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What Are The Withdrawal Symptoms Of Suboxone?

Posted on Tue, 23 Feb 2016

Question: I thought I had sent Dr. XXXXXXX Solanki the follow up question per his request.
Duration of Suboxone usewa 3 years. I had a left knee replaced in 2012, a left wrist and left elbow operated on for carpal tunnel in wrist and pinched nerve in left elbow in 2013 and I had the right wrist fixed for carpal tunnel in 2014 (Augusr). I was using Suboxone to get off the pain killers.
I started at 12 mg per day, one and a half 8/2 Suboxone film strips per day. I have it down to 1/4 of a film strip right now. 2 mg a day. Can I just stop taking it whenI run out day after tomorrow? How sick with w/d willI I get? Thank You XXXXXXX Connors

Answered by Dr. Chintan Solanki (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
I do not recommend stopping cold turkey

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for follow up and required information.

You are taking suboxone since 3 years. You have tapered it from 12 to 2 mg per day. Stopping cold turkey at this dose will likely going to cause withdrawal symptoms in form of muscle pain, body ache, yawning, lacrimation (watering from eyes), rhinorrhea (watering from nose), diarrhea, sleep problem and anxiety symptoms. Without medical support it may be difficult to tolerate these symptoms and they can last up to 1-2 weeks in that case.

In my opinion you have two options right now.

You can reduce the dose to 1.5 mg for 10 days, 1 mg for 10 days, 0.5 mg for 10 days and then stop. You need to ask your doctor to write prescription of lower dose suboxone film for that. By doing this slowly tapering you would not have any significant problem and you can stop without help of other medicines.

Other option is ask your doctor to prescribe you medicines to treat withdrawals when you stop cold turkey. Pain killers like diclofenac or ibuprofen, symatholytic like clonidine and anti anxiety like benzodiazepine will be needed for few days according to severity of symptoms.

Feel free to discuss further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Chintan Solanki (21 hours later)

Thank you, very helpful. Unfortunately I do not have anymore Suboxone so it looks like I am "up the creek". I had no idea getting off Suboxone would be harder than getting off OxyContin. Never saw that coming and I have detoxed myself several times in my life. Oh well, Thank You.

Answered by Dr. Chintan Solanki (14 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Your doctor can of course help

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for follow up. Sorry for delayed response.

You are right that withdrawal from oxycontin is more in comparison to buprenorphine but it does not mean that buprenorphine has no withdrawals.

If you have passed from opioid detoxification/withdrawal from past, you may tolerate withdrawals without help of medicines. But being a doctor I always wish that patient should not suffer at all.

I recommend consulting your doctor for medicines to prevent/treat withdrawals as I mentioned in previous answer.

Hope you can go for detoxification without much discomfort.

Take care.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar