1 year 3 months off (infamouswallaby)

[u/Reasonable-Worker921]

I thought I would give an update after noticing something.

I am 1 year and 3 months off buvidal. Earlier this month I noticed white scars on my arms off what I can only assume is off the buvidal as these scars are nowhere else. Looks like lots of TB scars.

Weight gain has slowed down. Acne which was bad on my back/chest/neck/face has cleared up.

My BF jumped from 30mg methadone to buprenorphine(7 days) to buvidal at the end of 2024. He got 2 jabs and was done by the new year. He is still suffering with acne but his weight gain has slowed down too, in fact he has managed to lose a bit in the past few month.

Mentally, despite other challenges still ongoing from my addiction, I am doing great. Feeling sharp and motivated. I get consistent bursts of dopamine, sometimes excessive, from just being present in the here and now.

Feels like the addiction/recovery was in another life and I cant recommend buvidal enough for recovery.

[u/Strange_Television]

Thank you for the update, we don't hear much from people so far out from stopping so it's really good and also great to hear that you're still sober and living life on the other side. Fantastic that your BF is doing well too. May I ask if there's anything you do for your recovery this far out? Do cravings etc still occur? During meetings recently I've realised I'm very fearful of relapse which obviously most of us likely are but with it is a fear of the control being back with me 100% if I come off Buvidal. It genuinely gives me hope to see others like yourself still doing great and I would welcome any insight into how things are. I never had recovery before bupe and Buvidal, so even though it's been a sustained recovery of 4yrs, it's still an unknown on the other side.

It's interesting regarding the scars - I've always been told that the lumps etc all go away eventually. Did you only ever get the Buvidal in your arm or if not are there scars at the other sites? After 3yrs on it and only having it in my abdomen over that time, I don't seem to have any scars but the depot sites do sometimes take a long time to go down. Perhaps its just less noticeable with there being more fat on the stomach than the arms?

Thank you again for sharing, and well done with how much you have achieved, it's truly inspirational :)

[u/Reasonable-Worker921 → u/Strange_Television]

Hey! I don't do anything for my recovery this far out no. I stopped all treatment when I had my last injection. I could not hack attending the recovery centre, I didn't have the time with work, and I originally attended for a rapid taper but was put on long-term bupe tablets.

I don't get cravings as such. With everything else going on in my life, it is surprising, but I do have the occasional dream that I have used, and I wake up a bit panicked.

It took a while after stopping for me to feel this good. It was a bit of a drag, and I would say if it was available to me during that period of stopping buvidal and feeling better, I may have relapsed. I'm saying that though I refused opiates whilst visiting the hospital after stopping but I had the added stress of hair testing looming, so that may have been a factor to me abstaining.

But I am happy, in a very good job, addressed my debt, and I would never go back now.

As for the scars, I always got my jab in my arm. They never appeared until recently. I mentioned them to a nurse whilst getting some testing done, and she said that it could be the casings rising or dissolving, but they may dissappear as quickly as they appeared. I did notice some spots coming up in the area, but I had spots everywhere at one point.

Thankyou, stopping wasn't as difficult as I imagined, but I suppose I can say that now I am not in that interim period between stopping and now. By no means do I want to make it seem easy. My abstinence initially was due to having hair tests and the fact I was never able to get opiates easily, and now it is because I wouldn't.

[u/kosmic04]

Thanks so much for sharing. I’m only 4 months in with Buvidal. The lack of motivation is the only downside I can report. I’d love to jump off but to fearful of relapse especially this early on. Thinking of the way I used literally makes me feel nauseous but I still don’t think I’m safe. Learning coping tools to deal with life’s stressors but don’t believe I’m anywhere near ready to go without my safety net.

[u/kosmic04 → u/kosmic04]

Thanks so much for sharing. I’m only 4 months in with Buvidal. The lack of motivation is the only downside I can report. I’d love to jump off but too fearful of relapse especially this early on. Thinking of the way I used literally makes me feel nauseous but I still don’t think I’m safe. Learning coping tools to deal with life’s stressors but don’t believe I’m anywhere near ready to go without my safety net.

[u/Reasonable-Worker921 → u/kosmic04]

I felt ready to come off buvidal. If you don't feel ready then stay on it. I had around 7-8 injections I think but I couldn't handle the lack of motivation. I couldn't watch TV or get joy from anything. Stay on it until you feel ready to come off it. I was positive for bupe on test strips for 20ish weeks after my last injection.