What is your experience with buprenorphine for back pain?

I'm so sorry to hear what your husband is going through, and you as well. You are quite a strong person.

Joe

In my opinion, the dosages of buprenorphine approved for pain are too low. The dosages approved for opioid dependence and addiction work moderately well for pain. My primary care doctor approved for me to take 16mg of buprenorphine per day in place of the 120mg of oxycodone that I was taking previously. It does not work as well as the oxycodone for the pain, but it is much safer and more socially acceptable. I tried the patch, but it wasn’t strong enough. In other countries, much stronger patches are approved, and I think the patch would work at higher dosages. About swimming, you might want to put a waterproof cover over the patch. For example, the continuous glucose monitors have large waterproof patches that go over the sensors that people wear on their skin.

For those concerned about addiction with buprenorphine or any other narcotic pain medication dependence is not addiction. Addiction requires the user to seek more of the drug than what is prescribed and/or seeking other drugs of this type whether licit or illicitly obtained. Research shows that chronic pain patients do not customarily become addicted but dependent. If you’ve got a prior addiction obviously you should be concerned and they have formulations of buprenorphine Suboxone that contains an anti-addictive quality as some posters have pointed out. To prevent addiction from occurring in chronic pain patients pain doctor usually do urine drug screens on their patients at a minimum yearly or more frequently until they get to know you. This tells the doctor if you’re using any other narcotics for pain and whether the levels of treatment medication is being maintained in your system too.

It took me three years to come off Subutex withdrawals similar to heroin. I think you’re addicted if you have withdrawals it’s not a behavioural thing! I can’t see that you wouldn’t have withdrawals after using the patches for a period of time.

I was on Subutex for almost 20 years, I was one of the first five ppl in my state to receive Suboxone but got migraines so was switched to Subutex. It’s very difficult to get off, but when you’re ready there are meds like Sublocade. It can be overwhelming alone. Good luck 🙂

You went through withdrawals for three years? You are one tough person! Good for you!

Joe

I went through withdrawals every few days for twenty years when I was using! No not coming off Subutex, it just took me that long to finally stop the last 0.2mg!

@georgescraftjr
If your husband is reacting to the patch and only where it is applied he may be one of those lucky ones that reacts to adhesive used on patches and some Band-Aids etc. My pain doctor prescribed Flonase nasal spray to use as a preparation for the patched area. I would spray it on the skin making sure to wet it very very well. Allow the spray to dry on the skin and then apply the patch where I applied the spray. It works amazingly well considering I tend to develop the itching and blistering from most adhesives used in medical tape and bandages.
If he needs to apply something with an adhesive going forward that might be an answer if he is going to react since his exposure to the patch adhesive.
Very glad the film is helping! Living in pain nearly 24/7 is not something I would wish on anyone!

Hiya it’s Dave from Pa: I’m on the patch under the Palliative Care Teams care. 15mcg I have Stage IV mNSCLC that’s reoccurred to the lung, clavicles pelvis, hips, spine and liver. The batch has provided much needed relief from the bone pain

I had been on oxycodone (& OxyContin in early years) for quite a few years due to a seriously messed up back.
(Untreated scoliosis and a number of injuries). I was tired of being treated like a low life, drug addict, so I tried to get off the oxy with Suboxone (sp?!).
Long, drawn out, messy ordeal, but by the end of the day, it never did work very well on my pain. To be fair, it turned out that I’d had major failure with the hardware in my back so perhaps nothing would have worked great…I’m not sure. But after about 2 or 3 months, I started getting really bizarre side effects. My balance was WAY off…to the point I started falling regularly. I developed migraines, which I’d never had before. And the worst part, I started actually hallucinating! I was seeing “things” out of the corner of my eyes all the time! Once, while driving on the freeway, I could “see” someone (or something!) flying along side my car. Okay, majorly freaked out by that one!!!
To add to the horror of the situation, my Dr didn’t believe me or didn’t think that Suboxone was responsible. I started researching it in earnest, and sure enough, while it wasn’t a very common side effect, it was absolutely listed in their literature as a known reaction for some people! (It was under 10% of people tested so they didn’t have to mention it, I guess?!)
Anyway, a long and difficult time later, my Dr found the same research and more and DID apologize to me for not taking me seriously. I was still furious but appreciated that he admitted his mistakes in working with me!
That was about 15 yrs ago, and while they have diminished greatly, I still get migraines a few times a year and my balance has never been as good as it was, but I no longer get have “invisible friend” flying or sneaking around me and I’m VERY grateful for that!
I don’t think many people have had bad experiences like mine, but I would not try it again.
I’ve read that some people do really well on it and have even been able to get off all pain meds using it! So give it a try…just be sure that you have a clear plan with your Dr for what will happen if you do have any reactions that you’re not comfortable with and want to stop taking it.
Best of all good things to you!

Melanie

PS I don’t know if this is everywhere or STILL happening to others, but I did get a lot of “you’re a junkie” looks and attitude when filling those prescriptions. I thought it would be better than with the oxycodone, but instead it was worse! 🙄🤦‍♀️
Did not like the connotations that seemed to follow this medication…that we were “in treatment” for being a drug addict…apparently, that was the view early on as that was the bulk of people who were taking it then. At least that’s how it was explained to me. 🤨 I don’t know how much of that is the truth, but I do know the attitude was incredibly rude & antagonist!
I pray people are past that and you won’t get any of that!!!