- Overview of Suboxone & Methadone
- Advantages and Disadvantages
- There’s no miracle cure for addiction!
- “Don’t meth it up, get subport!”
- “We all have belly buttons, but your’s looks funny!”
- Comments & User Experiences
I. Overview of Suboxone & Methadone
| Methadone (Methadose) |
Buprenorphine (Suboxone) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Full Agonist | Partial Agonist/Antagonist |
| Half-Life | 8-59 hours | 24-60 hours |
| Other Active Ingredients | None | Naloxone (opioid antagonist) |
| U.S. Legal Status | Schedule II | Schedule III |
| Dosage Schedule | Typically Daily | Varies (Every 1-4 days) |
| Visit Setting | Clinic | Doctor’s Office |
| Visit Frequency | Typically Everyday (Varies according to program length, state laws, and other factors) | Monthly – Biweekly |
| Abuse Potential | High | Moderate |
| Severity of Withdrawal | Severe | Mild-severe |
| Ceiling Effect | No | Yes |
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II. Advantages & Disadvantages
| Methadone | Buprenorphine | |
|---|---|---|
| Allows addict to temporarily avoid withdrawal symptoms | Yes | Yes |
| Allows addict to obtain medication in a safe, clinical environment as opposed to the streets | Yes | Yes |
| Eliminates many health risks, such as those associated with IV administration | Yes | Yes |
| Dosage can be controlled and gradually reduced | Yes | Yes |
| Available at a relatively low cost | Yes | Not Usually |
| Level of addiction | High | Moderate-high |
| Daily clinical visits required | Yes | No |
| Causes euphoria | Sometimes | Rarely |
| Level of withdrawal | Severe | Moderate to mild-severe |
| Short duration for withdrawal | No | No |
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III. There’s no miracle cure for addiction!
The information listed above is intended to help guide anyone seeking to start an opioid replacement therapy regiment, whether the purpose is maintenance or complete detoxification. It’s extremely easy to run around the World Wide Web collecting facts about addiction, and reading peoples’ experiences with opioid withdrawal, only to scare the desire to quit right out of your bones; however, we must remain confident and remember that this is exactly what our addicted mind wants us to do. We will convince ourselves somehow, someway, that we need to stay on drugs, that “this isn’t a good time to quit,” and we are “better off” taking opioids on a daily basis.
Whether a person is taking Suboxone or methadone, the body will still be physically dependent on opioids as long as this treatment is continued, but it can make all the difference in the world to some folks — if there is a desire for freedom from addiction. Neither drug will work wonders by itself. Recovery is a process that, much like a car or truck, requires constant tuning and retuning, reflection, effort, persistence, and a good knowledge base. Coupled with an experienced drug counselor, support group meetings—whether Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, or SMART Recovery—and a positive attitude, methadone or buprenorphine can help pave the highway to a drug-free life, a life worth living.
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IV. “Don’t meth it up, get subport!”
There are horror stories on both sides of the fence. Both Suboxone and methadone offer their own unique benefits; however, most of the stories about individuals coming off of Suboxone pale in comparison with coming off of methadone cold turkey. Your mileage may vary—this is largely dependent on the individual. In my own personal life, I have found Suboxone to be the better treatment for opioid addiction. I have experience with both drugs; I used methadone for detox on one occasion, and took Suboxone in the long-term. Suboxone helped me to break old habits, and it definitely prevented a relapse or two! I won’t reiterate the advantages again, but I will say one thing: if you have to choose one, make sure you do extensive research and consider all variables.
If at all possible, don’t use either drug. Suboxone and methadone should be reserved as tools, your last resorts. It is counterproductive to use either drug during active addiction (to those out there that use it in between fixes). This drug is here to help break associations with the drug underworld and get people back on their feet again, and using it any other way creates negative connotations in your mind. A lot of doctors are too quick to prescribe these medicines. For people with small to medium-sized hydrocodone habits, taking Suboxone or methadone is akin to using a saw to cut your sandwich in half—overkill. Long-acting opioids like buprenorphine and methadone are very tough to withdrawal from, and if you can stick it out for a week without using any short-acting opioids, you’ll be much better off.
