Buprenorphine / naloxone and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Jus...
• June 2, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "So I promised the last time when I got off these things I would do a review because I read all the reviews and it scared me! But the first time I was taking Suboxone for about 6 years, so it took me a longer time to taper, but if you taper slowly, you will barely feel anything. You will be uncomfortable and not want to go hang out, but you can still eat and things like that. NOTHING like coming off blues or anything that miserable, nowhere near that awful. The only thing if you have something to help you sleep was the hardest, only one day though. The next time (yes I’m a dumbass) I’ve been taking it for about 6 months, but only a quarter, so it took me a month to taper and by doing that, I was only feeling like rubbish for one day, and it wasn’t even that bad. So as long as you taper and don’t come off when you're taking a quarter or more, you’ll be okay. It was mostly the anxiety about it all that kills you. You can do this! You got this!"

• Twi...
• May 27, 2017

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "My personal experience with Suboxone is good so far. I have been on a prescribed Fentanyl patch 25 mcg/48 hrs. I have dropped to this dose over the last year. (I also left the old patch on.) I have been on opiates for 12 years, full-time prescribed. At my highest prescription, I was using 180 mg of Oxycodone and 180 mg of morphine per day. I have had several adjustments on medicine, including extended-release doses. Five years ago, I was put on 50 mcg of Fentanyl with 3-10 mg of Oxycodone per day for breakthrough. I started leaving my old patches on to increase my daily dose. This last year, I tapered down to 25 mcg patches for 48 hours (still leaving my old patches on). I went to a doctor that prescribes Suboxone. Lucky for me, my insurance pays for Suboxone. He gave me the 8/2 mg strips. I take half a strip twice a day. I was checking every forum to see how long I needed to wait to start the Suboxone. The replies are all very different. Some say 16 hours, most say 24. Others say 48-36-72 hours. Yikes! How do I keep out of precipitated withdrawals? I already have withdrawals every other day on my patch! So, I removed my patch last night around 5 PM. (I already have my Suboxone script at home.) I started feeling withdrawal symptoms coming on around 11 PM. They didn't get super intense. I checked the COWS scale, as many articles suggested, but only scored mild. I had the stretching of limbs symptom, anxiety, so I took half of a strip, which was the suggested dose. I took it at noon today. That's only 19-20 hours. I was in withdrawals, but not the worst I have ever had. I was scared of the precipitated withdrawals I heard about. Ten to fifteen minutes after I took it, I felt a hot sensation wash over me. I thought I would get those withdrawals, but I took a quick bath, laid down for an hour, and I feel pretty good. It took my withdrawals away. I still have some muscle pain, but not the kind that comes from withdrawals. Suboxone stopped the withdrawals right away. No headaches or sick feeling. Not high, but even my regular dose meds haven't made me high for years. So, if you're guessing on when it's okay to take Suboxone after opiates, and Fentanyl seems to be the highest strength, then I say shoot for 24 hours. If you are not in withdrawals at 24, then wait until you are. If you are in withdrawals before 24 hours, then just wait as long as you can. You will know when it's too bad to wait anymore. You know your body. You can always take half the amount prescribed and see how it reacts if you're afraid of precipitated withdrawals. Trust me, it will stop the withdrawals within a half-hour. I have not gotten the precipitated withdrawals so far. Hope this helps someone. Good luck to you!"

• Ear...
• June 27, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Suboxone is a crazy drug. I raced pro motocross and got introduced to pills because of being in the hospital a lot. Lol, anyway, I was taking around ten 30 mg percs a day for a little over a year. Well, I got on Suboxone from a doc. He told me I'd be on it for the rest of my life. (Don't do that.) The transition from pills to Suboxone was a breeze. Slept a lot for three days, and then I felt like I had my life back. (Wrong.) Four years on Suboxone. All I did was sleep those four years and couldn't keep any relationships. I was taking anywhere from 8 to 16 mg of Suboxone a day. I cold turkeyed off 8 to 16 mg of the strips because I was tired of sleeping all day. Luckily I am self-employed because I would have lost my job. I'm on day 26 and am still having diarrhea, very little energy, but I feel like I have my head back finally. Not saying there's no depression or anxiety, but I already feel better in my mind. The first three weeks were the worst and still are. Suboxone should only be used for two weeks to get off pills."

