Suboxone (buprenorphine) creates a physical dependence in the brain. Stopping cold turkey usually leads to withdrawal symptoms. By slowly taking less and less of the medication, patients can come off Suboxone (or Subutex) within weeks or months without unpleasant symptoms.
Suboxone Withdrawal Symptoms
Suboxone and Subutex are partial opioids, so withdrawal symptoms are similar but milder than withdrawal from opioids like prescription pain medications or heroin.
- Low energy
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability
- Muscle weakness
- Withdrawal insomnia / Restlessness
Physical Symptoms of Suboxone Withdrawal
A tapering schedule reduces or eliminates these symptoms. No reduction in medication should be attempted until all physical withdrawal has subsided from the last dosage reduction.
Mental Symptoms of Suboxone Withdrawal
The most common mental symptoms of withdrawal are anxiety and depression.
That is why it’s so important to keep up with MAT individual and group therapy sessions. Treating all the behaviors and emotions that are unique to you will make a lasting and successful recovery possible. It is also helpful to maintain a healthy diet and a good daily routine or work schedule; exercise can be very beneficial as well.
Suboxone Taper & Relapse
Another side effect of a Suboxone taper is relapse. Suboxone was used to stop opioid receptors in the brain from sending craving signals for opioids. If cravings become intense after tapping from Suboxone, Vivitrol may offer a safety net.
While you may want to move off Suboxone quickly, being so uncomfortable in a taper that relapse occurs is the opposite of the goal.
How Long Does Suboxone Withdrawal Last?
Symptoms of Suboxone withdrawal can last from a few days to several weeks. Generally, symptoms start within 48 hours after the last dose and peak around day three.
Some patients experience mental health symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, sleep issues, mood swings and drug cravings for weeks or months after opioid/Suboxone use, which is known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS).
A slow taper off of Suboxone helps prevent PAWS and minimizes the length and severity of all withdrawal symptoms. Patients here can attest that little to no discomfort is possible coming off Suboxone.
The Standard Suboxone Taper Schedule
It is best to work with your doctor to create a tapering schedule that is most effective for your total recovery and based on the Suboxone clinic requirements.
Everyone is different, but in general, a gradual reduction in the total daily dose (e.g., no more than 10% to 20% every one to two weeks) can be successful.
Generally Safe Suboxone Taper Chart (Aggressive)
- NOTE: These guidelines represent a timeline that helps keep the taper medically safe, but are likely quite a bit faster (more aggressive) than what is ideal.
How to Taper Off Suboxone: According to Patients
"The best advice I can give is to start with a plan, listen to your body and take your time. I found after reducing 2 mg to 1mg to 0.5mg, it became more difficult. But, keep taking your time. You’ll get there."
"I was a heroin user back in the day. Then, I was on 8mg of Suboxone for 5 years. I tapered very slowly and paid attention to what my body was telling me. I had to go back to my original does a few times. Like others say exercise and lots of water helps."
"I recommend tapering down very slowly. You will eventually get off, and you will be able to avoid feeling so sick."
Medications to Get Off Suboxone
Most patients tapering off Suboxone want to get off addiction-related medications, but withdrawals lead some to look for alternatives.
Suboxone to Sublocade
If the biggest frustration with Suboxone is the daily dosing, transitioning to Sublocade could be a good option. Sublocade is a long-acting injection of buprenorphine that is given only monthly.
Some patients cite side effects improve on Sublocade, and it helps with the daily cycles that can come with daily dosing. Sublocade should be continued for a few months but seems to give minimal withdrawal symptoms when stopped.
I was on Suboxone for 10 years and stated the switch to Sublocade at 300 mg. Then, I dropped to 100 mg of Sublocade for two more months. It’s been 12 weeks since my last shot, I haven’t any withdrawals yet, hoping to never get any!
Suboxone to Kratom (Don't Do It)
Kratom is often cited by the non-medial community as a “natural” treatment to detox off of opioids or Suboxone.
In reality, kratom activates opiate (mu-opioid) receptors in a similar way as opioids like heroin. It causes similar withdrawal symptoms and cravings as opioid use.
Research shows:
Kratom is more dangerous and addictive than Suboxone and is illegal in many other countries. Using Kratom to counteract Suboxone withdrawals is likely to cause a setback rather than stopping medication use.
