Belbuca and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Jan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 14, 2019

For Chronic Pain "My insurance company just canceled me. Pretty sure it was due to the HUGE cost of this medication. Different pharmacies charge from $900 to $1500 per month. I have NEVER abused any medications. Ever. Yet I am made to feel like some kind of drug addict. I have had multiple surgeries on my knees, shoulders, ankle, back, etc. Metal plates and pins. This drug gives me headaches, constipation, and I can't sleep. I am exhausted all the time. What the government has done to people who need pain medication is abuse. They need to go after the illegal heroin, fentanyl, and whatever else. Leave the people who REALLY do need pain medication alone. Let our doctors do their jobs! This drug is a joke. And yet again the pharmaceutical companies are getting rich off of Americans who have worked their whole lives. I just want to be able to function again. Belbuca is not the answer for my pain. Maybe it works for others."

• Kin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 24, 2021

For Chronic Pain "It has done well with pain but due to tolerance I only have one dose increase left. Also, it has caused TERRIBLE insomnia. Sometimes it is every other night, sometimes it is staying awake 2 of 3 days, which worsens the pain. I will take it as long as I can. Above 900 mcg, it messes with your heart's QT interval."

• Wba...
• June 9, 2020

For Pain "Belbuca is expensive and has a horrible, horrible side effect of not sleeping. My knees are absolutely killing me. Worst pain pill I've ever bought. I paid a lot of money at a drugstore for it. It's insane how expensive it is. We need to take our government back for people in pain."

• Hap...
• September 20, 2019

For Chronic Pain "Two words - Belbuca sucks. It does not control my pain, it gives me headaches, dry mouth, and I can't sleep at night. I wish the government could be in as much pain as some of us are out there and see how they handle their day. I'll surely prescribe Belbuca to them."

• Ldr...
• August 27, 2019

For Chronic Pain "I started taking Belbuca five weeks ago, increasing to 450 mcg, 2/day. I think it is awesome. I have more energy! But I wake up in pain every morning because it does not last the stated 12 hours. This appears to be better with the increase in dose. I’ve had four spinal surgeries, knee replacement, bulging discs at all levels, spondylitis, severe osteoarthritis, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, Behçet’s syndrome, and other pain. I have been on opioids since 2002. It is a different feeling making the change. My only real problem with Belbuca is a documented side effect of sleep interruption. I can’t sleep but one or two hours at a time at night without waking up. I find the ONE pain med that I like and which makes me feel less drugged, and I can’t sleep at all. I do hope it’s a med interaction and will be seeing two doctors to discuss. I’ve also gained weight since starting, which doesn’t seem to be a documented side effect."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2017

For Pain "I was on Fentanyl patches for a year and a half at 75 mcg. I was needing a little more pain relief, so the doctor was going to switch me to Butrans. Insurance wouldn't pay, so he decided on Belbuca. I've currently been on it for almost 2 weeks. I can't sleep more than an hour a day. I have a massive headache all the time, and my skin crawls like there are bugs under it. I've talked to the doctor, but he will not listen. It's not controlling the pain, it wears off for hours before the next dose. I can't hold food down, and I have no desire to drink anything either."

• bur...
• October 15, 2019

For Chronic Pain "First, I would like to preface this review with one caveat: it is like most meds, what works on one individual doesn't mean it will work for another. This med works great for me! I suffered a closed head trauma and damaged my spine from top to bottom all at one time. I've been on MS Contin 60 mg, three times a day, Roxicodone for breakthrough pain. Then to Butrans 20 mcg/hr, 7-day transdermal for a year and a half, it wasn't strong enough. Then to Fentanyl at 100 mcg/hr, 3-day transdermal, and it didn't cut it. Back to Butrans 20 mcg/hr. Enter Belbuca: I take a mixed dose of 300 mcg at night and 450 during the day. It does give me sleep disruption, up at 4:00 AM like clockwork, that does suck. Even with this as a detractor, I wouldn't change for that, being I haven't felt this good in 15 years. PS: I take Butorphanol 10 ml/10 mg for migraines with an aggressive treatment option, as well for PTSD/night terrors. Currently, I take 18 medications to manage my issues."