• Nas...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 7, 2020

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Been on Suboxone for 4 years. Tried to quit a few times, but kept coming back. Hard to get off of. It really is the anxiety that makes it tough to quit. I take the 8 mg strip, the blue one. I take less than 1/8 of a strip, close to 1/16. I've tapered down. I used to take 3/8 of a strip. I feel like I will never get off, because in the morning all I think about is putting that strip under my tongue."

• Nan...
• November 11, 2018

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I am and always will be in recovery from addiction to heroin, Xanax, meth, and pain pills. I've also been addicted to and went to rehab for Suboxone. I've been an addict since I'm 19, now 31, on and off Suboxone programs. I absolutely hate Suboxone, and I'm currently on it. It makes me tired, lazy both physically and mentally, anxious more than usual. I was clean for 8 months in a halfway house and begged to get back on the program. I regret that after multiple detoxes off Suboxone, the most horrific detox that I still went back on realistically as a crutch. I'm in addiction all over again but from a drug that's 'made to help you get clean.' Well, I'm not clean. I have to, on a daily basis, take a medication to 'feel normal.' People say it's better than shooting up, why? People shoot up Suboxone. It's better than pain pills, why? This is prescribed just as pain pills are. I regret ever taking it longer than 2 weeks. You get sick from not taking it, and it makes me feel horrible."

• jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2015

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Suboxone worked a miracle for me. I suffer from hydrocephalus and have a shunt in my brain. For 8 years, I had a neurologist tell me all he could do was treat me for pain. It didn't take long to realize they were addicting. I didn't know anymore if I was treating pain or the addiction. After all, I had an excuse. Then one day it hit me. I had been using the word 'excuse.' I tried to stop cold turkey. But each time, I'd get severe depression, anxiety, RLS, insomnia, headaches. I wasn't aware that my body was opiate dependent until I talked to a different doctor. He took my blood pressure, which was really low, and informed me that it was dangerous to quit like that after so long and suggested I try Suboxone. It works!"

• LaN...
• March 25, 2018

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I have been addicted to opiates, opioids, or anything like it for the past 8-10 years. I recently was addicted to poppy seed tea, which I had a good supply of high potency seeds, so I was extremely dependent on the tea for the last 7 years or so of my life. I was spending $20-$30 a day on it, and it took 1-3 hours a day of my life away from my family to get and make the tea. Not to mention the embarrassment. After losing my good supplier, I switched back to codeine, which wasn't doing the trick. Needless to say, I was hooked and had no easy way out. Anytime I tried to quit, I went through horrible withdrawals, crushing depression, and anxiety. Even after a week of not taking, the depression was getting worse and worse. I had to use, just so I wouldn't kill myself, it felt like. Totally trapped. I made the decision to start taking Suboxone last week. Best decision of my life!!!"

• Lov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2020

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I was prescribed Tylenol 3 for a whole year after a back injury at work and under the care of a pain management specialist. I had a concern for how they were going to get me off of this drug once the spinal injections started to kick in while taking it. Their response - Tylenol 3 is not as addictive as other narcotics! Rubbish! Here I am, 3 years later. I didn’t want to take Tylenol 3 forever, I was having to take 10-12 pills a day just to feel normal. I then sought help and started Suboxone. I’ve been taking 2 of the 8 mg/2 mg for the past year and have felt somewhat normal again. My insurance decided that they wouldn’t cover it anymore and said Zubsolv would be the equivalent! RUBBISH AGAIN! I started taking the 5.7 tab twice a day, and within a day, I was in full withdrawal! Sweats, nausea, crying spells, anxiety! I felt HORRIBLE! I DO NOT RECOMMEND this rubbish to ANYONE! I’d rather pay out-of-pocket and fight the insurance than to feel like I did a few days ago!"

