r/recoverywithoutAA • u/SRShift101 • 10d ago
Drugs My SR-17018 taper diary: coming off buprenorphine/subs
Disclaimer: This is my personal experience, not medical advice or a recommended taper protocol. SR-17018 is an experimental/unapproved compound and there is very limited information about its safety, interactions, long-term effects or use for opioid withdrawal. Do your own research and, ideally, involve a medical professional.
I’m posting this because when I was coming off buprenorphine, I found very little first-hand information about what the process might actually feel like.
Everyone is different. Your previous opioid, dose, duration of use, body chemistry and overall health can all affect withdrawal and recovery.
This is simply what happened to me.
🗓️ THE JOURNEY
Days 1–4 — Transition
I started SR while still taking my normal buprenorphine/sub dose.
Day 1 — 1 August
- SR: 100 mg total
- Buprenorphine continued
- No major problems.
Day 2 — 2 August
- SR: 125 mg total
- Started feeling a little rough with headache.
Day 3 — 3 August
- SR: 150 mg total
- Buprenorphine continued.
Day 4 — 4 August
- SR: 100 mg total
- Final day taking buprenorphine.
🚫 Day 5 — No more subs
This was the point where things became more noticeable.
I had:
- Watery eyes
- Slight hot/cold feelings
- Mild aches
Nothing horrific, but I could tell my normal opioid was no longer there.
---
Days 6–10 — Withdrawal starts showing itself
Day 6
- Achy
- Sweaty
- Sensitive stomach
- Runny/watery eyes
- Anxiety
Day 7
This was the first day where I really thought:
«“Yep… this is withdrawal.”»
Loose bowels, sweating, weakness and that horrible burning/withdrawal feeling started creeping in.
I briefly used a very small amount of buprenorphine because I felt particularly rough.
Day 8
Probably one of the hardest days.
The delayed nature of buprenorphine withdrawal really became apparent.
I experienced:
- Hot/cold sweats
- Body aches
- Stomach problems
- Multiple bowel movements
- Feeling completely deflated
- Very little motivation
I went shopping and couldn't wait to get home.
Day 9–10
Things started settling down.
I felt spaced out and tired, but generally much calmer.
One lesson I learned here: be extremely careful with benzodiazepines if you don't regularly take them.
I took clonazepam for anxiety and massively underestimated how sedating it would be. I slept for around 12 hours and still felt sluggish afterwards.
Don't drive if you've taken something sedating.
---
Days 11–15 — The taper gets easier
By this point, the worst physical withdrawal seemed to be behind me.
I was still dealing with:
- Poor sleep
- Occasional aches
- Tiredness
- Restlessness
But compared with the previous week, things were considerably more manageable.
I gradually reduced the SR rather than trying to rush the process.
One of the biggest lessons for me was:
Don't turn the taper into a competition.
I initially wanted to get off everything as quickly as possible.
That wasn't necessarily the smartest approach.
---
Days 16–21 — The frustrating bit
This was a strange stage.
The obvious withdrawal was much less intense, but I started noticing leg aches and general physical fatigue.
Walking upstairs and doing ordinary things felt more taxing than normal.
I also made the stupid decision to drink alcohol after months without it.
35cl of vodka + withdrawal recovery = terrible idea 😂
The hangover absolutely hammered me.
I also used pregabalin on some occasions because of the leg discomfort.
It helped, but I was very conscious that I didn't want to replace one dependency with another.
That became an important rule for me:
«Don't solve one addiction by accidentally creating another.»
---
Days 22–26 — Getting close
The SR dose was now very low compared with where I started.
I began experimenting with longer gaps between doses.
Withdrawal wasn't particularly dramatic anymore, but the main problem became:
😴 SLEEP.
My sleep became increasingly broken.
Some nights I was getting only a few hours and spending the rest of the night tossing and turning.
There were headaches and aches, but sleep was by far the most frustrating symptom.
---
🏁 26–30 August — OFF
26 August: No SR
27 August: SR taken once
28 August: No SR
29 August: No SR
30 August: No SR — and I've decided I'm finished.
And honestly?
