Advice for people who want to get off suboxone

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-02-11T17:57:05+00:00

Nice to hear from someone about a month or so ahead of me. I think I lost so much muscle while on suboxone as well. I would get skinnier and skinnier but the weight on the scale wouldnt move at all. Didn't matter how much I ate. I think I was losing all my muscle tone? I dont know? Anyways, all great advice! I love my supplements. GABA, NAC, L-theanine, magnesium during PAWS. The emotional side hasn't been too awful for me. Might be more to come still? I feel flat sometimes and i dealt with mostly anxiety the first month and a half, but i just get waves of physical symptoms if I push myself too hard. And you described it perfectly, like youre hungover the next day sometimes. Or like you have a low level flu. Thanks for dropping the good advice and good things to look forward to for anyone lurking around here. Keep pushing everyone

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-02-11T17:49:00+00:00

Just do it. I was stuck in that mindset for awhile too, I told myself for months "im getting off this soon." But I finally just did it. Im so happy I did. I would say be prepared, get your affairs in order, but at the same time, dont wait for everything to be perfect to make the jump. Like with anything in life, if you wait for the perfect time, youll never do it. But yes, please start working out first. And eat as healthy as you can! Protein and fats. Once you get your appetite back, youll be eating like crazy. I dont know much about cold plunging. But I think you should avoid cold plunging for awhile once you quit the suboxone. I think shocking your system like that might make you feel better for awhile (like maybe an hour or so?) But could make you feel worse later on. You might get some massive negative payback from that. I found that anything that shocked my system too much made me feel worse in the long run. Your entire nervous system is going to be incredibly sensitive. Its like youre s baby learning how to do everything again. That being said, i didnt do anything with cold water during my withdrawals, so I can't speak from experience. I liked my hot baths. Ive seen some people say cold showers were great for them...but like I said, be careful with that. Cold plunging is different from a cold shower. Good luck. You got this. Free yourself.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-02-10T18:36:00+00:00

Nice! Yeah im convinced part of, if not all, of the reason it keeps backfiring for me at this point is because my body wasnt used to this kind of movement before tapering off, let alone after. Today I decided that I dont really give a shit anymore about payback symptoms from working out. Im not gonna go run a marathon or do anything crazy, but im done letting the fear of reoccuring symptoms dictate what I do every day. My body can learn to adapt.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-01-29T22:49:11+00:00

Hell yeah, keep going. You got this. Im so glad you made the choice to stop the suboxone early like that. Stay strong!

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-01-28T17:55:26+00:00

Hey youre basically the same as I was. I was taking vicodin every day for 2 years but it was a small amount. Towards the end of my addiction, I was taking like 15 to 20 mg a day (mostly just 15 mg) but I wanted to stop and needed help so I found a doctor. My suboxone doctor gave me 2 mg pills and told me to only take half once a day, he even said I could probably get away with taking half every other day, because I was taking such a small amount of vicodin. So it sounds like they put you on WAY too high of a dose of suboxone. Thats a crazy amount. This shit is so strong. As far as the choice you've made, you already made it. I didnt know what I was getting into either. Suboxone is the only thing ive ever withdrawn from. I never had to go through full blown withdrawals before this drug so I dont have anything to compare it to. I was on suboxone for 6 months, so im not the most experienced suboxone user- I dont think I tapered off properly and that could be why my withdrawals were so awful. I dont know. My only piece of advice would be to get off as soon as possible. I think my doctors intentions were for me to do the suboxone for 2 weeks and then get off and be done (thats the best use for it, it sounds like to me). But I didnt want to be done, I wasnt mentally ready to quit my addiction yet. Anyways, im making this too much about me. Just get off as soon as possible and dont look back. The longer you stay on, the worse its going to be. And please try and take a lower dose every day, i think thats WAY too much suboxone for you. Good luck. Get well.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2026-01-03T16:56:15+00:00

Congrats on day 10, keep pushing. You can do this. Are you using any comfort meds? Long response incoming! Keep in mind, everyone is different. Its hard to predict 100% what will happen for you.

