Buprenorphine Patches

[joshua98]

I've been using these patches for the past couple of years and to date have had no obtuse side affects. Does anyone else use them or have used them in the past Lesley x

[myfabgarden]

Hi Lesley

I've just looked up the kind of patch your asking about as I've never heard of it.

I was given some Lidocaine type of patch a few years back by a private Doc. They worked on my knees at the time. [in large doses but cost £50 each.

Can I ask? Are they expensive to get from your GP ? [ that's if your In the uk] don't tell me where if you are though.

My GP constantly raves on about the price of meds per month their allowed to issue, so that's why I asked.

It would be nice to cut out some meds for a change

MFGx : )

[joshua98]

I get them from my GP and he also raves about costing, however I was taking really strong painkillers for a number of years, then all of a sudden I started suffering with my stomach and dr gave me some antacid meds and also lactulose, then in 2008 I was rushed into hospital with a massive bowel haemorrhage (vasculitis) and when I returned home I saw a locum and after reading what had gone on he took me off painkillers, antacid and lactulose and asked me to try the patches and I've not looked back. Take Ibuprofen when joints are a bit more sore than usual and get Kenalog injections now & again. Ask your GP if you can give them a try . I started slowly 10mg now on 52.5 and feel I feel so much better than when I was swallowing God knows what. Good luck hon, love Lesley x

[mbuck-60 in reply to joshua98]

hi i,ve been on them for about 4 years there brill. i,m on the 20mg per hr. before i had them i could just about manage to get out of bed but they relieve my pain and keep me sane. i,ve never had any problems getting them & the cost as never been mentioned. when i was on other types of pain meds i suffered severe constipation but now nothing there really brill i can,t say enough about them. if your GP won,t prescribe them for you try your rhuematologist thats who started me on them then the doctor normally just goes by what the specialists prescribe anyway good luck hope they work for you as they have me p.s if you get them don,t expect miracles overnight give them a couple of days there actually called butrans transdermal patch ( buprenorphine) & you have to sign for them at the GPs & chemist as there a controlled drug

[thegoodmom]

I have a few questions. I was on Suboxone for awhile a few years back for pain management. Buprenorphine is the active pain relieving agent in Suboxone, I think, but the Suboxone tablets also include naloxone (an opiate blocker) so they couldn't give me anything for breakthrough pain when I was on them, except more Suboxone (which my prescribed liberally adjusted so I would have good pain control), but it made me so tired for awhile at an effective dose it was a real downside. My dr suggested I look into the Buprenorphine only patches, but they were not available in the U.S. then; so I went on the Fentanyl patches instead. The Fentanyl patches are better than anything else I've tried, but they seem to he losing the reliability of their effectiveness (or I am getting worse). It's not tolerance because even when we increased it a significant patch dose up, it still barely affected me. I just don't think my body is processing the medication the same for some reason, due to how it is absorbed due to vascular and connective tissue abnormalities - (*though I am on Remicade which is known to reduce the Fent patch effectiveness some though, of course, the idea was for the Remicade to make me better to where I wouldn't need the patch anymore or as much.) Anyway, it's not working well anymore, so I am investigating other options.

Does the Buprenorphine patch make you tired at all?

Do you have breakthrough pain on it?

Can you take breakthrough medication on it if needed?

Just curious to hear others' experience.

L

USA

[joshua98]

Yes I do get tired but then I'm 66 and I've yet to meet a BD patient who doesn't suffer from fatigue. I do get breakthrough pain occasionally {this week my right thumb has been unbearable but it starting to pass now} and I'm not sure about breakthrough medication because the whole idea was have the patches and do without other pain med and so far I manage that ok. I do take an Ibuprofen when I deem it necessary but not too often. Hope these answers help your decision Lesley x

[windywatson]

Hi,

New to this furom as only just discovered it.

I have been on Buprenorphine patches for many years (5 I think) for chronic pain managment & they are excelent. Turned my life around for me and have enabled me to stay in full time work.

The only 2 draw backs that I have had is that your system does become a little accustomed to the drug & after a while the dosage does need to go up to still get the same reilef. I started on 7.5mg/hr & I'm now on 35mg/ph. They do make you feel tired and the hirer the dose the more tired I have felt. I did get up to 52mg/hr but that made me feel that I was not safe to drive so it was brought back down to 35mg patch with help of Lidocane patches applied to the areas where the pain is worse. I'm a great advocate of these patches, but it dose seem that many GP's are not prescribing & I think that is due to cost. My GP only prescribed these patches after I went private to see pain managment specialist who wrote to GP instructing him as to what was to be used to give me the relief I needed. My GP was taken aback by the cost when he looked up the products, but said "as I'm not paying out of my own pocket, I suppose I shall have to get you on these".

Any way, my advice is go for them if you can get them prescribed.

Cheers

[goodlife]

I have really been struggling with joint pain. I am very stoical but attended a pain clinic this week and had these patches prescribed. Within a few hours I felt a dramatic improvement and I am no more tired than usual.

It is just wonderful to have a break at last from the pain, I am only on 5 micrograms an hour but its made a big difference today.

I concur with Windy Watson...I've gone private a couple of times to speed things along and I would recommend doing as windy did to get these little darlings prescribed.

Amazing .... no need for us to be in pain

Love to all Jill xx

[joshua98]

Makes such a difference being pain free xx

[lovenothate]

Hi you lot

Just reading through the thread I thought I'd add my experience...

I'm on 20microgm per hour buprenorphine (Butrans) patches. My GP prescribed them when tramadol and paracetamol weren't cutting it. I have found the patches excellent...

I do still take codeine 30mg x 2 plus paracetamol every so often for breakthrough pain (at the moment I do this most days at least twice). The dr has made it very clear that this is allowed but under no circumstances take tramadol with them for breakthrough as this would be too much.

The biggest benefit of the patches is that waking up in the morning is now relatively pain free... It used to be horrendous part of the day.

Good luck all,

Will x