A lot of people who start Suboxone end up being on it for six months or even two years when the intention was to stop after a month or two. That’s way too long for most people. An eight week program (or less) should be sufficient to reduce withdrawal symptoms to a bearable level. During those eight weeks, the patient should be involved in an intensive outpatient program. An intensive outpatient program usually includes attending support groups (NA, AA, etc.) three days a week, seeing a psychiatrist as needed, and speaking with a drug counselor. If the root programs, those which (a) led to drug use, (b) were exacerbated by drug use, (c) hidden by drug use, and/or (d) caused by drug use, are not acknowledged and fixed, the patient will likely find himself in a neverending cycle of misery and despair.
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V. “We all have belly buttons, but your’s looks funny!”
Methadone will help some people, and buprenorphine will help others. Every human being has a unique body chemistry, and some may tolerate one drug better than another. Before making any decision we recommend talking to people and finding out what worked for them. Make sure the people you are getting advice from are clean, and involved in some sort of recovery program, if possible. Do plenty of research and read the “Prescribing Information” for each drug. Talk to individuals in support forums online, and read stories… you get the picture. Before deciding on anything, educate yourself and remember, these drugs are not miracle cures, and without any extra effort & support, these drugs will be but a candle in the wind.
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I think that the information that is on this website is mostly accurate. Except that if someone is attending an outpatient clinic program for addiction for a period of time they do have to take the saboxone everyday just as they do with the Methadone. But some people attending the clinic(s) that are being treated with methadone (that have been going long enough) don’t have to go everyday. I have personal experience with this subject, and I can’t state that all clinics are like that. The one’s around here where I live are though.
Hi Brittani,
Thanks for your feedback. I changed the article to reflect your experience. We appreciate your insight on this. Happy holidays!
-Chris
I really found this information to be helpful with how you compared the two drugs. I am currently on methadone and have been on it for 3years and I am just so tired of being on it. I did find it very helpful at first, I am a recovering herion addict and I heard about methadone and how you won’t have any withdrawls from herion and I thought, Great!! Herion withdrawls are terrible and I lost everything and I mean everything from it including my son, so when I heard about methadone I was excited, I wouldn’t be sick and the doctor at the clinic said It would take away the cravings of the drug too. So 3years ago I got on the methadone and I ended up getting a job and holding it and the best thing I have my son back and everything was great but now its just more of a pain. I have to drive 45mins to the clinic 3times a week, I have put on so much weight and I can’t lose it, my teeth have messed up so bad and I feel like all I do is sleep. So now I have been thinking about getting off and I have talked to people at the clinic and they told me its the worst drug ever to withdrawl from, so I went online and checked into it and they are right. I don’t know what to do, I am terrified. I am afraid of getting off it and go through those withdrawls and go back to using and I just can’t do that. So just recently I heard about suboxone, and I wanted to know if anyone has experienced being on methadone and switching to suboxone? I would really appeciate for any suggestions. I know in your article you said its better to do without either but its kinda too late and I just need some help on what to do. Thank you
I am in the same situation as you are. I have been on metadone for 7 years, getting on in 2003 after a short run with oxy’s and a few months on h. I was drug free my whole life, prior to 2001 and would of got on suboxone, if it was available to me, but it was not. I was just about to lose everything and saw how getting off opiates was a almost impossible thing to do so I got on methadone in order to stop the bleeding,I now feel trapped and scared and hopeless about getting off methadone, I am grateful to methadone for getting me on my feet but feel there may have been a easier way out of this mess,what I try to do is stay positive, I am a somewhat healthy 36 year old father of two who has a good job and owns my house and car and living the american dream.and it all costs a few rides to the clinic a month an a little cup of red stuff in the morning.I think the key to staying on methadone and making the best of it is to exercise 3-4 days a week go to the doctor and tell them your symtoms and go to the dentist and just keep putting one foot in front of the other,I also have read all the stories about how hard it is to get off but i also have read about some people who have made it. I think you and I can do it if we wanted to but we do not want to risk what we have gained but the answer is right there if we do not risk anything we will never gain anything. I am going to try to lower my dose to 25 mgs and switch to suboxone then try to detox completely and I believe exercise and eating right is the key also getting your life in the best possible order good luck and do not feel bad you are not alone.I also think that if we need to stay on mmt forever its a small price to pay for almost killing ourself.good luck
According to my clinic; a Methadone user has to stop using Methadone for approx. 3 days before they can switch over to Suboxone. I am on Suboxone and am having good success. The biggest deterrent I find using Suboxone is that even if I were to take Opiates I wouldn’t have any of the desired effects because the Suboxone blocks the Opiate “high”.