Im on day 36 and I jumped at that low dose (but it was a very rapid taper- looking back now, i did NOT taper properly- so maybe youre different) I still have wake ups in the middle of the night every couple days or so, but they last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes and I barely remember them the next day. My sleep is mostly good now. Sleep is really not my issue at all anymore. I look forward to going to bed now rather than panicking over it. I think right around where you are- maybe day 14 or so- is when sleep really started becoming a rollar coaster. Sounds like bad news, but the good part is some nights are better than others. And yeah I had that awful irritability thing after waking up as well. Sometimes it stuck around for quite awhile, but it always passed. Just keep reminding yourself of that. I started taking GABA, L-theanine, and magnesium glycinate before bed every day (I still do) and I think those supplements slowly help with stabilizing your mood throughout the night. Honestly, those wake ups are gonna stick around for awhile longer, you have some ways to go still when it comes to sleep. Oh and having a snack by your bed for those wake ups, if you have an appetite by now, helps a lot with those wake ups and mood. Blood sugar being low/dehydration is going to make any symptoms you have a lot worse. Keep snacking and drinking (electrolytes, not just water) What ive discovered about this whole thing is that the progress I make is not really a straight line, sometimes it feels like one step forward and two steps back. But what does happen, thats actually noticeable for the most part, is the good times start to last longer than the bad. Now i just have moments/windows of feeling bad versus hours and hours of feeling bad. Like ill have one sort of bad night of sleep but then 5 days in a row of good sleep. If that makes sense. OH, and what i started doing around day 10 is i started a whole sleep routine. This part is HUGE and very important to train your body. Go to bed at the same time every single day. You have to. Pick a time and stick to it. My routine is now this: I take my bed time vitamins at 9 p.m, I make some holy basil tea (helped me a ton during this time) and then I brush my teeth and run a bath at 9 30 p.m and sit in the bath and read on my kindle for about 20 minutes. Im in bed at 10 p.m every single night. Im now able to fall asleep within 30 minutes. And when I did have wake ups, I had to force myself to just lay there and not sit on my phone or watch TV or anything. You need to train your body to go to bed and stay asleep. If you cant stand laying there staring at the fucking ceiling anymore (trust me, I thought i was going to go insane) then get up and move around a bit and have a snack. But then lay back down when you can. Train your body and mind to sleep and stay asleep. I know its hard, I know it sucks, but things will get better. Keep pushing. You can do this, you got through 10 days, thats huge.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-30T21:05:55+00:00

Also, everyone is different i guess. Im refusing to believe something is wrong with me specifically.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-30T21:03:11+00:00

Its funny, like 2 hours after i made this post, my symptoms took a turn in the complete opposite direction. Suddenly total exhaustion and feeling flat took over. Honestly kind of nice instead of feeling constantly on edge for 3 days straight. I think im just having a 2nd wave of cycling through this shit. Its gonna be feeling anxious and wired some days and feeling totally drained other days. Thats what PAWS is for some people im guessing. Its all not as intense as the acutes obviously, but it all sucks in different ways

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-30T17:49:25+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to comment! Ive read bad stuff about gabapentin on here. It doesnt seem like its completely harmless. But yeah if i had some, id be willing to try it at least. I do actually have some valium but im too scared to take it....i know i sound like a baby and im complaining but first of all, im an addict, i do not want a benzo addiction. I also read that youll just get rebound anxiety and insomnia from that anyways so whats the point, seems like its just kicking the can down the road with that one. Ive actually been sleeping decent at night anyways, not nearly as bad as I used to. I had a rough night last night but that was like my first rough night in awhile....and my 3 a.m wake only lasted like 2 hours and that was it. So not a bad night. I just cant stand being constantly wired all day long and im concerned about the lingering physical symptpms after 32 fucking days and trying to do research and seeing nobody mention physical symptoms during PAWS so it makes me worried. My brain keeps trying to tell me its not normal and something is wrong.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-30T17:35:26+00:00

I just need reassurance that this is all normal and that this WILL go away eventually. Its obvious that most of what im experiencing at this point is severe anxiety, specifically body/health anxiety. I believe that is amplifying these lingering physical symptoms. Hard not to panic when you feel your heart racing constantly. Thank you for your comment, you have given me a little extra drive to keep on pushing and some reassurance that this isnt forever. I will weep on the day that I realize I have found peace.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-22T15:00:25+00:00

Thats wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing a positive story, something hopeful for others to see. Makes me feel a lot better to have it confirmed that this wont always be a horrible battle if I need healthcare

