any longtermmethadone users switched to subs?

[Santa]

Swim has used heroine (IV) and methadone for over 23 years. The last 6 years she only used methadone (30 mgs). For several reasons she wants to switch to subutex now.
She has heard positive as well as negative stories about making the switch from methadone to subs but has hardly read posts from longterm methadone users (using about 15+ years) who switched to subs.
So if you are one of them long-time-done-heads who actually swapped it for subs: what's your experience? From what dose did you jump? How painful was it? And do you consider it an improvement or not? Swim would really like to hear your stories before making switch herself. Thanks.

[Laudaphun]

First off, swiy needs to taper down to as low as swiy can possibly go with methadone before trying to switch to buprenorphine. Methadone users, espcecially long term methadone users typically have a harder time switching to buprenorphine than anyone else.

You definitely need to be very very careful because if the suboxone percipitates a withdrawl from methadone, you will wish you were dead. As bad as methadone withdrawl is, it's compounded if percipitated. It is recomended that methadone users be down to NO MORE than 30mg of methadone before they attempt to switch to buprenorphine. In many cases people do not have to wait for withdrawl to set in before beginning buprenorphine, but in the case of methadone you MUST be in withdrawl before you start buprenorphine. You want to let yourself get as far into withdrawl as you can possibly stand before taking that first dose of bupe. Even if you do everything right, if you've been on methadone a long time you still might take awhile to feel completely better.

[Santa]

The shitty thing is that Swim tapered to 5 mgs in Spain but couldn't stand it anymore so she asked for bupe/subs over there but they did not want to give it! (and Swim had a statemnet from her doctor that she actually needed methadone for pain) so Swim went up to 40 mgs of methadone again. Fuck, now Swim has to start tapering all over again. She is on 30 mgs now and really not looking forward to being sick for several weeks - again. Swim heard that most longterm done-users don't make it on subs. Swim hopes to hear some more (good?) experiences from other Swiys here.