My understanding is that typically you will stop taking methadone and be prescribed full agonist opiods (like oxycontin) so you don’t suffer methadone withdrawl (like you taper and take oxycontin in increasing dosages). This will be a week or so I believe. Methadone sticks around in your system for a long time. Then you will stop taking the oxycontin for a day or two (mild to moderate withdrawl) and take the suboxone or subutex (which is buprenorphine without the diversion drug naloxone).
I never took methadone, but I was on 400+ mg of oxycontin. Stopped the previous day at 11am then took suboxone around 9am the next day (I was in bad shape) and within 15 min or so felt like I had never taken an opiate before in my life. Suboxone is great, but consider a good recovery program as well.
Well, kind of. You may not get high like OxyContin, but you do get a moderate buzz and energy (sometimes you even get the itches), because you are still taking an opiate.
I want to warn you, when (if) you decide to stop taking Suboxone, you need to taper down like you would with any other opiate, except with more time between reductions, even more than Methadone because of Buprenorphine’s long half-life (approx 37 hours.)
Suboxone builds up in your system because of the half-life, which makes it’s withdrawals last so long. Don’t let anyone try to tell you that it has no withdrawal, or that it’s not bad. It’s awful. Is it as bad as cold turkey from a 400+ mg Oxy habit? Not quite, but it lasts from 2-6 weeks with some residual effects (depression, lethargy, etc.) called PAWS that can last up to a year, depending on how high of a dose and how long you were on it. Usually the PAWS is not as bad as it sounds, I’d equate it to coming off of a 15 mg/day Hydrocodone habit. In other words, it’s doable.
It’s also a rollercoaster ride of a detox, it’s not linear like short-acting opiates. You’ll feel like hell for 4-16 days (the average seems to be 10) then feel great for 2 days, or maybe even a week, just to get slapped back down again for another few days.
This may make some ask “What’s the point?” – well my answer would be Suboxone is a great tool to buy you time to get your life in order and to learn not to chase a high… which is very useful considering immediately after a cold turkey Oxy detox is the worst/hardest time to try to change and being an entire new way of life.
Suboxone is also unique in the fact that if a person has ever become dependent on it (10 days will usually do it), one can abstain from ALL opiates for any substantial amount of time and if they ever take it again (even ONCE!) they will experience withdrawal symptoms afterward.
The moral of the story? Suboxone is in NO WAY a miracle drug. It can be a useful tool for either a short detox (about 4 days starting at 4-6 mg, decreasing daily) or to buy you time to clean up the mess you’ve made in active addiction.
I have been on methadone for 5 years. I have been detoxing for almost 2 of those years. I was on a fairly high dose, about 130 mg. I decided to come down very slowly; 2.5mg per month, because I was so scared of the withdrawal symptoms. I can honestly say that until about two months ago I felt no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. I am in college and I’ve been working, so I really think that has helped me to focus on the outside world instead of always thinking about how I feel. However, right before the holidays I did start feeling kinda bad. I started walking up early in the morning with a real uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. At this point my eyes water quite a bit, my nose has been running and I’ve been going from hot to cold like crazy. I am basically just really uncomfortable. I do believe that our minds are extremely powerful and that it is not coincidental that my symptoms began right before the holidays. My doctor has suggested that I try split dosing meaning that I take half my dose in the morning and half in the afternoon. I’m not sure about that so I’m thinking about it for now. I am trying so hard to get down to 30mg so I can switch over to suboxone. I pray that this is just a bump in the road and that everything will calm down so that I can switch over. I hope that I can write again in a few months after getting off the methadone to tell people that it is possible and to provide some inspiration.
