Nearly 4 am and I’m in for another sleepless night on buprenorphine. Help!
I’m really struggling. I’ve settled on somewhat of a pattern. I take 5 mg oxycodone at noon, six and ten pm. I can go to sleep, but I wake up at 6 am with RLS, take an oxy and get 3 hours of lovely sleep.
By day 3 of this schedule, I have RLS all day, so I add buprenorphine at 9 pm and if I go straight to sleep, I get one night of rest. Kills RLS entirely that night and the next day.
if I take buprenorphine a second night in a row, I am up ALL NIGHT with crazy insomnia, wiped out the next day and back to hobbling on an oxy schedule.
Dr. B said buprenorphine does not cause insomnia, but it surely does for me. He wanted me to try methadone, but I had trouble filling the prescription and thought I could perhaps get my oxy/buprenorphine schedule under control.
But I can’t.
For those of you on buprenorphine, do you supplement with oxy? Do you take sleeping pills? I would love to hear how you are making this work because I am absolutely exhausted. I have to be awake in two hours to start my workday and I’ve had no sleep.
thanks all.
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Marlayna67
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Buprenorphine can definitely cause insomnia. If I too up my 7d patch with (half) a sublingual pill and I do so say later than 10PM (I usually go to sleep towards midnight), I have trouble feeling sleepy and falling asleep. Other have reported insomnia too, they will react.
Why don’t you switch to only buprenorphine? The daytime RLS may well be an indication of mini-withdrawal from the oxycodone. Its half life is far far shorter than that of buprenorphine. On a very low dose, like I had on 0.2mg buprenorphine, it may not last the 24h, as happened with me, although others do not experience that. On slightly higher doses, and especially as you split the dose like Joolsg does in an earlier and later evening dose, is doesn’t give any problems during the day.
So, why the combination of the oxy and the bup? I can understand the need to add something to the oxy due to its short half life, but why not switch completely? It will take some tinkering what dose you will need, but that shouldn’t take too long.
I have some pain issues too that the oxy handled but the buprenorphine did not, but I think you’re right. Something about oxy just isn’t working for me anymore. And to your point I think I’m taking the bio. Too late. I’ll give your suggestions a try today {still awake so I’ll probably fall asleep early.)
If you're on oxy in the day, it's probably causing mini opioid withdrawals ( happens to many of us). So switch to Buprenorphine only and split the dose so you get cover for pain in the day.For the insomnia, you could ask your doctor for a small dose of pregabalin or trazodone to counteract the opioid 'alerting'.
I take 0.4mg Buprenorphine. 0.2mg at 9pm.0.2mg at midnight.
I know the USA only does 2mg pills.
I then take 25mg pregabalin before bed and it stops opioid panic attacks for me. It will help sedate you.
24 hr Symptoms are likely from OXY withdrawal that happened to me too
Hopefully your Buprenorphine is MG with 24 hr coverage not mcg
When I met Professor John Winkleman I asked him about people who suffer from opioid induced insomnia his recommendation is take earlier in the evening he said he had some patients on morning dosing and some required a sleeper added.
You could substitute bup at midday and gradually push the time frame to one suitable to early evenings .
I too have serious pain and I have found other ways to deal my pain because dealing with it every few hours with oxy for the rest of my life was not optimum.
I sleep okay on methadone. It took me a while but some nights I sleep all night if the stars are aligned. I haven't tried Buprenorphine but methadone seems pretty trouble free and can reduce pain somewhat as well. No mini withdrawals, just some daytime sleepiness.
he said that suboxone does not cause insomnia. I have ruled everything else out so it MUST be the buprenorphine. He wanted to switch me to methadone, but the pharmacy wouldn't approve it, as I still had supplies of bup. and oxy according to their records. I have been in the middle of a cross country move, but next week we settle into our new town and state. I thought I might give methadone a try then at some point, but for now, perhaps I can try taking bup. twice a day. I'm exhausted by it all.
I published a post here with some research on the the idea that Buprenorphine can act much like coffee and that Zopiclone may be needed to counteract the wakefulness. I’m still struggling to work it out. I do use Zopiclone and Diazepam every night. I have also been adding half a Tramadol when nothing else worked. I don’t tolerate gabapentin or Trazodone. Occasionally, I use 0.2 ml THC oil but I can't take it regularly due to severe side effects.
I take Buprenorphine and rarely have insomnia. Occasionally, it may happen but don't think it is the Buprenorphine. I also take about 1500mg of Gabapentin ( two different times) at night. I have tried cannabis and other opioids but my body does not tolerate them. I have been on Buprenorphine for a couple of years and only have insomnia maybe once a month.
When i asked Dr. B if buprenorphine or methadone was better for oxycodone for insomnia the response i received was evidence was basically inconclusive. Best of luck
I have switched, two months ago, from targin 40mg to buprenorphine 0.6mg.
I switched because I was getting break through rls. The buprenorphine has been fantastic, thanks also to the great support abd advice from people here. My specialist has suggested I use a "nightshift" device to help with better sleeping. This sets off an alarm if I sleep on my back. The combination of buprenorphine and nightshirt device mean I am now having better sleeps and no rls . I had severe restless legs for around 30 years.
Hang in there as knowing others understand and offer great suggestions is a huge help.
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UPDATE: RLS, magnesium, calcium and hard water
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