Buprenex question

renovia

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How long do buprenex filled syringes last? Do they last longer in the fridge?
 
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renovia

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really, my vet said 3 weeks - but I really doubted that because that seems like a really short shelf life for a vet......there's no expiration date on the syringes.
 

plebayo

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I found this online:

6.3\tShelf life

Shelf-life of the veterinary medicinal product as packaged for sale: 3 years.
The product does not contain an antimicrobial preservative. Use immediately after opening the ampoule. Any solution remaining in an ampoule following withdrawal of the required dose should be discarded
Site:
http://www.vmd.gov.uk/espcsite/Documents/206474.DOC

So I imagine out of the bottle 3 weeks is probably a good estimate considering the syringes are not air tight.
 
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renovia

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ah, now that makes sense....do you think that it would make a difference keeping it in the fridge?
 

plebayo

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Hmmm I'm not sure.

I mean technically everything lasts longer in the fridge right?
I'm sure it can't hurt anything.
 

plebayo

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My only question with your meds though is is that the expiration date of the medication put into the syringes or the expiration cate on the bottle it was taken out from?

It's kind of like compounding meds... when you crush the tab up if you don't have a certain preservative it only lasts so long.

I'm gonna have to ask what our policy is when I go to work tuesday because now I'm really curious if it has a shelf life or not in the syringe!
 

mews2much

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Now you have me wondering.
My Meeko is having surgery tomorrow and they said she will getthe same med.
The syringes in the picture are Cocos.
I wonder if it should have been in the fridge.
 

pat

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I can't help...Larissa's is in a small container and I'm drawing up her dose each time it's due...it's just enough for the couple of days before her surgery and possible biopsy.
 

plebayo

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I'm pretty sure though when we send it home you don't have to refrigerate it. I mean the bottle itself doesn't even get refrigerated...

Online I found something that says if it has been diluted it has a 30 day shelf life. But the stuff in the bottle should be pure medication, not diluted I assume.

http://www.elephantcare.org/Drugs/buprenor.htm
That website says for storage:
Storage/Stability/Compatibility - Buprenorphine should be stored at room temperature (15-30° C). Temperatures above 40° C or below freezing should be avoided. Buprenorphine products should be stored away from bright light. Autoclaving may decrease drug potency considerably. The drug is stable between a pH of 3.5-5.
Which is kind of odd as well because they come in clear vials when they arrive... although I guess they are in boxes. Wow I'm gonna have to read up on this. I keep googling things but almost everything is for humans because it's apparently used for people who are addicted to narcotics.
 
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renovia

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Well I'm glad I'm not the only one questioning this. Sounds to me like there's a few of us that could really benefit from this information.
 

mews2much

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I just took Meeko to the vet for her surgery and I asked.
They said the date on the bottle is how long its good for.
They also said it does not need to go in the fridge.
Meeko will be getting some when she comes home.
 

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Just wanted to add that I asked our pharmacist and he stated that the shelf life for his unopened vial of Buprenex is 3 years. He said a rule of thumb for it was once he opened the vial it would cut that in half.

He said that after that date the potency would diminish.
 

bonnies mom

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I can no longer find the question on the high cost of Buprenor for her cat that had stomatitis. She  paid about $4.20 for 0.2 ml. I had an answer but cannot find her

question now. So, this is my answer in case she sees it:

My cat is also on Buprenor. She had to have a canine tooth extracted and it is now infected. (she did get a shot of ant-biotic after I brought her back for a recheck as I had suspected she had an infection). The initial time I got the Buprenor I paid over $20 for about 4 ml. In talking to the technician I found out that $15 of the charge was for a 'dispensing fee'. The actual medication came to about $1.50/ml. The Next time when I needed a refill I spoke to the Vet and then I just paid only for the actual medication. Perhaps, you can find out if they are charging you a fee beyond the actual medication cost and not charge you for a 'dispensing fee' each time since you are giving it long term.

I am finding that 0.2 ml is not enough for my cat (11lb 7 oz) and I have had to give her 0.23-0.3 ml.

I also had thought about calling people pharmacies as my Vet would have given me a prescription. However, I hope my situation is short term and since the Vet did charge me only for the cost of the medication and not the 'dispensing fee' after the first prescription I have not pursued it. Good Luck.
 

nursemaru

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Hi Everyone


I am a people nurse currently working on a doctorate with 4 years of pharmacology experience.  Almost all drugs are stable and effective WAY beyond their stated expiration date.  A generally safe rule of thumb is to double the stated expiry - for instance if the expiry is 1 year from opening you can pretty much bank on 100% efficacy up to 2 years, etc.  Some medicines will start to lose effectiveness after this and some remain stable for a rather astounding amount of time.

An IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: tetracycline antibiotics are NOT safe to use too bar beyond their stated expiration because as the antibiotic breaks down it forms toxic substances that can cause kidney failure (it should be noted that antibiotics in general can cause kidney failure when used in high doses because they are hard on the kidneys to begin with).

Pain and other medications may slowly loose and progressively effectiveness when they are long past their expiration.  What does this mean?  It means the pain med will may not be as potent as it was when first packaged so it may not help as much as it would have before.  For antibiotics, the lack of effectiveness can mean that you are effectively "building a bigger bug" by giving a medication that fails to wipe out the bacteria in sufficient numbers for healing and allows only the strongest, most resistant bacteria to remain and thrive. 

Hope this helps.
 
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