Naltrexone induces mu-receptor hypersensitivity. Buprenorphine’s protective ‘ceiling effect’ may not prevent overdose in patients with this ‘reverse tolerance’. A new patient described his recent history of respiratory failure several days into buprenorphine treatment. He was told by his doctors that he experienced an allergic reaction to Suboxone. The rarity of buprenorphine or naloxone allergy led … [Read more…]
Today on SuboxForum people were writing about their experiences with different buprenorphine formulations. Doctors occasionally have patients who prefer brand medications over generics, but buprenorphine patients push brand-loyalty to a different level. The current thread includes references to povidone and crospovidone, compounds included in most medications to improve bioavailability. Some forum members suggested that their … [Read more…]
First Posted 3/24/2014 I recently came across the blog of a person who has dedicated his life to trashing buprenorphine treatment. I won’t provide the name or link, as I don’t want to waste my own ‘page rank’ on supporting his misplaced anger. But I suspect many readers of my blog have stumbled across that … [Read more…]
I’ve received questions over the years from people claiming a range of symptoms from Suboxone or buprenorphine, from back or muscle pain to fatigue, depression, or irritability. I didn’t invent Suboxone, so I don’t take it personally when people blame commonly-occurring symptoms on the drug. But I get bored by the non-scientific thinking behind such … [Read more…]
First Posted 1/13/2014 A viewer on YouTube commented on my video about hot flashes from Suboxone, but I don’t know if that is because the symptoms dissipate, or if people learn to deal with the symptoms. I suspect that both are true. But for some people, the sweating and heat are no small matter: Here … [Read more…]
Thought I’d share a quickie from a reader, who asked if Suboxone or buprenorphine were affecting his vision. He asked: One thing I’ve noticed when I’m not on any drugs is my pupils are fairly large. For some reason after I stopped the Vicodin, my vision got really blurry. I’ve worn glasses most of my … [Read more…]
Wanted to take a second or two to point out a new section to the blog, called ‘Bupe News’. You’ll see the link at the tope of the page, along with an ever-growing list of links. The point, of course, is to keep y’all reading, since Google knows EVERYTHING, including how many seconds each and … [Read more…]
Originally Posted 8/12/2013 I will get to ‘Part II’, but today I talked with a patient about something that happens too often, that deserves to be pointed out. The person was in the ER with an injury that resulted in tib/fib francture. The ER doc provided no analgesia, in the ER or at discharge, telling … [Read more…]