Suggest Ways To Wean Off Suboxone

Posted on Sun, 20 Dec 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 20 Dec 2015 Answered on

Thu, 7 Jan 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : For a patient currently on 8mg suboxone sublingual daily, what would you suggest as an effective taper & timeline?

Answered by Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Consultation

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question.

Tapering should be done carefully under the supervision of a psychiatrist, to avoid withdrawal which can be very uncomfortable (though not deadly).

Here is the schedule I typically use for 8mg of Suboxone:

Day 1-5: 4mg
Day 6-13: 2mg
Day 14-20: 1.5mg
Day 21-28: 1mg
Day 29-40: 0.5mg
Day 41-48: 0.25mg

This should be adjusted to account for side effects along the way.

I should also mention that people with opiate addictions relapse at rates greater than 90% unless you are on maintenance therapy with things like suboxone or methadone, so be aware of this statistic.

I encourage you to contact me at my direct link below. We receive a significantly higher payment from this website for direct questions, so I prefer this venue in which to work with you. It would be my pleasure to be your personal physician on this website. My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX doctor working in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked #1 for Psychiatry in the United States . For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, or individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: XXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T