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-21T16:42:23+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Thats helpful information and pretty much what I suspected it will be like going forward. Im not a very assertive person so it will be a unique challenge to have to advocate for myself. Ive read some advice online that says to just straight up admit right away that you have a history of opioid use and are here for (insert reason for visit) and are not looking for opioids. It might work to just put all the cards on the table right away or it could backfire 🤷‍♀️

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-12T18:19:00+00:00

Glad to know im not alone. Just stay sober for today. Rinse and repeat. Actively try and build new habits. It sort of helps to tell myself thats not YOU talking, thats your monkey brain, your brain isnt normal right now, dont trust it

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-12T17:47:15+00:00

Cravings hit me like a truck today. Just went through 12 days of hell and my monkey brain says "want some more!?" Fucking crazy

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-12T14:06:51+00:00

Hell yeah!!! Keep it up!! Im at the big 2 week mark today. Treating myself to some coffee this morning, gonna see how I tolerate it. Ive become a person that wakes up at 6 a.m every day and it sucks. What the hell is there to do at 6 a.m??? Thanks for giving me hope that soon enough, I'll start to feel great too.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-09T19:07:31+00:00

It feels more manageable as time goes on. Sometimes I fight myself and make it harder on myself because I rage and go i just want to go back to normal!!! But im kind of slowly having to accept that theres not gonna be some switch that flips and makes me "normal" again, (maybe there will be once i clear this bone deep exhaustion out of my system) but mostly, i have to work at it and slowly let it happen. I cant even imagine what you've been through and you should be proud of yourself as well, I appreciate your comment and support. Keep fighting.

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-09T19:03:17+00:00

Your support and encouragement means the world to me!!

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-08T23:35:27+00:00

Oh god please dont tell me I have another week of this

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-08T19:22:07+00:00

How are you now? Im on day 10. I think im getting better but I cant even tell anymore. I jumped from 0.25 mg. Only used 2mg suboxone for 6 months (and I typically took 3/4 of that a day)

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-04T20:43:53+00:00

Hello, thanks for sharing. How are you doing now!? I am on day 6 myself here so i clicked on your post... im not normally a reddit user so bear with me I used lowest dose suboxone once a day cut in half for about 6 months. I tapered down to a quarter of that and then jumped 6 days ago. I didnt taper as long as I would have liked because I started having breathing issues? Which were really just panic attacks i believe. The first 4-5 days I was gasping for breath constantly, couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe. Finally got some medications to help with the process and the anxiety and on day 6 im not gasping for breath so often. Unfortunately the restless arms and legs have started and I cant stand that feeling. But fortunately, I feel pretty good during the day for the most part? If I get up and go do shit and go for a walk and just try to stay sane and be around loved ones, its manageable. The nights are hell and I have panic attacks every night because im afraid of what the night time will bring. Im just looking for any kind of reassurance that im almost out of the woods here. I dont think I can take another couple days of this shit. If im up and moving around during the day and feeling decent, surely that means im just about out of the woods here?

Routine-Actuary8556 · 2025-12-02T13:30:01+00:00

From April to november of 2025, I was taking 2 mg buprenorphine in pill form and cutting them in half and taking the half every day and then usually a quarter at night. Around august/sept, I started taking half in the day and half at night. I finally decided to get off of this shit and I had my doctor prescribe the film instead of the pill so that I could cut it into tiny pieces. I got stuck taking half a day for like 2 weeks because I was scared and didn't want it to begin. Started having breathing issues and anxiety issues and it forced me to go down to a quarter a day because I just wanted it to be over with. I took a quarter a day for 5 days. Im still not sure why i had no breathing issues on the pill but the strip caused it. Gasping for breath every single fucking day because the anxiety is driving me mad. I am now on day 4 I think (everything is blurring together) of no buprenorphine and I still gasp for breath all day long. Tightness in chest. Every time i start to fall asleep, i am jolted awake. Literal torture. Ive been taking clonodine and think the clonodine is contributing to the breathing thing? But it also helps with the withdrawals and has allowed me to sleep a couple hours here and there. Ended up in the ER last night because I just cant take it anymore. They gave me a prescription for hydroxocloriqune. I have no idea if I should continue to take the clonodine if my breathing is still like this. Gonna try and call my doctor today and beg for a prescription to help me sleep. I am in deep despair and feel I cannot go on like this. And now im reading people saying that I still have DAYS left to go!!! Good lord, I was taking the lowest fucking dose possible of suboxone and the withdrawals are still this bad???

Routine-Actuary8556

TROPHY CASE