Buprenorphine and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2016

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "If I could rate this medication as a zero, I would. Virtually no pain relief, only nausea, intermittent diarrhea, headaches, and vertigo. It does not stick to the inside of your cheek, as every time you swallow, it moves around and either sticks to your teeth or you swallow it. Horrible, horrible medication. Films often crack in half by the time you can finally pry them out of the foil, and they are so small that if you have any sort of tremor, as I do, they often fall out of my fingers. In my opinion, they need to scrap the whole thing and start over. Horrible."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 25, 2022

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "My new pain doctor took me off morphine that was working with no side effects and put me on 450 mg Belbuca. Pain fully back at 6 hours, strange headache and light stomach pain. Just started 600 mg Friday. At this dose, I’m doubled over with gastric pain 30 minutes after the dose. Headache and loose bowels. Strangely, no relief at higher dosage. I’m better off not taking it at all."

• She...
• September 20, 2015

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I've been on Butrans 10 mcg since July. Today I noticed that my shirt, right where I had the patch, was wet. I checked the patch and I could see a liquid seeping from the patch. With today being Saturday, I couldn't reach my doctor, so I got ready and went to the pharmacy. I guess the way I was feeling could be described as being extremely 'high' and very jittery! Also, my head hurt and I was nauseous! The pharmacist told me to remove the patch right away, and she gave me a piece of paper to stick it on and a zipper bag to close it up in. She said I was getting the full week-long dose all at once, so I was in jeopardy of overdosing if I wouldn't have caught it sooner! I don't know if I want to put another one on!"

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2022

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I have a rare disease called Still's disease that's been, for the most part, controlled with getting infusions of a biological drug every 4 weeks and taking Norco with muscle relaxers as needed during flares. Well, about 2 weeks ago, I ended up in the hospital because I passed out due to a blood clot and also broke my right leg in several places, which required surgical intervention. It was a nightmare in the hospital for them to get my pain under control because of these new opioid guidelines. Anyway, I finally was released and was doing okay on 7.5 of Percocet every 6 hours for pain as needed. When I saw my PM doctor, he put me on Belbuca 150 mg, with Percocet for breakthrough pain. I felt awful! Had horrible nausea, headaches. My heart was skipping beats, I felt like a zombie. I was so dizzy that I was afraid I would fall. My husband said I was talking crazy. I don't recommend this drug to anyone. It was really scary, and I can't imagine feeling like that all the time."

• Sof...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2020

For Pain "Horrible experience. I’ve never had an opioid addiction but was aware it could be also used as a painkiller. I used the buprenorphine strips for pain in my arm after I had minor surgery done. At first, the effects were positive. I felt very sleepy and euphoric, but also because I had taken it at night. Once I woke up in the morning, I started to experience all the side effects that came with it. Shaking, sweating, muscle tightening, itching, vomiting, dizziness, hallucinations, headache, nausea, twitching, dry mouth, hard breathing, and heart racing all in 24 hours. I don’t recommend this drug for pain, other than that, I’ve read many good things about it."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2019

Buprenorphine for Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I tried to ask my doctor the equivalent of Suboxone to Sublocade... I guess there isn’t an answer. After being on Suboxone for the past 2 years, I felt I was suddenly pushed into this by my doctor. They’ve been giving it to all their other clients. I heard, “everyone feels great on it,” and I thought, hey, it’d be nice to not have to take it daily. (2/8 mg films once daily) It left a rock in my stomach from the actual injection (which wasn’t too bad (with the novocaine)). So, fast forward, it’s about my 3rd week on it. I just woke up and have no desire whatsoever to get out of bed. When I do get up, I feel like puking (not in a good way), and the nausea has been every single day along with very annoying headaches. Not sure why it’s so expensive? Likely because it is new."

• CPG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2022

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "These patches don’t work at all! I have suffered for nearly 10 years with pain from osteoarthritis, which has caused numerous severe painful disorders such as stenosis, spondylitis, spondylolisthesis, radiculopathy in both my spine and neck, with painful cysts and bone spurs in both areas along with MS, and I am not even 50 yet. I have tried these patches twice now in the last 2 years, and as another reviewer said, you might as well stick a Band-Aid on. I was started on the 7.5 mcg and told to put on a second patch in a few days if that wasn’t helping. Other than a very bad headache after applying the second patch the first night, I have not experienced any other side effects, and I am so sorry for the people who have. In my opinion, these patches are absolutely useless, and it’s so sad that we all have to suffer. Good luck to all…"

• sev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2023

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I have had osteoarthritis lumbar and cervical for the past 30 years with no significant pain relief. I saw a pain management team who at first refused all opioids but was finally prescribed Butrans 5 transfer patch. Remove the foil package and hold the patch in your hands to warm it up for at least 30 seconds. You're warming the glue on the patch up, nothing else. Make sure wherever you're placing the patch has been thoroughly cleaned beforehand. Once it's on, you cannot remove it for 7 days. The intense itching was irritating. I used a back scratcher to gently scratch around the patch. I started to feel sick on day 4, then I had an intense headache. I now have to take an anti-sickness tablet every day to stop feeling sick. I have no pain at all because of this little patch. I can now start to walk a bit more."

• wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2016

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I have chronic Lyme disease, which has caused chronic pain. The doctors have tried just about everything, but nothing seems to help. I was on 125 mcgs of fentanyl with 32 mgs of Dilaudid and still in full-blown pain 24/7. I was detoxed off the fentanyl with Suboxone (not a pleasant experience), and the hope was the Suboxone would address my pain, but it didn't. The doctor seemed to think the BuTrans patch 20 mg might help, so I started on it six days ago. I don't feel a huge difference pain-wise, but I have had nonstop headaches and a total lack of motivation to do even the smallest of tasks. I really don't know if I should continue on it, whether the headaches will slowly subside, or if I should tear the patch off so I don't have to go through withdrawal."

• Anu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 3, 2019

Buprenorphine for Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "Took my first shot of Sublocade 300 mg about four hours ago. It stings pretty bad, could feel the medicine clogging up when it hit my body fluid, but it’s a good trade-off for “30 days,” and so far it’s mainly just weird not taking anything, is the biggest part for me. It feels a lot cleaner due to the route of administration. Was on 12 mg Suboxone/day and don’t really have the ups and downs and headaches, etc., from taking too much buprenorphine, but it does feel a lot cleaner. I felt I was almost in bondage having to take my Suboxone every morning, looking forward to it, having to take more meds, etc., so it feels better not having to feel like I’m in bondage to my medicine. It’s only the first day, but so far I already feel “cleaner.”"

• Nj ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2016

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I switched from 15 mg methadone for my chronic pain to a 20 mcg Butrans patch 2 days ago. I was sick of taking pills every day, and I liked the idea of a patch. I wouldn't say I got a buzz from the methadone, but it definitely helped my pain, and it gave me a little kickstart. I've worn this patch for 48 hours now, and I have had a horrible headache and stomach pains since I started this. The pain is under control, but no 'kick,' and the headache is miserable. Going to try something different next week with my PM :("

• Law...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 3, 2022

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "My pain doc added the Belbuca film to my pain management about 4 years ago. I have Medicare, and with a pre-authorization, I have a minimal co-pay. At first, I had some side effects, like pressure on my chest and headaches. This went away in a week. Belbuca has worked very well for me. I have fibromyalgia and autoimmune pain, plus chronic fatigue syndrome. I feel like I have a bad case of the flu all the time. It took some trial and error to finally get the film working the way it should. I keep 20 oz. of water by my bed. When I wake up, I drink the water. I then wait a few minutes for my system to hydrate. This is especially helpful in the morning. I swish my mouth out vigorously before applying the film. In the evening, after meals or snacks, I have found that any oil, butter, or spices stay on the inside of the mouth, preventing the film from sticking. The slower it absorbs, the better it works. Write to your representatives to change horrible laws against pain patients!!"

• Liz...
• July 11, 2018

Buprenorphine for Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I got my first Sublocade injection about three weeks ago. The injection was pretty painful, but the pain only lasted for about 15 minutes. I felt great the first several days, but I started feeling like I was going through withdrawals on day 4-no energy, headache, nausea, stomach cramps, and hot flashes. My doctor called in some strips so I could take one a day, and that has helped a little. However, I still feel like I need to take two 8 mg strips a day to feel “normal.” I was taking 24 mg per day for the past 6 months before getting the shot. After thinking about it a lot, I have decided not to get the second injection. I was doing great on 24 mg a day, so I’m going to go back to Suboxone. I don’t want to spend another month feeling like crap. Hopefully, the shot will work for others, but it wasn’t for me. It seems to work well for those who have been on a low dose of Suboxone (8 mg or less per day)."

• MBR...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2021

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I used Belbuca for 30 days on a trial basis. It was a disaster. Several comments exist about the side effects of headaches, lack of pain relief, abdominal pain, and more. I experienced them all. It was a complete failure."

• Wan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2017

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I have degenerative disc disease (DDD), a grade 2 spondylolisthesis at L5-S1, arthritis, and other chronic pain issues. Like others, I've tried Vicodin, Percocet, oxycodone, Suboxone, Subutex, and now Belbuca because my insurance won't cover Subutex! It makes no sense to me that they'll cover something that costs more than twice the price but doesn't even begin to help as much as Subutex did! I like being on buprenorphine because I feel like I get enough pain relief to make it bearable, but Belbuca not only won't stay stuck to my cheek like it says it will, but it gives me headaches daily! I've been on it for a little over 2 weeks and had to give myself 2 migraine shots this past week! I couldn't tell you the last time I had to give myself 2 within 2 months!"

• Com...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2019

For Chronic Pain "So I’m just gonna straight up say this is a godsend. Here in Australia, we have patches that supposedly last 7 days. But only last more like 5-6, but 15 mcg gives me 70-80% pain coverage 24 hours a day. It would be good if I had something available for breakthrough pain, but compared to the OxyContin and hydromorphone, there’s much less psychoactive effect. That’s an A+ in my books. NOTE: you will experience typical withdrawals when you first transition if you’ve been on full agonist opioids for a while. Fight through it. Also, you do tend to become dehydrated on this pain medication, make sure you drink water frequently. It will help A LOT. I was waking up frequently in the night with a real bad headache. Added frequent water into my routine, and it fixed it right up! Best of luck :)"

• Kee...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 20, 2016

For Pain "Destroyed my back and a few other things in a horrible accident. Need 4 fusions and disc replacements, also neck issues. Used Percocets and MS Contin for about 4 years. Did not up my dose, but they do not work after about a year. Went on Suboxone, then Subutex because the Suboxone gave me headaches! Subutex at 2 mg, 2 times a day is a lifesaver for me with pain. It does not get rid of all of my pain, I still take Advil and Aleve just for breakthrough pain, but it lets me live a fairly normal life without getting surgeries, which docs say are a 50/50 chance of feeling better! Only problem is some docs do not understand, in Europe, they are using this for pain already. The USA is behind."

• Ste...
• October 17, 2021

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "My doctor switched me to Belbuca 150 mg cut in half, so 75 mg twice a day. Took about 3 days to help, so I switched to 150 mg in the morning and 75 mg at night. It seems to have gotten worse. It wears off in the morning after about 3-4 hours and I have some side effects like nausea, loss of appetite, and headaches. I’m on day 10 and I’m getting no relief at all. I have a serious back condition and I need to replace my right hip again because it never healed correctly. The Belbuca does nothing for my hip. I was on Hydrocodone 10/325, and if I took 3 and a half a day, I received more relief than Belbuca ever did. I’m so frustrated because I have no life now. The only thing that I think is good about this product is that you feel calm, but that can’t replace pain relief."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2022

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "I have been taking Dilaudid in pill form for a while now. That worked wonders for my back pain, but I wanted something with a longer duration for pain around the clock without taking too many pills. My doc put me on Butrans. I’ve had the patch on for 5 days now. It’s not helping the pain as well as Dilaudid, plus it’s giving me very bad anxiety and depression, also headaches, and I’m not sleeping well. I think I’m going to go back on my pills because Butrans is making me feel too weird."

• Uns...
• March 16, 2020

Buprenorphine for Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I have been on Suboxone for 9 years and decided to try Sublocade. I am on my 6th day post-injection and still feeling terrible. 2 days after the injection, I landed myself in the ER with withdrawal, and from my experience, that is exactly what it felt like, and then I ended up back in the doctor's office. I now have to supplement my 8 mg tablets of Sub again. So for the past 4 days, I have taken 6 mg of an 8 mg tab, and yesterday I went to do the same thing. I still wasn't feeling great, and when I went to take my last 2 mg of the dose last night, I ended up feeling like I all of a sudden had too much of the med. So today, I decided to do 2 mg morning and 2 mg afternoon and nothing else today. The problem I'm having is that the first couple of days I know I wasn't getting any of the med and was in withdrawal. Since yesterday, I feel like I'm getting some of it, but I'm finding it hard to tell how much and still feel ill. I've been getting headaches, blurred vision, and fatigue."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 11, 2023

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain "Was put on a 20 mg patch for chronic back pain due to blood cancer. Was on this strength for over a year. Started to notice irritability around day 5. The pain was a lot better, so lowered it to a 10 mg patch, still noticed around day 5 irritability crept in. A couple of days after applying the new patch, I would wake up with a sickly headache and vomit. I was also becoming dependent on them. I would get anxious, agitated, and irritable around days 4/5. So, decided to come off them. Went to the doctor, he lowered it to the lowest dose of 5 mg for 2 months. I'm a month in and still having withdrawal symptoms, it's horrible. These patches did work for me pain-wise. Please be aware long-term use will get you addicted, and yes, you do have withdrawal symptoms from them. Can't wait till I'm off them and they are out of my system."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2019

Buprenorphine for Opiate Dependence - Maintenance "I received the Sublocade shot 2 days ago, and tomorrow will be day 3. I have been on 16-22 mg of Zubsolv for about a month now, before that, 10-16 mg for a year. The shot hurt like anything and stung for over 10 minutes. Still sore when I lay on it and sensitive to the touch. Day 1, I felt amazing. Today, woke up with a massive headache, but it went away after breakfast. I feel okay today, but still manageable. If yesterday and today balance out, I will give Sublocade a 10/10. Too early to recommend, but so far pretty good."

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

Buprenorphine 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."

• Hat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 13, 2015

For Opioid Use Disorder "I had a very good experience on this medication for opiate dependency, it actually helped me get off opiates better than most other 'treatments.' I was prescribed Subutex (because I have hep C from injecting) instead of Suboxone. I never once tried to inject it or take it any other way than sublingual, I had no desire to. It worked wonders for me up until they switched me from Subutex to Suboxone. Well, apparently, they changed the law where I live, and only pregnant women or breastfeeding women can remain on it unless, of course, you're allergic to Suboxone. I've been having a horrible time with the Suboxone: headaches, stomachaches, and it doesn't work as well. I wish they never passed that law."

• hel...
• May 26, 2013

For Opioid Use Disorder "I would just like to let you know that yes, your body does get used to Subutex and Suboxone. The good thing is that your body can never need more than the amount of the ceiling effect. That being said, Subutex has changed my life. I've been hooked on pain meds for 8 years, and about 3 years ago, I had it. I have 3 little ones, and looking for opiates was taking a lot of valuable time I could've been spending with them. I went to the doctor and was put on Suboxone, but I had the headaches everyone talks about, so now I'm on Subutex, and it is a lifesaver. Still though, I'm not looking forward to ever having to get off them, which I know how the withdrawals are because I had to go without it before."