"I got addicted to Kratom after being clean off heroin for 2 years. The next thing I know I’m back on heroin."
Suboxone to Vivitrol
While Vivitrol can’t be used during the Suboxone taper, it can offer a level of security to know there is a non-addictive option to help with cravings after getting off Suboxone.
Vivitrol is given as a monthly shot after fully weaning off Suboxone. The injection contains naltrexone, which is not an opioid.
Vivitrol doesn’t involve withdrawal symptoms when stopped and comes with limited to no side effects. It is a great option to ease the transition of opioids.
Learn more about the transition from Suboxone to Vivitrol.
Suboxone to Methadone
Since methadone is also habit-forming, taken daily and actually requires more in-person visits, a switch from Suboxone to methadone usually defeats the goal of reducing medications or inconvenience. The switch, however, is straightforward.
See also: Switching From Suboxone To Methadone
Need Help With Your Suboxone Detox?
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150 Comments
i’m 3 years clean from fentanyl but i’ve been on suboxone ever since. i’ve only been taking 2mg and had tapering schedule with my doctor set up. i’m 5 days off of it and while the symptoms of discomfort are bearable, the cold sweats are killing me at work. how long do those typically last?
I want to get off suboxone now!!! I had to have surgery & went off for a day before but was told not to take again till off of pain meds but ended up in ER feeling like I was tripping & vitals were terrible & they couldn’t help that but said it was a withdrawal from not taking the subs after a few days. I’m still in pain almost 2 months later & taking an opiate & a 1/4 of the amount of subs I was on every few days…I’m scared to withdrawal again or give myself a precipitated withdrawal! What can I do???
I’m taking 6 mg suboxone a day, I have 55 2mg strips left to taper. Is this enough? Will I be ok for the most part? Will these strips last me through the slowest taper as possible? I need help, idk how to make a taper schedule?
I received suboxone for off label use to treat depression. I had received some devastating health news while struggling through a dire financial setback and I felt like I was going to “implode”. I intimated I might have a problem abusing my prescription for hydrocodene ( not true) and shortly received Suboxone, not knowing it was addictive and suddenly , I had become a ward of the program with urine tests and threats of every 3(?) months they might detect- without knowing the measure- some trace of hydrocodene in my system. I was using my prescription infrequently when my kidney stones ( for which I’ve been hospitalized 3 times for) would start to act up. It would just be “bad timing” that once a year- for 2 years- the therapist in charge would find a trace of the pill , and then the ridiculous assumptions I was a drug user/ addict would take precedence over any explanation.
I’ve been adhering to a daily dose of 1 mg of suboxone a day for 8 years. I try and keep it less than that but I developed mild sleep apnea( Mild until “ you” have it) and subuxone can’t effectively cut through the fog of SA. All the dose does most days is keep me from finding out what withdrawal brings. I have 4 times put off taking my daily dose when I felt quite “normal” and tried to go about my daily concerns: Within an hour of missing the dose I start to feel anxiety creeping up on me and I raced to take the dosage.
While it is not an ideal time to stop this- my spouse of 47 years just died of a heart attack- my “keeper” suddenly reappeared on the scene ( maybe thinking I would suffer some “ relapse” into the imaginary drug addiction. I received some super urine test that detects nicotine, coffee and alcohol and suboxone- anything! For 3 days I received updates suggesting POSITIVE ABNORMAL!!. I had no idea what it meant and I waited for 3 days as this message kept repeating itself in some form but without explanation. Every time the phone rang I figured it was the therapist/ whatever- ready to express her disgust at my return to old ways. The anxiety of waiting for that call caused me 2 days of no sleep, BP probably through the roof and panic that I thought zi would have to go to hospital to treat ( which I can’t afford the time as I race to do taxes and grieve for my spouse.
I can’t take this ownership of my life anymore or the belief I’m some criminal or a drug user. I am a drug addict now I guess- using suboxone. I curse that fay and wish I had been properly informed about it’s addictive qualities.
I’ve been on suboxone going on 3 years now. I’ve never taking more than one in the beginning. Now, going on more than a year, I think, I’ve only taken 1/2 a pill everyday, on my own, not by my dr. My question is how can I exactly can I start tapering the right way ?