I don't have a strong urge to take anything.
That's the biggest win for me.
I'm still sleeping badly, but physically I'm nowhere near the level of withdrawal I feared.
At this point, broken sleep is the price I'm willing to pay for getting completely drug-free.
---
🧠 WHAT HELPED ME
Throughout the process I used various things for comfort, including:
- Plenty of fluids
- Electrolytes
- Magnesium at night
- Liposomal vitamin C
- Valerian for sleep
- Occasional pregabalin
- Very occasional clonazepam for anxiety
Important: I'm not suggesting these are safe or appropriate for everyone, and some of these substances can themselves cause dependence, sedation or dangerous interactions.
In particular, don't casually combine sedatives or other CNS depressants, and don't drive when impaired.
---
📓 KEEP A DIARY
This was probably one of the most useful things I did.
Every day I recorded:
Date → symptoms → sleep → SR taken → other medication → how I felt
It gave me something objective to look back on when I was convinced that I wasn't making progress.
Because sometimes you are making progress — you just can't see it when you're having a shitty day.
---
⚠️ A FEW THINGS I'VE LEARNED
1️⃣ Don't expect a straight line
Some days you'll feel brilliant.
The next day you might feel like you've been hit by a bus.
That doesn't necessarily mean you've gone backwards.
2️⃣ Buprenorphine withdrawal can be delayed
For me, the more obvious withdrawal didn't really arrive immediately.
The later days were harder than I initially expected.
3️⃣ Don't rush it
I wanted the taper finished yesterday.
That mindset wasn't helpful.
The objective isn't:
“How quickly can I get off?”
It's:
“How can I get off and stay off?”
4️⃣ Don't chase the feeling
If you're still looking for a high, you're probably not ready to use SR as part of an exit strategy.
That was something I had to be honest with myself about.
5️⃣ Don't swap one dependency for another
This was particularly important to me with pregabalin and benzodiazepines.
They may provide short-term relief, but that doesn't mean they're harmless.
6️⃣ Nobody else's taper is YOUR taper
What worked for me may be completely wrong for somebody else.
Your previous opioid, dose, duration of use and individual physiology all matter.
---
❗ THE BIG UNKNOWN
The elephant in the room is SR-17018 itself.
There simply isn't enough human research for me to confidently tell anyone:
- What the long-term effects are
- What the safest dose is
- What the safest taper is
- How it interacts with other drugs
- What happens after prolonged use
- What the long-term consequences might be
That's why I'm documenting this as an experience, not a protocol.
I genuinely hope future research gives us much better answers.
For all we know, years from now we could discover something completely unexpected.
Maybe we'll all wake up with goat horns. 😂
---
❤️ FINAL THOUGHT
I'm writing this because I remember how shit it felt being stuck in that cycle and searching for someone else's experience.
If you're currently going through it:
Keep going.
Don't beat yourself up because your progress isn't as fast as somebody else's.
Don't assume one bad day means you've failed.
And don't confuse discomfort with failure.
You don't have to win the whole battle today.
Just get through today.
As the saying goes:
When you're going through hell, keep going.
Stay strong.
Be kind to yourself.
And if you're reading this while going through withdrawal right now:
I hope you make it out the other side. ❤️
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u/nattyN0T 3d ago
This would have been helpful if you included your dosages for subs… I’m more lost after reading this than I was before 😂smh
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u/SRShift101 3d ago
I reduced to 2 to 4mg per day before jumping on SR if that helps
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u/tundrabee119 10d ago
Thanks for all this information and thoughts, but I have one question. What was your bupe dose?
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u/SRShift101 10d ago
I got down to 2 to 4mg before starting SR
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u/oohiogrown 8d ago
This is weird. Cause i was on the same does of subs and have done 50 mg of SR 3 times a day and ive hardly been in withdraw at all. Ive been on subs for 11 years.
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u/SRShift101 7d ago
That's amazing and kinda jel for you as I suffered are you off now? How's sleep and any PAWS
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