What is buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is an opioid pain medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic.
Buprenorphine is used to treat narcotic addiction.
Buprenorphine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking buprenorphine?
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Do not use this medication if you are allergic to buprenorphine or naloxone (Narcan), or if you have used another narcotic drug within the past 4 hours. |
To make sure you can safely take buprenorphine, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:
- asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or other breathing disorders;
- liver disease (especially hepatitis B or C);
- kidney disease;
- a thyroid disorder;
- stomach problems;
- enlarged prostate, urination problems;
- gallbladder disease;
- curvature of the spine;
- Addison's disease (an adrenal gland disorder);
- a history of mental illness, personality disorder, or psychotic episode;
- a history of drug or alcohol addiction; or
- a history of seizures, head injury, or brain tumor.
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Buprenorphine may be habit forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Never share buprenorphine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Buprenorphine can cause withdrawal effects in a person who is addicted to narcotics. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it. |
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FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether buprenorphine will harm an unborn baby. Buprenorphine may cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes the medication during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using buprenorphine. |
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Buprenorphine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while you are using buprenorphine. |
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Do not give this medication to a child. |
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of buprenorphine can be fatal. |
Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness or weakness, cold or clammy skin, pinpoint pupils, fainting, slow heart rate, weak pulse, weak or shallow slowed breathing (breathing may stop).
What should I avoid while taking buprenorphine?
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Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of buprenorphine. Using too much of this medicine in addition to drinking alcohol can cause death. |
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This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how buprenorphine will affect you. |
What are the possible side effects of buprenorphine?
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Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. |
Like other narcotic medicines, buprenorphine can slow your breathing. Death may occur if breathing becomes too weak.
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Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as: |
- slow or shallow breathing;
- feeling light-headed, fainting;
- confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior; or
- nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:
- headache;
- stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation;
- warmth or tingly feeling;
- chills, increased sweating;
- weakness;
- back pain;
- anxiety, depression;
- sleep problems (insomnia); or
- runny nose.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What other drugs will affect buprenorphine?
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Do not take buprenorphine with any other narcotic pain medications, sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, or other medicines that can make you sleepy or slow your breathing. Dangerous side effects may result. |
Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:
- conivaptan (Vaprisol);
- imatinib (Gleevec);
- isoniazid (for treating tuberculosis);
- nefazodone;
- an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane), or telithromycin (Ketek);
- antifungal medication such as itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or miconazole (Oravig);
- heart or blood pressure medication such as nicardipine (Cardene) or quinidine (Quin-G);
- HIV/AIDS medicine such as atazanavir (Reyataz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir (Invirase), or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra); or
- a sedative such as diazepam (Valium), midazolam (Versed), alprazolam (Xanax) lorazepam (Ativan), clorazepate (Tranxene), triazolam (Halcion), flurazepam (Dalmane), or temazepam (Restoril).
This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with buprenorphine. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.
Where can I get more information?
Your pharmacist has information about buprenorphine written for health professionals that you may read.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
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