Buprenex - Long term use side effects??

carolina

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Bugsy had his dental last week, and his mouth is in pretty bad shape... So bad that no extraction will be done for a while, until the inflammation subside some - he will go through a good 6 months of treatment prior to his surgery. (more details here).
I noticed today, one day after his pain medication ended, that he is showing signs of pain when eating - shaking his head, hesitating before eating dry food, making a weird sound like a sneeze with every bite... His dry food is very soft, it crumbles down very easily, so seeing that got me really worried.
What worries me the most is that he is over weight, and doesn't like a lot of wet food - not enough to be his main diet anyways... He will eat at the MOST 3oz a day, but really, not more than that...

I called his dentist and they told me judging how bad his mouth was, that it could take 1 to 2 months for his meds (the ones that he will take daily, for life) to make effect, and for him to feel better, for the inflammation to reduce considerably. Until then the pain management should be done with Buprenex as needed...

Does anybody here have experience with long term Buprenex use? Any side effects I should be aware of?
Thanks!!
 

violet

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With long term use one would want to keep an eye on kidney and liver function. Checking kidney and liver values more often than you normally would, would be a wise precaution.
Also, this med can cause constipation. Just something to keep in mind.

Info:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=52

Side Effects

In humans, 2/3 of people using this medication experienced drowsiness.

Buprenorphine can cause a drop in heart rate as well as blood pressure.

Because respiratory depression is a possible side effect, buprenorphine should not be used in patients with respiratory compromise, including heart failure or head trauma.

Buprenorphine is removed from the body via the liver. Patients with liver disease will have prolonged effects from this drug.

Naloxone can be used to reverse side effects of this or any other narcotic.
http://www.petplace.com/drug-library...nex/page1.aspx

Precautions and Side Effects


While generally safe and effective when prescribed by a veterinarian, buprenorphine can cause side effects in some animals.

Buprenorphine should not be used in animals with known hypersensitivity or allergy to the drug.

The drug should be avoided in animals with kidney disease, underactive thyroid gland and Addison's disease.

Buprenorphine should be used with caution in animals with head trauma, compromised cardiovascular function and geriatric or severely debilitated animals.

Since it is metabolized by the liver, buprenorphine should be used with caution in animals with liver disease.

Buprenorphine may interact with other medications. Consult with your veterinarian to determine if other drugs your pet is receiving could interact with buprenorphine. Such drugs include certain antihistamines, tranquilizers, barbiturates and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

In rare cases, buprenorphine can slow breathing, as with other opiates.

The most common side effect of buprenorphine is sedation.

Due to a high index of safety, overdose is rare.
 

catnurse22

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Buprenorphine is the most common pain med we use at the clinic where I work. We often use it post surgically. When extensive dental work needs to be done, we'll often send cats home on bup either before or after the surgery.

As stated above, long term use can cause liver and kidney values to elevate. If the cat's values are normal to begin with and the lowest effective dose for the lowest effective time is used, usually there are no side effects. Have you ever been around him when he was on bup? Some cats have a very very low tolerance making them pretty loopey and sedated until the effects wear off. I probably see this in 1 out of 10 cats. Generally though, cats are usually only mildly "out of it" and dilated pupils is the only effect you'll see along with some slightly wobbles when trying to walk or reposition themselves.

What dose are they recommending for him?
 
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carolina

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He seems fine... His pupils are not dilated, they were the day he came back from the dentist, but not anymore.
He is a little more on the tired side, and hiding a little more, but I am not sure what to attribute that to - he did get local shots of depo, and also it doesn't help that I give him meds 2x a day... He doesn't like me too much


Bugsy is 18lbs, and the dosage is 0.2cc, 2x/day.
On the bottle it says that it is diluted Buprenex, 2cc of Bup to 2cc of Distilled Water....
 

catnurse22

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

He seems fine... His pupils are not dilated, they were the day he came back from the dentist, but not anymore.
He is a little more on the tired side, and hiding a little more, but I am not sure what to attribute that to - he did get local shots of depo, and also it doesn't help that I give him meds 2x a day... He doesn't like me too much


Bugsy is 18lbs, and the dosage is 0.2cc, 2x/day.
On the bottle it says that it is diluted Buprenex, 2cc of Bup to 2cc of Distilled Water....
That's a really low dose. Especially diluted. A 0.2mL (non-diluted) dose is something like an 8 hour dose for an 8lb kitty. So the risk of side effects is very very very low. You may want to mention that his appetite has decreased so much to his vet. They may need to up his dosage to control his pain, at least until his other meds have time to take effect.

I know this must be hard for you and Bugsy,
. Lots of that all of this starts balancing out soon and he improves!
 
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