I had a very close ex-girlfriend who went on subs but wanted desperately to get out of the whole game.

After I went to an inpatient treatment center and learned from the professionals there that kicking subs was way harder then heroin, and saw with my own eyes a few people there who were having a bitch of time.

I ended up telling her this, and strongly advised her to get back on heroin for a week and then kick...she followed my advice and thanked me for profusely as she tried the sub detox taper and couldn't make it work.

Suboxone for heroin addicts is like benzodiazepines for alcohol withdrawal. It should only be used in the initial withdrawal period for a short period of time.

The proper protocol is to substitute the short-acting heroin for the longer half-life Suboxone. This stabilizes the blood levels, thereby eliminating inter-dose withdrawal symptoms.

The dose is supposed to be titrated to zero over a few weeks. Otherwise you'll just end up swapping on addiction for another.

It's a shame, because Buprenorphine is a really good medication when used properly.

That's why addicts should only use suboxone to get over the initial, physical withdrawal symptoms and only take it for maybe a week and then taper it down. Suboxone is a far worse thing to detox from because the half life is far longer than opiates -- something like 36-48 hours.

Suboxone is a Godsend if you only use it to get over the initial w/d's

I see no problem with using any drugs as a step-down. But what is happening is Pharma is lobbying state governments to employ suboxone as a long term maintenance solution.