- Joined
- Apr 6, 2016
- Messages
- 926
- Reaction score
- 571
There seems to be a prevalence of people using or wanting to use buprenorphine more for chronic pain.
Reasons PRO (some debatable):
Less addictive
Less prone to abuse
Less euphoric
Less tolerance
Reverse tolerance
Less respiratory depression (but
same if on other respiratory depressants)
Schedule 3
Doesn’t show up in popular music as far as I know.
No buprenorphine pill mills (suboxone/ chain addiction centers are another story).
Cons:
Transition to buprenorphine from a schedule 2 drug of choice often results in frustration because patient is going through either normal or precipitated withdrawal during transition and thinks the buprenorphine isn’t working, or is harming, as a result.***
Sometimes it seems like the insurance wants the patient “to have failed” meds like fentanyl patch before approving!!
Cost issues.****
The skin rash
The dry gums thing
The sweaty person
The serotonin issue
The googling patient who tells “you that’s for addiction, man, you think I’m an addict? I have a high pain threshold! I’m going to write you a terrible online review and sue you for 5 million, you rat F***.”
Random thoughts
1. The buprenorphine pills are much cheaper, but rarely discussed, maybe due to lack of industry ties (in contrast to butrans and Belbuca, who marketed a fair amount, I think). Why don’t we all just use the pills instead of butrans or belb? Hard to cut them up? Weird doses? More prone to abuse? What am I missing? Fill me in.
Reasons PRO (some debatable):
Less addictive
Less prone to abuse
Less euphoric
Less tolerance
Reverse tolerance
Less respiratory depression (but
same if on other respiratory depressants)
Schedule 3
Doesn’t show up in popular music as far as I know.
No buprenorphine pill mills (suboxone/ chain addiction centers are another story).
Cons:
Transition to buprenorphine from a schedule 2 drug of choice often results in frustration because patient is going through either normal or precipitated withdrawal during transition and thinks the buprenorphine isn’t working, or is harming, as a result.***
Sometimes it seems like the insurance wants the patient “to have failed” meds like fentanyl patch before approving!!
Cost issues.****
The skin rash
The dry gums thing
The sweaty person
The serotonin issue
The googling patient who tells “you that’s for addiction, man, you think I’m an addict? I have a high pain threshold! I’m going to write you a terrible online review and sue you for 5 million, you rat F***.”
Random thoughts
1. The buprenorphine pills are much cheaper, but rarely discussed, maybe due to lack of industry ties (in contrast to butrans and Belbuca, who marketed a fair amount, I think). Why don’t we all just use the pills instead of butrans or belb? Hard to cut them up? Weird doses? More prone to abuse? What am I missing? Fill me in.