Posted by Elizabeth on April 7, 2002, at 21:51:14
In reply to Re: buprenorphine stuff » Elizabeth, posted by shelliR on April 5, 2002, at 20:56:48
> Can you get off it once you start it: according to the information of Alexander Bodkin et.al, there is little withdrawal compared to full opiates.
Yes, discontinuing buprenorphine is pretty easy. Extremely easy if you're comparing it to a full mu-receptor agonist.
Once, shortly after I'd stopped taking desipramine, I ran out of buprenorphine and wasn't able to get more for a couple of days. I was extremely depressed -- I had a terrible time. However, when I've been on antidepressants (Parnate, desipramine, Effexor), I've been able to miss a dose or two of buprenorphine without having too hard a time. So I think it was mostly just a relapse. There were some withdrawal symptoms -- shivering and irritability, mainly -- but the depression was about as bad as it had been before I'd gotten on the medications. (Irritability and depression made a particularly nasty mix.)
> Do people have to increase dose?
I haven't. This definitely varies, though.
> In the case studies of the 4 or 5 successful outcomes with buprenorphine (out of 7 who stayed in the study), most users did have to increase. At least one or two significantly over months and in one case through out a five year period.
Yes. I think it's probably common. But I've also heard several anecdotes about people taking opioids (oxycodone and MSIR as well as buprenorphine) who didn't develop tolerance. I'm not sure which is the rule and which is the exception.
And to Zo: I've never heard of anyone else becoming manic on any opioid, no.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:101178
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020402/msgs/102324.html