• Hor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2019

For Chronic Pain "I have scoliosis of the lumbar spine after getting T-boned by a drunk driver when I was 17. By the time I was 36, my back problems became more severe when I pinched my sciatic nerve. By the time I was 39, I had to have an L4-L5 spinal fusion; however, L1-L3 are now herniated and still on a scoliosis curve. I have been on pain management since 2004. I would normally be on fentanyl patches and Percocet for breakthrough pain. The new pain doc I have wanted me to try 600 mcg Belbuca; all I can say is what was he thinking, it does nothing for me at all. I’m back to not sleeping, and I am having a hard time doing therapy since I just had my right hip replaced. The surgeon who did the hip surgery had me on two Percocets every four hours; that definitely is not what I want to be on for long term, but it worked a whole lot better than Belbuca for sure!"

• Hea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 18, 2024

For Chronic Pain "Was on oxycodone for 15 years for chronic long nerve/pain. Trying Belbuca 150 mcg film. Belbuca works from 6 to almost 12 hours per film. Breakthrough pain can be handled by oxycodone or a crumble or two of the pill (under tongue) form of buprenorphine. Juggling things around until we get it right for me. I am liking the film so far. It does take care of my pain for longer time spans than the oxycodone does. I hope to stay at a low dose level as there are both good and bad side effects. I do not get constipated. Some nausea, which I hope will disappear with time. Does screw up my sleep a bit. I am quite pleased to be at a pain level that works for me. The conversion from oxycodone to this was not that bad. I could not deal with the pain without upping into larger doses of my former pain med. This Belbuca has been good so far. Not perfect, yet very good for pain. There is always a trade-off relief vs side effects. I am only going into month 2. So far...so good."

• Nic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 12, 2022

For Chronic Pain "Started Belbuca in April 2020 for chronic pain. My neck C4, C5, and C6 are herniated and bulging. In pain and still trying not to have surgery on my neck. The fact that I had 3 back surgeries from 2016, I’m rodded, caged, and infused from L3 to L5, now my L2 is now herniated/bulged. Water therapy and physical therapy for that also. I have rheumatoid arthritis as well. Since I have been on Belbuca, the brain fog is still there. I now suffer from migraines 15 days or more out of the month. I have swelling all over my body, constant sore throat, and I get upper respiratory infections and am nauseous all day after taking them twice a day. I never had migraines before I started taking Belbuca. They have added more meds for migraines and I get Botox for the migraines too. Also, I am on nausea meds. I forget things so easily. I have insomnia and might sleep 2 to 4 hours if I’m lucky. I am sweating out of nowhere. The pain barely eases up. I have been sicker on this med than I have ever been in my life."

• Bro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2021

For Chronic Pain "What state do you live in to get Belbuca, Percocet, and morphine? I only got 300 mg of Belbuca. Still trying to figure out how y’all get so much medicine. Before this, I got two 10 mg Percocet and a 15 mg of morphine. Then now they want to try this. I spent this past week vomiting, bad headaches, insomnia, just misery. How this medicine can help addicts, I don't know, cause this is taking a toll on me. Was prescribed 300 mg of Belbuca. This medicine does help with nerve pain, not with bone pain."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2023

For Opioid Use Disorder "I am a 31-year-old female. I have struggled with opioid addiction (mainly Norco) and chronic pain for the past 5 years. I developed severe pain in my neck that got increasingly worse with no help from medication, physical therapy, or surgery. I was taking Norco, which would mask my pain for an hour at the most but left me with horrible withdrawals, severe insomnia, and depression. My physiatrist prescribed me buprenorphine, and it was very helpful. It helped my pain and got rid of opioid cravings. However, the buprenorphine sublingual tablet caused horrible constipation. I couldn't use the bathroom for 8 days and gained 10 pounds in that time. I did some research and found that the patch called Belbuca (buprenorphine buccal film) had fewer side effects. I find the patches to be a bit less helpful, but if you suffer from horrible constipation from buprenorphine, please use Belbuca."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2020

For Chronic Pain "The doctor prescribed Belbuca, and I used it for 2 weeks. It didn't improve my pain, and I had insomnia and constipation. Plus, it wouldn't stay on my cheek."