Tramadol works on the same receptors that opiates do, so if at last resort, she cannot quit, there are experts out there, (better than you and I) that WILL get her off. Refer to the physicians desk referance. Also, subutex comes in 8mg and 2mg. 2mg is easy to get off of. Tramadol is very hard for some people, so lay off, and try to be helpful.
The drug you are referring to is buprenorphine. It is a strong opiate that is administered sublingually. It satisfies the addicts cravings, but it's hard to get high off of. Otherwise, it is very similar to methadone.
I can't see how you could possibly need it to stop using tramadol. It's prescribed for oxycontin, heroin, etc. addicts.
If you are not opiate tolerant, 2mg of bupe will make you very sick. Many doctors prescribe way to much of it to help addicts and they end up addicted to the buprenorphine, which is even harder to get off of because it's half life is about a day.
It works wonders, because it completely kill the cravings without making you high, but only use it if you must. If you do go that route, get it in the 0.2mg per pill doses and start with 0.4 mg and work your way up in 0.2mg increments until your cravings are gone. Many people find that it only takes them 2-4 mg to do the trick, when docs prescribe them 8mg of more.
I know people who've been addicted to vicodin (8-10 10mg pills per day) and it only took them 2mg per day to make the cravings/withdrawls subside. You can drop your dose by .2mg per day and taper off fairly easily.
You must be in mild to severe withdrawls before you start taking it. Why? It is an opiate antagonist meaning it knocks other opiates off of the opiate receptors and, if you are high off of vicodin, heroin, etc., it will cause precipitated withdrawls which are god awful and potentially deadly.
I would not fuck around with it for Tramadol. Grow some balls stop cold turkey and take some xanax for the withdrawls.