heyguys im in the same boat as every single person who wrote on this site…im cryin my eyes out rite now just readin all off this….nd if all of you guys are bein serious, than you understand that the withdrawls are the most terifiing part of addiction….i was taking hyrdrocodone, than oxycodone, for about 2 years, and i wasnt taking it to get high i needed it for my back problems, i was getting it prescribed to me by a few doctors, and all of a sudden basically i woke up a few mornings after drinking and thought that feeling was just a bad hangover….so i drank plenty of fluids….i didnt feel better….i took a percocet…nd it all went away…thats i how i got into this mess and started falling down this hill…after a while i knew it wasnt a hangover or nething else, i figured out that that feeling….which by the way is THE MOST HORRIBLE FEELING IVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE!!!!!!….was a withdrawl….so i found a treatment center around my house, cuz i didnt want to feel or live like this nemore…..they put me on 2 pills (16 mg) of suboxone per day for about 2 months….ive been on it for about 6 months now and im taking between 1 to a half a pill per day now,,,i want to get off this shit so ….sooooo bad, ive been slowly weening myslef off of the drug, nd i feel great most of the time because the suboxon duznt give me any sort of high as percocet or vicodin…..but readin this is makin me TERRIFIED THAT I WILL NEVVER BE FREE FRUM THIS PRISON….nd for people who have never been addicted to an opiate….it is a prison id rather go to prison….it is honestly THE worst feeling that my body can create….restlessness, waking up very early, basically like im wearin the most uncomfortable wool suit thats ever been made….pins and needles,,,runing nose…watery eyes….i just want to b free….nd suboxon makes me feel good..no withdrawls….but im terrifide that i will become dependant on the suboxon….like i said i just wanna b free….ive never been addicted to nething, nd it wasnt by choice, i was NOT taking them to get high…i took em becuz i have a terrible back….idk everyone n here seems to b goin thru wat i am so, if i can get sum help or advice…please help me…..i just wanna feel and be like i was bfore all of this BULLSHIT happened to me!!!!!!…thanks so much….i feel ur pain ive read all of ur gys blogs,,,wen people ask me wat its like….i tell them to TRY to imagine the worst pain that they can imagine….gettin hit by a train…and living, hit by a car and living….the WITHDRAWL is HORRIBLE…. thanks so much
so has anyone evr tried subs first thn methadone?? i no its dum after reading all ur posts, but im dealing with this shit w my fiance. soooo, im sure its an xcuse to get high bcause i have seen a major change
I have detoxed off 125mg of methadone before, and yes, it is hell! I went to rehab, and even heroin addicts were only on a 6 day detox, while methadone addicts were on a 13 day detox. That alone ought to tell you something. They used subutex for detox because methadone addicts cannot take suboxone without going down to at least 40 mg before starting. Anyway, even on subutex, the 1st 2 days were awful, no appetite, chills, lower back pain, stomach cramps, etc…After 2 days of subutex (12mg per day)symptoms began to ease somewhat. still not much appetite, but at least able to get out of bed. They lower the subutex each day, and after day 13, here it comes again. For almost 2 days after being off detox, symptoms (see above) return. After that, however, things begin to get better.
I had a doctor once say that he would rather I shoot the purest heroin available than ever get on methadone. so true, so true…
Anyway, my experience with suboxone was only to detox once from dilaudid. It was a six day detox and worked great. This is what worries me about the current doctors prescribing it. They want to treat it like methadone and put people on maintenance. And when you have to spend, like 700.00 just to get on the program (of course, afterwards it is cheaper than methadone)my junky brain wants to get his money’s worth.
But, speaking of maintenance, I have relapsed after each successful treatment center (4)…Therefore, I’m probably not qualified to even write on this page. Now I have been on methadone twice, taken both suboxone and subutex, and I can absolutely tell you one fact: cross addictions can only get you off the current dope, nothing can keep you off the dope forever, except yourself.
Well, I don’t know if this has enlightened anyone. I am seriously thinking about suboxone, if only because I am spending so much damned money on my habit. Everyone’s bottom is different, but to sum up, I would recommend the suboxone, if only because I don’t believe you get the high that methadone gives, and if I get on maintenance (suboxone), I only hope that the doctors are smarter (or dumber) than the clinic guys and won’t raise me up to these massive doses that they give out at the methadone clinic.
methadone I was on it for 7 years and I tried every shortcut I there is to get off.I was on 280mg so if you want off here is the only way. go down 2mg a week for 8 weeks then go to 4mg for 2weeks then you may are may not want to do this everybody is different drop down 8mg for 4 are 5 days see how you feel. you get the picture. if anybody wants to here more reply and I’ll answer.
Hi all. I started Methadone along with Dilaudid CR for Pain Management. I quit the Dilaudid, and went as far as 180mg/day of Methadone. Overall my health increased, and my underlying symptoms got better, so I wanted to get off the Pain Meds (Methadone), and get a true Baseline of my pain and if the Meth was causing any side-effects. I Quit Cold Turkey – 180mg to nothing, and it wasn’t the Hell I was expecting. The first 5 days were very tolerable – I presume because of the half-life still giving my body opioids. After a week, my sleeping started getting very disturbed: I’d wake-up mid-night in sweats then shivering, my mind was obsessing about Opiates, my natural pain was back full-force, plus I had tremendous body-aches, headaches, pains. depression, anxiety, etc. I was a total mess, denying to myself that I was a mess! In all, the Withdrawals were far more chronic than acute, as 6 weeks after I was still an Insomniac, but who knows if it was just because I stopped Methadone, or for other reasons. 6 months after, my Withdrawals were long gone, but my Chronic Pain was just too much without treatment. My Doc started me on the tiniest dose of Hydromorphone, which only worked if I took more than prescribed — thus the beginning of a new “Dependency” or “Addiction” issue, when really I was being undermedicated. My Doc was unwilling to increase my dose, even though he had promised to treat my pain properly until my referral comes in. So I decided to switch back to Methadone, and apart from the hassle of seeing a Doctor once a week (Shrinks work that way,?), and having to drink at the Pharmacy for the first few weeks until my dose is stable-ized, Methadone is great as a Painkiller. I’ve tried almost all the common Opioids for Pain (Codeine, Oxy’s, Hydromorphone, Morphine, and Fentanyl (- no Vicodin because it’s outlawed in Candada, for now,), and some others I forget. Although Fentanyl is “Academically” the best pain-med out there, I found the Patches were useless as they fell off all the time! So I find Hydromorphone and Methadone my best choices for ’safe’ opioids, with Methadone – once you get past the initial month or so – and don’t use any other Narcotics unless your Doc knows they’re being prescribed to you by your Specialist etc. – you could OD, and the Doc will keep you coming-in for urine tests and to get your drink everyday. You have to be clean to get carries.
As for the Withdrawals from Methadone, I’ve gone through worse, but it is something I won’t do again – quit cold-turkey. And I was lucky as it was Summer and I could get outside and walk whenever I was getting squirely. I found running out of Dilaudid was far worse: psychologically and physically. Withdrawals were far more intense and immediate. I was going crazy 3 days afterwards! Clawing at my bedsheets, vomiting, sweats, pain, and super-obsession with the pill – all my mind could focus on was getting more if I ran out, and the pain relief it was going to give me, and the end of the living nightmare I was experiencing! When checking an Opioid Conversion Chart, Methadone can be as high as 10x stronger than Morphine on a mg per mg basis! Strong stuff!
I have recently tried to quit Methadone cold turkey from 100 mg everyday to nothing…..I only lasted 2 days. The first day was nothing did not even notice that i hadn’t dosed really. Day 2 woke up and yeah I was living in hell so i broke down and dosed. I have heard that quiting cold turkey is the way to go and that going down to even 1mg a day will be as bad as 100mg per day is as far as withdrawl…….Does this sound right because i would think that 1mg per day would be much more of a mental problem than the physical sickness. ?
I am a counselor at a Methadone Clinic and I have to say that Methadone has saved many of my heroin addicted clients lives. Yes, methadone is considered a long term treatment plan. It’s not intended to be a short term program. Opiates are what has ruined so many peoples lives, and methadone is what allows them to regain their lives back. Methadone has a terrible stigma that I believe is unfair.
thank you all for your insight, and to the page creator for this post. i myself am 22, and have been recreationally using for the past two years…but in the past year every single day, dilaudids, roxys, and oxys. a daily habit of about 160mg of oxys for the past 4 months. i am a nursing student and a server…and what started as something id take if im going out instead of drinking and driving…turned to hey it makes EVERYTHING feel better…work..school…everything. now im at a point where i didn’t make my rent for the past two months…my relationship has changed and i know its from us BOTH using…and i can’t go any further down this road. i am not willign to throw my life away….i have been debating on suboxone vs. methadone, and am sure now that suboxone is the right option for me. i made the step and called a doctor this morning and am going today at 4pm to start. im scared, but more so excited to be finally breaking my horrible self destructing habit and start the track to a happy sober life
thank you all for your insight…the only person i have to talk to about this is my amazingly supportive boyfriend. who’s been clean for a week so far and is going throught this with me. i wish you all the best….its amazing to know theres people out there in the exact same boat as me. until these past few days i felt unbelievably alone in my struggle…thank you and god bless xoxo
I was using oxy 80 mg and lortab, norco and fetanyl patches for at least 5 years. I got clean, then relapsed. Lost the house, cars, almost my daughter. I was caught writing false rx and went to jail twice. Currently I have 4 misdemeanors and 1 felony. I have been clean now for 1 year. I started taking saboxone in rehab, and I think its a miracle. I dont have any cravings and has no withdrawl symtoms whatsoever. My doctor says I may need to stay on it forever because of the high doses of rx I was on. I am ok with that. I dont feel addicted to it, I take it as needed, some days I only take 2 mg, other days I take 8. However I feel at the time. The only downfall is that it is $7 a pill, but my ins does cover 10% of it, and I am lucky for that. Ive heard horror stories about methodone, and feel blessed I was offered saboxone. Mylife has been turned around completely. My husband was using with me, and we have been clean together. We go to AA ( I prefer it better than NA)everyday, see a shrink and go to therapy. It works for me. People tell me I traded one drug for another. I DONT CARE. It works for me, it can work for you, as long as you are going to meetings or some other IOP. I am very proud of myself, and I consider myself clean even though I take saboxone. Some people disagree but again I DONT CARE.I love myself today enought to want to take care of myself, be a mother wife and friend. Saboxone saved my life. And if I have to stay on it forever, I will. I follow doctors directions and thats what makes it the right thing to do. I feel bacd for people on methadone, I will pray for them becasue it sounds so addictive. My teeth are fine, I am perfectly healthy and happy. Take care of you addiction and take care of yourself for the right reasons. I see an addictionologist for it and he is awsome. He follows my case and helps me decide the best treatment for me. GOOD LUCK OUT THERE!