• Bif...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 9, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I am 50 years old. Suboxone was the only way I could get off of ten years of opiate abuse, and I am grateful to be completely free of addictive substances now. Some cautions: my entry into taking buprenorphine was rough. I take protease inhibitors for HIV, and one of them dramatically increased the effect of the 8 mg buprenorphine, so within 48 hours, I was totally out of it and scared enough to go to the emergency room. I felt like I had OD'd. It wore off in four hours, but I did experience a short blackout. Once we adjusted the dosage, it was okay, but my docs should have caught the possible interaction with the HIV meds. I eventually tapered the dose over a year to 1 mg or less until drug-free. I had some moderate withdrawal for a week. Mostly sleep difficulties, anxiety, restless legs, and lots more saliva and crazy yawning. Should note my testosterone levels really dropped during the period I was on bupe and started to come up again to within normal range gradually."

• Meg...
• January 3, 2020

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I can say this medication has saved my life. Over and over again, every single day. I started off on Suboxone for over a year and my doctor switched me. And like any other addict, I was freaking out about it not working the same. I had so much anxiety about feeling any sort of withdrawal or not feeling good. But soon after starting it, my worries all disappeared. It worked wonderfully. I've now been clean for over 2 years since starting my treatment. I absolutely love Zubsolv, it really has saved my kid's mommy ❤."

• Opi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2016

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "1st day on Zubsolv. I have no history with Suboxone, and I can't compare the two. For the last year, I was averaging 20 days of the month on 150 mg of MD per day and 200 mg of Hydro or Oxy for the other 10 days of the month. My source of MD went to the clinic every two weeks, so I always would be out of MD with 4 or 5 days remaining before this person went back to the clinic. Sad but true, and I accept that I am an idiot. Anyways, 24 days ago I just jumped CT. It was as bad as all you have read about MD. I was desperate and called a clinic and got on Zubsolv. Within 30 minutes, all the anxiety, pain all over, lack of motivation, etc. was fading. 1 hour later, I am like a different person. Based on 1 day, I am a fan."

• In ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "On Suboxone for 2 years now. Down to 4 mg daily. Life was good again. Sleep well, feel good. Then CVS changed me over to Sandoz generic. Noticed right away the quality of the strip wasn't as good. It also fell apart easier as I cut the 8 mg in half. Then I started to feel a sense of withdrawal. Sweats, anxious, tired. I thought it had to be the generic drug doing this. What else could it be? It really messed me up. Had to increase the dose, and it still didn't work right. Cravings were coming back. Told my doctor, and he said he had heard other people complain of the same thing. Plus, I'm still paying $95 for a box of 8's. Same as brand name! Doctor put me back on the Suboxone, but I feel like I went back to where I was a year ago. This Sandoz generic is crap! Generics are never the same as brand name. Some are worse than others."

• Get...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 4, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "I've been on Suboxone for over 12 years. My last prescription was the first time I was forced to use the generic brand. I was going on 3 weeks of not sleeping at all, body aches, and extreme anxiety. It finally dawned on me one sleepless night that it was the generic Suboxone. I was very angry, to say the least. It was not my plan over 12 years ago to still be on this junk, but I'm clearly addicted to this now as opposed to opiates. After going through 3 weeks of hell and trying to work full-time, I've decided that it's time to start weaning off of this highly addictive alternative narcotic. I'm in the process of waiting for my pre-approval for the name brand. In the meantime, I had to pay $175.00 for a month's supply. My question is, how do the drug companies get away with generic drugs that feel like they have no medicine in them? They're pulling off a big scam. My body obviously had terrible withdrawal symptoms. The whole thing is extremely disturbing and dangerous."

