Suboxone and Depression: What Users Say

• AM1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 11, 2014

For Opioid Use Disorder "To anyone looking to get on Suboxone to overcome opiate addiction - DO IT!! I've been on Suboxone for 15 months now & have gone from 20mg to 2 mgs literally painlessly. The first time I took it, I knew within an hr I had found what I needed to get that damn monkey off my back. A slow yet STEADY taper is important. There's no reason a person can't easily drop 2mgs a mo. down to about 4mg. If it's making you sleepy, time to taper! It gets a bit slower once you get lower but still not hard at all. Once you get to about 3mg, you almost have an awakening! You get more energy and start to LOVE music and conversation again. I would say that those are the biggest side effects - sleepiness (taper!) and slight emotional dullness."

• Tom...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 19, 2019

For Opioid Use Disorder "Suboxone was great for getting off of opioids (Percocet) and the $100/day habit, but it came with a high price. I was addicted to Suboxone now (under doctor's care) and we tried 6-7 times to wean me off. IMPOSSIBLE!! And I was a successful business owner who was a workaholic and could do almost anything. The insomnia and restless leg drove me back every time. Finally had to go to a medical detox place, RCA, to get off this stuff. In the meantime, I lost 400k, can't work, have crippling depression, and can't focus on stuff. I've been opioid/Suboxone-free for 7 months now, and guess what?? I'm still a mess. All I can say is don't take that stuff long term. It's BRUTAL to stop..."

• Ear...
• June 27, 2019

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."

• War...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2017

For Opioid Use Disorder "This medication is excellent for suppressing my cravings for opioids! Unfortunately, I cannot stay on it for more than a month due to the horrible side effects. I literally would not sleep more than 1-2 hours a night, therefore causing hallucinations after 4 days. No bowel movement for a week at a time, and even then, I would have to drink magnesium citrate. My legs would swell so bad, my lower back would hurt, and I put on 10-15 lbs of water. Severely agitated and depressed."

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

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!"

• Jim...
• November 1, 2009

For Opioid Use Disorder "Had OxyContin addiction, went to methadone for 2 years, tapered from 150 mg to 25 mg, then switched to Suboxone for 2 years. Tapered from 32 mg to 0.5 mg. Initial taper was quick, and I was at 2 mg and below for the 2nd year. I was on 0.5 mg (a quarter of a 2 mg pill) for 2 months before I stopped. I stopped Sept 1309 (7 weeks ago). Withdrawals are not as severe as OxyContin's but long. The first week was hard, and the 2nd week was better, and by week 3, I was much better. Here is the thing: I am still not sleeping well (5 hrs/night), not solid. My motivation and energy are low, skin still crawls, and Jimmy legs are the worst! (7 weeks). After research, it looks like I will be dealing with this for 6 months to a year."

• LaN...
• March 25, 2018

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!!!"

• Why...
• February 4, 2014

For Opioid Use Disorder "I've only taken the Suboxone for two days now, waiting for this 'miracle' everyone is talking about to happen. Started 8 mg yesterday after a month of trying the methadone treatment that made me feel awful. Withdrew appropriately as to not cause precipitated withdrawal and was even worse yesterday than when I had tried cold turkey on my own. Deep depression. Today, 12 mg. Still waiting to feel good, still waiting to not have cravings, still waiting to stop crying. I'm paid up for two weeks, this needs to be the answer. Everyone is saying they felt amazing the first day, doesn't anyone struggle the first few and then feel amazing? I don't want to hold my breath, but I really need this to be my answer too."

• man...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 4, 2017

For Opioid Use Disorder "Dear hopeful, I wish you all luck, because you will need all the luck in the world if you choose this way to get clean from an addiction problem. It will never happen, it is actually 100 times harder to get off subs than any drug. It will make you lose any personality you have, not to mention friends, significant others, all your sex drive. You will be depressed, tired, mean, moody, and miserable all the time. Trust me, this is no way to end your problem, it will only create bigger ones than before. You will lose interest in your family, your dreams, and life. So suck it up, it's 7-10 days of being sick. Trust me, it will beat the most of misery getting off of subs. I promise, don't put a Band-Aid on something that you will live through. Trust me, the hell isn't worth it."

• Dta...
• November 2, 2009

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was on OxyContin, Methadone, cocaine. NOT ALL AT ONCE. It started with Percocets, Vicodin. Then I started trying OxyContin, then when I was coming down from Oxys, I would binge on coke for days to relieve the depression and sluggishness from not having oxy. Then a friend gave me a Suboxone. And I got a script and help for my addiction. I've been on the Suboxone program for a little over a year. I have lapsed a few times but never like before. I'm almost done with this, and I can see a light at the end of this long tunnel finally! Suboxone takes away the physical withdrawal symptoms and blocks your opiate receptors. So if you do use opiates within 24 hrs, it won't let you get as high, and withdrawal symptoms come on stronger and faster. So not advised to use both."

• Bra...
• April 23, 2009

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was recently prescribed Suboxone by my neurologist to detox off of OxyContin. I was taking 180 mg of OxyContin daily and struggled with keeping a regulated amount constant throughout the day and had many side effects from the OxyContin. My neurologist prescribed me 8 mg/2 mg tablets full-time for not only detoxing off of the OxyContin but also to treat chronic pain that I deal with daily from damage to discs in my spine from T4 - T11 and L5-S1. On Suboxone, my pain levels are very low (1-2), depression is minimal, and the obvious withdrawal symptoms from the OxyContin were suppressed completely 20 minutes after my initial dose approximately 16 hours after my last dose of OxyContin. Excellent drug for pain management."

• ede...
• January 12, 2009

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."