Well reading everyones stories here was very helpful and insightful. I began using lortabs recreationally many many years ago, and the problem i developed never seemed all that bad. But i graduated to oxycontin one day and in a matter of just a few months i was physically addicted, and then it all went downhill from there. Withdrawl is just the worst thing ever, i hate it and wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. Eventually after several years and hitting rock bottom, i sought help and found a methadone clinic. At first this seemed like a miracle, and to those of you out there addicted to painkillers or heroin, methadone can truly help you stablize your life big time. It definately helped me return my life back to some degree of normality and it truly empowers you to start the process of regaining control of your life. But after being on methadone for nearly 3 years now, i want to move on. I tried weaning myself off methadone by going down 5 ml every 3 weeks or so, but i just relapsed when i got to around 30-35 and went on a couple month binge, which was not only stupid, but raised my tolerance back up a little and brought all kinds of problems back into my life. My counselors and i have been discussing suboxone, and i really want to try it, from what ive read and ppl ive talked to, its much easier to come off of than methadone. unfortunately my clinic offers it at $25 per day, and thats just too much. Where do i go to get it at $7? or even more than 7 is fine, but not $25. also i have been wondering about something i read about called Rapid Detox, or Anesthesia-Assisted Rapid Opiate Detox…. does anyone have any personal experience with this they can share? or experiences with switching from methadone to suboxone? thank you for any insight you can give me
I was in the methadone clinic for several months and was up to 80mg per day. I had some financial problems and had to go on financial detox, which meant I would be taken from 80 per day to nothing in about 5 weeks. I can honestly say the physical withdrawels were practically absent. I had no prblems with this detox at all, however it did make it easier to backslide do to the mental desire. Just to let you all know, i really think it was the easiest thing I ever came off from, so don’t be afraid. Honestly I think the transition from methadone to suboxane defeats the whole purpose. Eventually it has to end, so pray hard and talk to freinds/family about your feelings and you CAN DO IT.
I have been addicted for 2 years. It started out with hydros and oxycodone then ment to methadone. But i was buying it off the street to take. I can take up to 50 mg in a day and feel good. But its getting to the point where i can’t afford it antmore and the withdrawals from methadone are ten times worse to me when i’m out. So i checked into the suboxone program and found one that took my insurance where it won’t cost me hardly anything. I just want to be off of everything for good and this is the only thing i think that will get me off of thinggs. Methadone is to long term for me and i like it too much to use that as a form of getting off everything.
This is to Adam or others afraid of methadone withdrawal. I came of 90 mg. plus lots of extras in about 23 days (inpatient) and had only a couple of rough nights. Only I did crave benzos and managed to use them for about a month without getting addicted. Due to trauma in my life I was not feeling particularly good clean, but had no cravings for a long time and that was such a relief it offset my loss of a quick fix. Relapsed after 10 years off, got up to 120 at methadone clinic and now am at 39 mg. So I plan to switch to suboxone soon. Going from 120 to 39 (over a year) has not been a big deal but without a blocking dose I’m tempted to cheat. DUMB. I just hear suboxone IS an easier withdrawal and in general not as “heavy” a drug as methadone, which has just about wiped out my ability to feel pleasure except for the bump after dosing.I want to get out of the clinic, they just aren’t the kind of support I need right now. Withrawal does not have to be hell and the lifestyle changes actually work! Gotta keep the faith.