• Mau...
• November 14, 2016

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "My experience taking Suboxone was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. I always viewed Suboxone as the lesser of two evils between methadone because Suboxone contains naloxone, so you technically can't get 'high.' Not that I have anything against people who choose methadone as their recovery route; I have actually tried methadone in the past to actually get high and, well... I succeeded, lol. When I started taking Suboxone, I got really bad side effects after the first month of taking it. I would severely sweat to the point I wanted to bash my head through a wall. It was so rough on my body. But my maintenance program doctor just said it was 'withdrawals' because when you take the pill every day, I guess you're technically withdrawing from the one you took the day before due to the long half-life on Suboxone. So his idea was to up my dose to 12 mg to see if the sweating would go away (I didn't see the logic in that idea too). Anyway, it didn't, so he tossed me some clonidine, which helped a little. But the side effects kept adding up, such as headaches, severe constipation to the point I had to use daily enemas (not normal), abdominal pains came too along with nausea and vomiting (every day). It just got to the point where my mind and body couldn't be on the medication anymore. I was on it for 7 long months, even trying to wean myself down on my own. That was a struggle too, seeing how the withdrawals from Suboxone are supposedly worse than heroin sickness, which my doctor and counselor kindly reminded me after I was already hooked. It was a messy time in my life. Suboxone gave me severe anxiety, which left me buying benzos off the street just to mellow me out. I went to a weekly Suboxone maintenance program on purpose. To get piss tested weekly and to have a doctor and counselor help me move forward. But instead, I felt I was moving 10 steps back. My only option to get off the Suboxone (which was my choice, obviously) was to get the vivitrol shot and have 3 bad days of sickness but be off Suboxone. It took me a week to build myself up to do it because I was terrified of how bad the sickness was going to be. Choosing the vivitrol shot had to be the best worst idea I have ever made. I did get violently sick after it, but it went away. Plus, my doctor who gave me the shot helped me out with some comfort meds, so it wasn't all that bad. That was in December 2015 that I received the shot and have been clean since. So my advice for any addict who's struggling on which route to take for recovery: just get the shot. They'll give comfort meds for the first couple of days, then after that, you'll be shackle-free from drugs. I'm telling ya, choose vivitrol if you need to detox. For others who take Suboxone for other reasons, such as pain or etc., power to you; but if y'all are struggling out there and want to get sober quick, vivitrol's the answer. Methadone and Suboxone will just make you sicker down the road."

• JGN...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "Came off prescribed Percocets and started taking Suboxone strips 8/2 for 4 months, then Zubsolv for a month that worked very well as well. Then they switched me to the new Bupe/Naloxone 2/.05 mg tablet generic twice daily, and all I got to say is this drug is absolutely horrible. I'm getting the sweats, extreme anxiety, depression, you name it - almost like I'm going into withdrawals a few hours after taking. Think I might just do an at-home detox and be over with all this medication nonsense. I wish you all the best with this product and also hope your insurance will pay for the real Suboxone or Zubsolv. Stay away from the generic, it will mess with your head, especially if you have a high sensitivity to medications. God bless, and please stay clean, don't ever give up."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 6, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "Horrible!! These generic Suboxone films are not the same thing as original Suboxone films. Horrible anxiety and feelings of withdrawals!! For the first time in 4 years, I’m worried about relapsing because I can’t stay feeling like this much longer!!"

• Nik...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 26, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I have been on Suboxone for 7 years. I started out on the orange pill, then was switched to the film. I also was put on Subutex during my pregnancy, but I've remained on the film for the last 4 years, and now just today they have switched me to these white buprenorphine/naloxone generic pills. I hope I feel just fine. I work full-time, have 3 kids, and can't afford the anxiety and stress that would come from a bad effect of them. But I am worried after reading the comments which say it is rubbish. Any info would be great."

• Nik...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 26, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I have been on Suboxone for 7 years. I started out on the orange pill, then was switched to the film. I also was put on Subutex during my pregnancy, but I've remained on the film for the last 4 years, and now just today they have switched me to these white buprenorphine/naloxone generic pills. I hope I feel just fine. I work full-time, have 3 kids, and can't afford the anxiety and stress that would come from a bad effect of them. But I am worried after reading the comments which say it is rubbish. Any info would be great."

