me wrong, i was definitely sick, and would never make an attempt at switching without being sick, but in having done this a few times, i'd never personally wait so long as to be in panic mode about it. having the running nose, the chills, and a bit of the bone crunch is enough for me....

[shaunclo]

I would definitley recommend Billi's advice. I went into my doctors office high as a kite, pretending to be sick. Just because I didnt want to get sick at all. This didnt work, I was in withdrawels it seemed like for 1 day 1/2. You have to really want to quit, cause mentally your still trying to hold on to your addiction. I had a friend that was a doper for 25 years. He went on sub's without any problems whatsoever, he was also very much more ready to quit than I was though. I really dont have anything bad to say about suboxone, its great in my book.

[bi11i]

you know, i made the switch once when i was just barely dope sick. almost questionable as if i was even in withdrawal or not, but i knew for sure that the opiates were out of my system.

i think that if you can avoid the 'go out with a bang' school of thought, and slow down your use for a couple of days before the switch, finally having so little dope in your body at the time of induction - that you'll be able to damn near painlessly ease from opiates to bup.

from my own personal experience, i don't think it's necessary to be in full blown withdrawls to the point of peak panic and freakout, but it's definitely a good idea to not go into it 'high'. (man shaunclo, i can't imagine how it felt. was it all at once dope sickness?)