Buprenorphine Injection (Pain Relief)

Buprenorphine injection may be habit-forming. Do not use more of it, use it more often, or use it in a different way than directed by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family drinks or has ever drunk large amounts of alcohol, uses or has ever used street drugs, has overused prescription medications, or has had an overdose, or if you have or have ever had depression or another mental illness. There is a greater risk that you will overuse buprenorphine injection if you have or have ever had any of these conditions.

Buprenorphine injection may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems, especially during the first 24 to 72 hours of your treatment and any time your dose is increased. Your doctor will monitor you carefully during your treatment. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had slowed breathing or asthma. Your doctor will probably tell you not to use buprenorphine injection. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways), sleep apnea (condition in which the airway becomes blocked or narrow and breathing stops for short periods during sleep), a head injury, a brain tumor, or any condition that increases the amount of pressure in your brain. The risk that you will develop breathing problems may be higher if you are an older adult or are weak or malnourished due to disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment: slowed breathing, long pauses between breaths, or shortness of breath.

Taking certain medications during your treatment with buprenorphine injection may increase the risk that you will experience breathing problems or other serious, life threatening breathing problems, sedation, or coma. Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take while receiving buprenorphine injection. Your doctor may need to change the dosages of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.

Drinking alcohol, taking prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or using street drugs during your treatment with buprenorphine injection increases the risk that you will experience serious, life-threatening side effects. Do not drink alcohol, take prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or use street drugs during your treatment.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you use buprenorphine injection regularly during your pregnancy, your baby may experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms after birth. Tell your baby’s doctor right away if your baby experiences any of the following symptoms: irritability, hyperactivity, abnormal sleep, high-pitched cry, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, or failure to gain weight.

Talk to your doctor about the risk(s) of receiving buprenorphine injection.

Just under half – 49% – of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 19% of Americans are insured under Medicaid, 14% under Medicare, seven% under non-group plans and two% under other public insurers, while nine% of U.S. citizens remain uninsured.

🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

Buprenorphine injection is used to treat severe pain that cannot be controlled by the use of alternative pain medications. Buprenorphine injection is in a class of medications called opiate partial agonists. It works by changing the way the body senses pain.acute pain

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Buprenorphine injection comes as an solution (liquid) to be injected intramuscularly (into a muscle) or intravenously (into a vein) injection by a health care provider. It is usually given for severe pain every 4 to 6 hours, as needed.

Your doctor may adjust your dose of buprenorphine injection during your treatment, depending on how well your pain is controlled and on the side effects that you experience. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment with buprenorphine injection.

If you have used buprenorphine injection for longer than a few days, do not stop using it suddenly. If you suddenly stop using buprenorphine injection, you may experience withdrawal symptoms including restlessness; teary eyes; runny nose; yawning; sweating; chills; muscle, back or joint pain; widening of the pupils; irritability; anxiety; weakness; stomach cramps; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; nausea; loss of appetite; vomiting; diarrhea; fast breathing; or fast heartbeat. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.

🔔 Other uses for this medicine

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

🔔 What special precautions should I follow?

Before receiving buprenorphine injection,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to buprenorphine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in buprenorphine injection. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor if you have any of the conditions mentioned in the IMPORTANT WARNING section or have or have ever had a blockage in your intestine or paralytic ileus (condition in which digested food does not move through the intestines). Your doctor may tell you that you should not receive buprenorphine injection.
• tell your doctor if you or a family member drinks or has ever drunk large amounts of alcohol or have or have ever had prolonged QT syndrome (condition that increases the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat that may cause loss of consciousness or sudden death). Also, tell your doctor if you have or have ever had low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood; heart failure; a slow or irregular heartbeat; adrenal problems such as Addison’s disease (condition in which the adrenal gland produces less hormone than normal); benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH, enlargement of the prostate gland); difficulty urinating; a curve in the spine that makes it hard to breathe; or thyroid, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. Tell your baby’s doctor right away if your baby is sleepier than usual or has trouble breathing while you are receiving this medication.
• you should know that this medication may decrease fertility in men and women. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving buprenorphine injection.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are receiving buprenorphine injection.
• you should know that buprenorphine injection may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
• you should know that buprenorphine may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting when you get up too quickly from a lying position. To avoid this problem, get out of bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up.
• you should know that buprenorphine may cause constipation. Talk to your doctor about changing your diet or using other medications to prevent or treat constipation while you are using buprenorphine injection.

🔔 What special dietary instructions should I follow?

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.

🔔 What side effects can this medication cause?

Buprenorphine injection may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• nausea
• vomiting
• headache
• dizziness
• drowsiness
• sweating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:

• hives
• rash
• itching
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• agitation, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist), fever, sweating, confusion, fast heartbeat, shivering, slurred speech, severe muscle stiffness or twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, or dizziness
• inability to get or keep an erection
• irregular menstruation
• decreased sexual desire
• narrowing or widening of the pupils (black circles in the center of the eye)
• seizure

Buprenorphine injection may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).

🔔 In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can’t be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

While receiving buprenorphine injection, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs. You should make sure that you and your family members, caregivers, or the people who spend time with you know how to recognize an overdose, how to use naloxone, and what to do until emergency medical help arrives. Your doctor or pharmacist will show you and your family members how to use the medication. Ask your pharmacist for the instructions or visit the manufacturer’s website to get the instructions. If symptoms of an overdose occur, a friend or family member should give the first dose of naloxone, call 911 immediately, and stay with you and watch you closely until emergency medical help arrives. Your symptoms may return within a few minutes after you receive naloxone. If your symptoms return, the person should give you another dose of naloxone. Additional doses may be given every 2 to 3 minutes, if symptoms return before medical help arrives.

Symptoms of overdose may include the following:

• narrowing or widening of the pupils (black circles in the center of the eye)
• slowed or difficulty breathing
• extreme sleepiness or drowsiness
• coma (loss of consciousness for a period of time)
• cool, clammy, or blue skin
• limp muscles
• slow heartbeat

🔔 What other information should I know?

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory.

Before having any laboratory test (especially those that involve methylene blue), tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are receiving buprenorphine injection.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.