How long do I have to wait before taking Suboxone or Subutex?
If Suboxone is procured legally through a doctor, the prescribing physician will almost always ask that the patient be in mild-to-moderate withdrawal during induction. For short-acting opioids, like heroin and oxycodone, withdrawal takes anywhere from 24-36 hours to kick in. When switching from a longer-acting opioid like methadone, the situation becomes a bit more complicated. The typical scenario goes something like this: (1) taper down to 30 mg methadone per day, (2) wait three days before being inducted. Transferring from methadone to Suboxone is something that has to be discussed with a doctor because it is very easy to precipiate withdrawal if the transfer is not done correctly.
