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Precipitated Withdrawal Hell
Buprenorphine / Naloxone (Suboxone)
Citation:   HH420. "Precipitated Withdrawal Hell: An Experience with Buprenorphine / Naloxone (Suboxone) (exp108929)". Erowid.org. Jun 5, 2019. erowid.org/exp/108929

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
8 mg sublingual Pharms - Buprenorphine
  T+ 0:00 2 mg sublingual Naloxone
  T+ 1:00 8 mg sublingual Pharms - Buprenorphine
  T+ 1:00 2 mg sublingual Naloxone
BODY WEIGHT: 160 lb
Though I have heard many of the stories of addicts taking the Subs too early, and having them get HORRIBLY sick; I had never had it happen to me personally. I have had a daily opiate habit for roughly 3-4 years now.
I have had a daily opiate habit for roughly 3-4 years now.
And have personally taken bits and pieces of a Suboxen strip, and have felt fine before. I thought I would go ahead and share the story about the time I accidently took way too many Suboxens, FAR too soon. And have experienced this mythical 'hellish sickness!'

I live in the suburbs of Baltimore Maryland. On the outskirts of the city; the Heroin capital of all the United States of America. During Last winter, a legendary blizzard was said to hit the state, bringing roughly 4 feet of snow with it; breaking all previous local records. Knowing I should stock up on some 'stuff', but thinking that I would have enough time to see one of my connects if I woke up early enough in the morning. I made the mistake of going to bed without preparing myself. I woke up early the next morning, with horrible nervousness as I stared out my bedroom window into the ocean of frozen powder. The storm had started FAR earlier then I had planned. And had ultimatley FUCKED myself. There was absolutley no chance of getting out and seeing anyone to procure my precious medicine.

I tried everything possible! I called any and all of my connections, hoping one of them would be within walking distance. I called all of my local 'druggy friends' asking if perhaps they had an extra baggy or two they might have stocked up on the night before the storm. I looked on the internet; searching social media for anyone with a 4 wheeler or snow mobile in hopes that I could perhaps pay them for a ride down into the city. But there was just no luck to be found. I walked outside to my car, with shovel in hand; in one last desperate attempt in finding a way to get some 'shit'. But the snow was falling far too fast. And even if I did dig myself out, The weather channel was saying that the snow plows wouldn't be coming to the local back streets until the blizzard had either slowed down or had stopped completely. And this wasn't suppose to happen until later the next day.

I excepted the situation for what it was. And knew I wouldn't be getting any opiates for perhaps another 48 hours. The desperation, slowly turned to a deep dark depression, knowing I would have to face the dreaded 'sickness' head on. Up until this point, I hadn't went any longer then maybe 12-16 hours without some form of opiate in a full 4 years. And I was worried to say the least.

My girlfriend snorted the opiates (and I shot them). And she said that she was already begining to feel like crap and that she wanted to take one of the many 8mg Suboxen Strips I kept on hand for such an occasion. So I went ahead and gave her one. I wasn't yet feeling that bad, but knew that it would be coming soon enough, so I decided that it would be a good idea to go ahead and take a full strip ahead of time. This was a mistake. Perhaps 45 minutes to an hour had passed, and my girlfriend had began to complain about the Suboxen not working. And that she wanted to go ahead and take another one. At this time, I didn't even think about the fact that maybe the first suboxen hadn't even started working yet: Blocking the receptors in my brain that allowed the opiates to make me feel better, or in this case; stop up the receptors, and make me feel normal instead of feeling like total shit. And so I got out two more Suboxen strips; and went ahead and took yet another with my girlfriend, in hopes that I would go from feeling normal.... to, feeling normal. Without feeling any sickness whatsoever.

The sun began to set, and the storm continued outside, as things went from normal to bad. For no apparent reason, I started to feel quite uncomfortable. I couldn't find a good position to lay in to watch my show on TV. I began to get heat flashes; with which I would throw the blanket off my sweating body, get cold, then put it back on in fits of frustration. Only if I knew this was only the begining.

As the minutes turned to hours, I started to realize just how bad of a mistake it was to take suboxen before I had started to feel sick. The horrible effects only intensifyed. Soon enough I was sick to my stomach, and threw up for the first of many times that night.

I had never felt so horrible in my entire life. I've had the flu, chicken pox, fevers, bad trips even; but nothing could compare to this 'precipitated withdrawal'.
I've had the flu, chicken pox, fevers, bad trips even; but nothing could compare to this 'precipitated withdrawal'.
My bones, and muscles began to ache as I stretched my feet against the end of my bed trying to crack any of my leg's joints to relive some of the pain. I sweated like crazy, though at times I'd be freezing cold, then boiling hot within moments. I couldn't go 20 minutes without vomiting everything out of my body. I couldn't keep anything down. Water, pepto bismol, sleeping pills, nothing. I would dry heave until I would cough up neon yellow battery acid. It was horrible. Even now as I think back, I shudder at the thought. The only thing that would seem to help would be sitting down and taking long, hot showers. Where I would; of coarse, vomit stomach bile directly down the drain. I would then go back to my bedroom, drink a half cup of water, and lay there exhausted, until I would relax just enough to lay still for a few minutes, or until I got sick enough to puke it back up into the trash can just next to my bed, then again, go back to the bathroom to take yet another hot shower. I did this over and over until the water ran cold. Then I would lay on my bed, twirling/rolling back and forth suffering until enough of the hot water would come back for me to take another 15-20 minute shower. I still live with my family. And when they saw my pale face, and sunken eyes, they instantly knew something was horribly wrong.

Late into the night, As I lay naked on the floor of my room. Twirling around, causing wicked carpet burns to my back and shoulders, I got so desperate for some sort of relief, That I got into my bed, and started to punch the wall just behind my pillow. You see, a somewhat large/heavy painting hung from the wall, just a few feet above my head. And I planned on punching the wall hard enough to have the frame come loose, and have it crash into my forehead; knocking me out cold. Sadly enough, I couldn't punch the wall hard enough for it to work!!

My girlfriend and I wimperd in agonizing pain through out the night, suffering horribly for our mistakes. I don't think I can truely convey just how god awful this pain/sickness was. Honestly. I have never felt so bad in my life. And am truely frightened to even use Suboxen now, even if I had been withdrawaling for 3-4 days, and could actually use it to my advantage. This experience scared me. I've luckily blocked out some of the darker moments of the night. When I say, I wanted to DIE the pain is so intense, I MEAN IT. God.... It was horrible.

Well, Long story short. At some point the sun came up, and light began to creep through the windows. And after about 10-12 hours the Suboxen had started to slow down enough for me to feel somewhat normally sick. Lol, I dug out my car, called a somewhat local connection, And got a small enough bag to make me feel like a person again.

The whole; 'taking suboxens too early and feeling horrible because of it' myth, isnt a myth at all.

Exp Year: 2016ExpID: 108929
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 24
Published: Jun 5, 2019Views: 2,611
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Pharms - Buprenorphine (265) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Addiction & Habituation (10), Difficult Experiences (5), Retrospective / Summary (11)

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