• pun...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 29, 2014

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was reading some of the reviews on how well Suboxone works on opiate withdrawal. The one person had only been on it for three days, 8 mg a day. I as well went that route over 6 years ago. While Suboxone is a lifesaver while trying to kick narcotics. The Suboxone also comes with a price! If you are only on it for a short time, meaning a month or so, you should do well. What always brought me back to the narcotics, after the Sub's, was the depression. I would become so depressed, I had considered suicide. If it comes down to staying on Suboxone or pills, even heroin, stay on the Suboxone! They even have a better drug out there now. It's called Butrans, it comes in patch form only, it comes in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 25 mg patches."

• sub...
• June 8, 2010

For Opioid Use Disorder "I had a major addiction problem to many kinds of pain medicines for almost 3 years. I did a lot of oxycodone every day and any other pain medicine I could get a hold of. I'll admit I loved the high, but I hated not being able to get out of bed in the morning. I was so depressed every day, all I wanted was to just feel normal again. I have a beautiful 3-year-old little boy who is my whole world. Although it took me some time, I finally checked into rehab about a year ago. From there, they prescribed me Suboxone, 2 x 8 mg tablets daily. I am still currently on Suboxone, beginning to wean down. Thanks to Suboxone, I regained my life back, and now I have many more years to look forward to with my son. Suboxone is the greatest thing for any opiate-dependent person."

• Tri...
• March 22, 2010

For Opioid Use Disorder "I tried to detox myself from a 10-bag-a-day heroin habit and 80 mg of oxy. I would always make it 3 days until the withdrawal got so bad I had to use to not feel sick. I thought it would be impossible to quit. After being on Suboxone for 3 days, I have had no withdrawal symptoms and the severe depression I would get from not taking opiates was gone. I have my life back thanks to this drug and my doctor. Best choice I ever made. Suboxone + NA = Better quality of life."

• Alm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 10, 2021

For Opioid Use Disorder "I have been on Suboxone for several years. I thought it was the best option that I could find. The choices/options were zero. For an epidemic, there aren't any solutions or hopes for any. We all are happy for Suboxone, mainly because it was the only other game in town for us without finances for high-end drug withdrawal resorts. But we should not just compare Suboxone to opioids. I am past that, and now I must compare Suboxone to NO DRUGS AT ALL. No more sweats, chills, confusion. No more mood swings, depression, dizzy spells, cramps, and a loss of who I am. Because, compared to no symptoms, Suboxone is still a barrier keeping me away from who I am, or can be. I won't know what that is for 6 months if I start my taper now. I want to know who I am, without symptoms, without Suboxone. I don't imagine it is going to be perfect, but it will be the genuine ME. God will lead me there....."

• Sma...
• February 6, 2009

For Opioid Use Disorder "This drug has saved my life, literally. I have a long, sad history of drug abuse. I was on a minimum of 1600 mg of oxycodone a day for over three years. I had to do ridiculous things to support my habit. I have been to countless rehabs, but to no avail. Although the physical withdrawal part is hard, it is nothing compared to the depression that follows. I was hospitalized numerous times following detox for having serious suicidal thoughts. This is the only thing that worked for me. Now I am clean for over a year and am down to around 5-6 mg of Suboxone a day."

• the...
• March 1, 2010

For Opioid Use Disorder "I was on 3 to 4 bags a day for three years. Always felt depressed. Now I have been on Subutex for 3 years, feel no desire to get high. Am scared of how I will feel coming off of it. I am going to start to cut it back. I am on 4 mg twice a day most of the time. I take 2 mg twice a day. Want to stop so I can feel like myself again."

• Dop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2021

For Opioid Use Disorder "If addicted to pills, why would anyone even bother with Suboxone? Pills are so easy to taper down from! I say this because when I was on pills (Percs, Oxy, Roxi, Norcos, etc.), I thought coming down sucked but wasn't impossible... That's why I even tried heroin to begin with, because I thought I would be stronger than the drug and the withdrawal would just be like the pills. WRONG! Heroin withdrawals are a million times worse! So if you are on pills, just taper and get off, don't bother with Suboxone. However, if you're trying to get off heroin or fentanyl, then Suboxone is a lifesaver. Suboxone withdrawals are way milder compared to heroin's. It's just more drawn out. Whereas heroin's withdrawals are downright impossible, Suboxone's aren't nearly as bad. The hardest part is (with both Suboxone and heroin) the long-term effects, the depression and lack of motivation overall. So do yourself a favor, if you're on pills, just taper and get off. Don't get stuck on Suboxone and absolutely do NOT try heroin to replace pills. DON'T DO IT."

• Dop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2021

For Opioid Use Disorder "If addicted to pills, why would anyone even bother with Suboxone? Pills are so easy to taper down from! I say this because when I was on pills (Percs, Oxy, Roxi, Norcos, etc.), I thought coming down sucked but wasn't impossible... That's why I even tried heroin to begin with, because I thought I would be stronger than the drug and the withdrawal would just be like the pills. WRONG! Heroin withdrawals are a million times worse! So if you are on pills, just taper and get off, don't bother with Suboxone. However, if you're trying to get off heroin or fentanyl, then Suboxone is a lifesaver. Suboxone withdrawals are way milder compared to heroin's. It's just more drawn out. Whereas heroin's withdrawals are downright impossible, Suboxone's aren't nearly as bad. The hardest part is (with both Suboxone and heroin) the long-term effects, the depression and lack of motivation overall. So do yourself a favor, if you're on pills, just taper and get off. Don't get stuck on Suboxone and absolutely do NOT try heroin to replace pills. DON'T DO IT."