Modern humans must learn how to relate to psychoactives
responsibly, treating them with respect and awareness,
working to minimize harms and maximize benefits, and
integrating use into a healthy, enjoyable, and productive life.
Precipitated Opiate Withdrawal
Buprenorphine / Naloxone (Suboxone) after Methadone
Citation:   althina. "Precipitated Opiate Withdrawal: An Experience with Buprenorphine / Naloxone (Suboxone) after Methadone (exp55172)". Erowid.org. May 31, 2019. erowid.org/exp/55172

 
DOSE:
    Methadone
  8 mg sublingual Pharms - Buprenorphine
  2 mg sublingual Naloxone
BODY WEIGHT: 130 lb
The problem with starting suboxone is that you have to be in active withdrawal, and for methadone, being so long-acting, this can mean waiting in a state of 'hanging out' sickness for up to 4 days. Asking an addict to stop dosing for 3-4 days is really unrealistic.

Thus, if you are still addicted to methadone and you take buprenorphine too soon, the bupe will kick off the methadone and then bind to the receptors, thus blocking them. The precipated withdrawals are the worst thing you can imagine. It is horrible, sudden, and irreversible. It is like going cold turkey from heroin but 1000x worse than that. All at once, BAM!

I found out the hard way. I've known others who came off of methadone with it and were vomiting with diarrhea, full sweats/chills, terrible pain, shaking fits, screaming, the works... all within the first 30 mins to 60 mins of their first 'tiny dose' of 2mg.

Buprenorphine is a great detox medication, but it is also very dangerous. I thought I was going to die. I felt that bad for 2 days. By the day 3-4, I felt better.

I wish I had been warned about this.

[Reported Dose: '8 mg']

Exp Year: 2006ExpID: 55172
Gender: Female 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: May 31, 2019Views: 1,938
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Pharms - Buprenorphine (265) : Unknown Context (20), Bad Trips (6), Combinations (3)

COPYRIGHTS: All reports copyright Erowid.
No AI Training use allowed without written permission.
TERMS OF USE: By accessing this page, you agree not to download, analyze, distill, reuse, digest, or feed into any AI-type system the report data without first contacting Erowid Center and receiving written permission.

Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the authors who submit them. Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.


Experience Vaults Index Full List of Substances Search Submit Report User Settings About Main Psychoactive Vaults