• 659...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 5, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "Been taking Suboxone for 8 years, and it saved my life, but generic Sub came out, and Medicaid would only pay for that. Right off the bat, trouble. I began to have depression and even withdrawal symptoms. I ended up in the hospital. I felt relief if I doubled up, but even then, it didn’t always work. The degree of anxiety was beyond what I could tolerate. The generic Sub doesn't seem to have any active ingredients in them - or very little, this is really a big problem."

• bee...
• May 13, 2009

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Wow! That's all I can say. I had my doubts. Withdrawals-fever, cold sweats, chills, dilated pupils, upset stomach, shakes, extreme anxiety, loss of appetite. Should I say more? Well, I did not have one of them. Suboxone-a miracle drug."

• Lad...
• August 31, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "7 yrs clean & sober! Due to multiple surgeries, I was prescribed every type of pain pill on the market. Needless to say, I was a full-blown addict abusing RX opioids for 12 years. To clean up, I started out taking Suboxone 8 mg/2 mg (worked fine, saved my life). Next, my insurance co. decided they're not paying for Suboxone anymore, so now it's Zubsolv (not too bad/hard to dissolve). Then, a year later, it's another switcheroo game with my insurance, so I'm currently taking Dr. Reddy's generic buprenorphine/naloxone, which absolutely sucks! Take it from me - there is a totally huge difference between generic and non-generic; this generic garbage has me feeling weird, I cannot sleep, hot & cold bouts, feeling anxious and agitated. This is the first time in years that I am running out of my buprenorphine/naloxone. I am feeling as though I'm going into withdrawals and starting to crave. I will address this with my Dr. hopefully I can get an authorization for the real Suboxone."

• ede...
• January 12, 2009

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "This is the real deal. I was smoking a gram a day of heroin for about a year. I had tried to quit cold turkey-didn't work. I didn't even last two days before I went out again. Then I was prescribed other medicines to help with the detox. I gave these up after three days of insomnia and being anxious and depressed. Finally, I tried Suboxone, and it made all the difference in the world. I was super cold the first two days, but on day three, I woke up feeling great. I've been on one 8 mg pill a day for about three weeks now, and I feel better than I have in years. Even people who don't know I was a junkie have commented on how much better I look. The best part is I have no cravings, and I have money again."

• zxc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2017

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I was prescribed Zuboxone, but my insurance covered Zubsolv instead. From the first time, I felt tremors and told my Dr. He prescribed increasing the dosage, and it got worse. It felt like I was trembling from my core along with anxiety. I just was switched to buprenorphine alone and can't believe how much improved I am. I wouldn't recommend Zubsolv."

• Smu...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 20, 2019

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "I've been taking Suboxone for many years now. I continue it for maintaining my pain relief. What I would like to say is... Generic Suboxone is not the same. I've been having withdrawal symptoms, and my anxiety has soared through the roof. Here is a copy of what the generic Zubsolv had to say: 'There are some preferential differences between Suboxone and Zubsolv, such as taste and dosage forms. Zubsolv also has improved bioavailability, which allows the user to absorb the buprenorphine and put it to use more easily. As a result, there is a lower opioid content in a dose of Zubsolv than in a dose of Suboxone.' So, those who say 'it's the same' rubbish, it's not."

• Sca...
• February 8, 2020

Buprenorphine / naloxone for Opioid Use Disorder "Been on subs for one year and have done great. My insurance will no longer cover them, had to go to zubs. Within 3 hours, I was in full-blown withdrawal, had all the withdrawal symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, shaking, anxiety, and suicidal ideation - it was a nightmare. Luckily, I have a great doctor, called in the sub strips, and within 20 minutes, I was back to normal. Please think twice before you take Zubsolv."