Can Oxy IR work for Breakthrough pain when using Subutex/Butrans?
I was going to put this in the Pain management thread and if I would get more responses there then, mods, please move it.
My question is can you effectively use opiods such as Oxy IR if you are on 8mg/day subutex? I saw my PM doc's ARNP the other day and told her one of the reasons I do not want to use buprenorphine is the blocking effect it has on full opioid agonists. She said that she has seen many people on low doses of 4 even 8mg (which isn't that low)/day of bupe that take norco, roxi, etc.. The patients claim they work during an acute flare up.
I have occasional flare ups that leave me nearly incapacitated for weeks and oxy has been my miracle solution. I recently had a scare when my previous doctor skipped out and left me with not nearly enough medication to effectively taper. It made me realize that I am tired of doing the "dance" as I refer to it, of constant dosing due to oxy's short half life. Even Oxycontin wears off on me in about 4-5 hours. I find myself constantly dosing to avoid WD and it is getting old.
I discussed this with her and she suggested a rotation of bupe and oxy followed by a discontinuing oxycontin altogether as a baseline med and using bupe and oxy IR for BT pain. I have never heard of a full opiod agonist being effective while using bupe even though she swears some of her patients do use bupe and when the pain gets too bad . They either take more bupe or a couple of norco.
This is completely up to me. She is not forcing the issue. I just want to know if anyone out there on bupe, not suboxone, has been able get relief from acute pain with a typical fast acting opiod? I would love to stop having to dose every 4-6 hours with oxy. I am also tired of waking up in miserable pain.
I was going to put this in the Pain management thread and if I would get more responses there then, mods, please move it.
My question is can you effectively use opiods such as Oxy IR if you are on 8mg/day subutex? I saw my PM doc's ARNP the other day and told her one of the reasons I do not want to use buprenorphine is the blocking effect it has on full opioid agonists. She said that she has seen many people on low doses of 4 even 8mg (which isn't that low)/day of bupe that take norco, roxi, etc.. The patients claim they work during an acute flare up.
I have occasional flare ups that leave me nearly incapacitated for weeks and oxy has been my miracle solution. I recently had a scare when my previous doctor skipped out and left me with not nearly enough medication to effectively taper. It made me realize that I am tired of doing the "dance" as I refer to it, of constant dosing due to oxy's short half life. Even Oxycontin wears off on me in about 4-5 hours. I find myself constantly dosing to avoid WD and it is getting old.
I discussed this with her and she suggested a rotation of bupe and oxy followed by a discontinuing oxycontin altogether as a baseline med and using bupe and oxy IR for BT pain. I have never heard of a full opiod agonist being effective while using bupe even though she swears some of her patients do use bupe and when the pain gets too bad . They either take more bupe or a couple of norco.
This is completely up to me. She is not forcing the issue. I just want to know if anyone out there on bupe, not suboxone, has been able get relief from acute pain with a typical fast acting opiod? I would love to stop having to dose every 4-6 hours with oxy. I am also tired of waking up in miserable pain.
Last edited: