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Brixadi Weekly (injection)

Generic name: buprenorphine (injection) [ BUE-pre-NOR-feen ]
Brand names: Brixadi Monthly, Brixadi Weekly, Sublocade

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com on Mar 5, 2024. Written by Cerner Multum.

What is Brixadi Weekly?

This medication guide provides information about Brixadi Weekly brands used only to treat opioid addiction in adults. These brands are not to be used as pain medication.

Brixadi Weekly is given to people who have started opioid addiction treatment with a form of buprenorphine placed under the tongue or inside the cheek.

Brixadi Weekly is available only under a special program. You must be registered in the program and understand the risks and benefits of Brixadi Weekly.

Brixadi Weekly may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Brixadi Weekly side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, difficult breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Opioid medicine can slow or stop your breathing, and death may occur. A person caring for you should give naloxone and/or seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up.

Brixadi Weekly may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

Seek medical attention right away if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as: agitation, hallucinations, fever, sweating, shivering, fast heart rate, muscle stiffness, twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Tell your doctor right away if you develop withdrawal symptoms or an allergic reaction even weeks or months after your last dose of buprenorphine injection.

Common side effects of Brixadi Weekly may include:

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.

Warnings

Fatal side effects may occur if you also drink alcohol or use other drugs that cause drowsiness or slow breathing.

Using opioid medicine during pregnancy may cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the newborn.

Before taking this medicine

You should not be treated with Brixadi Weekly if you are allergic to it.

Tell your doctor if you also use stimulant medicine, opioid medicine, herbal products, or medicine for depression, mental illness, Parkinson's disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting. An interaction with Brixadi Weekly could cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.

Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had:

Brixadi Weekly may affect fertility in men or women. Pregnancy could be harder to achieve while either parent is using Brixadi Weekly.

If you use Brixadi Weekly during pregnancy, your baby could be born with life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, and may need medical treatment for several weeks. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding, tell your doctor if you notice severe drowsiness or slow breathing in the nursing baby.

How is Brixadi Weekly given?

Brixadi Weekly is injected under the skin by a healthcare provider.

After each injection, you may see or feel a small lump under your skin where the medicine was injected. This could last for several weeks but the lump should eventually get smaller. Do not try to remove this lump. Avoid rubbing or massaging the skin where an injection was given, and do not wear tight clothing over the area.

Your doctor will determine how often you will receive Brixadi Weekly.

You will need frequent blood tests to check your liver function.

Brixadi Weekly is only part of a complete treatment program that may also include counseling and other types of addiction support. Tell your doctor if you feel that this medicine is not helping to improve your symptoms of addiction.

In an emergency, your family or caregivers should tell medical personnel that you are using Brixadi Weekly. Make sure any follow-up doctor knows you use this medicine.

Stopping treatment with Brixadi Weekly suddenly may lead to unpleasant symptoms such as agitation, confusion, tingling or electric shock feelings.

buprenorphine, naltrexone, Suboxone, Vivitrol, buprenorphine / naloxone, Subutex, Sublocade

What happens if I miss a dose?

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your Brixadi Weekly.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose can be fatal. Overdose symptoms may include pinpoint pupils, severe drowsiness, hypotension, hypoglycemia, slow breathing, or no breathing, and death.

In a medical setting an overdose would be treated quickly.

Your doctor may recommend you get naloxone (a medicine to reverse an opioid overdose) and keep it with you at all times. A person caring for you can give the naloxone if you stop breathing or don't wake up. Your caregiver must still get emergency medical help and may need to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on you while waiting for help to arrive.

Anyone can buy naloxone from a pharmacy or local health department. Make sure any person caring for you knows where you keep naloxone and how to use it.

What should I avoid while receiving Brixadi Weekly?

Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how Brixadi Weekly will affect you. Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position, or you may feel dizzy. Dizziness or drowsiness can cause falls, accidents, or severe injuries.

Do not drink alcohol. Dangerous side effects or death could occur.

What other drugs will affect Brixadi Weekly?

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medicines at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you use, which may increase side effects or make the medicines less effective. Tell your doctor if you also use an antibiotic, antifungal medication, seizure medication, or medicine to treat HIV or hepatitis C.

Many other drugs can be dangerous when used with opioid medicine. Tell your doctor if you also use:

This list is not complete and many other drugs may affect Brixadi Weekly. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Does Brixadi interact with my other drugs?

Enter medications to view a detailed interaction report using our Drug Interaction Checker.

Popular FAQ

What is the difference between Sublocade and Brixadi?

Sublocade and Brixadi are both subcutaneous long-acting buprenorphine injections that may be used for the maintenance treatment of opioid misuse disorder in adults. Sublocade was approved on November 30, 2017, and Brixadi was approved on May 23, 2023. Sublocade is administered once a month, with a minimum of 26 days between doses. If extended travel is deemed necessary, a single 300mg injection may be given to cover 2 months. Brixadi is given once a week or once a month. Continue reading

How long does opioid withdrawal last?

How long opioid withdrawal lasts depends on the opioid you have been taking and whether it is a short-acting or long acting opioid.

If you have been using a short-acting opioid, acute opioid withdrawal lasts 4 to 10 days, with withdrawal symptoms starting 8 to 24 hours after last use.

If you have been using a long-acting opioid, acute opioid withdrawal lasts 10 to 20 days, with withdrawal symptoms starting 12 to 48 hours after last use. Continue reading

How long does buprenorphine stay in your system?

After one sublingual (under the tongue) or buccal (in the cheek) dose, buprenorphine stays in your system for about 5 to 8 days if you are healthy or 7 to 12 days if you have liver disease. Continue reading

What are the different brands of buprenorphine?

It is available in a number of dosage forms under the brand names Sublocade, Brixadi, Probuphine (discontinued), Belbuca, Butrans, Buprenex, and Subutex (discontinued). Continue reading

What are the different types of buprenorphine/naloxone?

Buprenorphine and naloxone is a combination medicine used for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence in adults. It is available in sublingual film and sublingual tablet dosage forms under the brand names Suboxone, Zubsolv, Bunavail (discontinued), and Cassipa (discontinued). Continue reading

How long do you take buprenorphine for?

There is no one-size-fits-all treatment duration for patients taking buprenorphine. There are many factors involved in determining the length of treatment when administering buprenorphine. Continue reading

Is Buprenex the same as buprenorphine?

Yes, Buprenex is the brand name for an injectable form of buprenorphine. Buprenex (generic name: buprenorphine) is a potent opioid (narcotic) medication used to manage pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternate treatments are inadequate. Continue reading

Further information

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.

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.