Constipation buprenorphine

An excellent brief article on buprenorphine treatment has been provided by Taikato et al. (2005), which notes the common possible side-effects (headaches, nausea and vomiting, sweating, constipation, etc.) and drug interactions. The limited central depressant effect of buprenorphine may be compounded by alcohol and antidepressants, while the metabolism of buprenorphine can be enhanced by anticonvulsants, with therefore possibly reduced efficacy. There have been some case reports of liver toxicity from buprenorphine that is reversible if the medication is stopped (Herve et al. 2004), and often clinical guidelines will recommend that liver function tests are included in buprenorphine treatment, as they definitely should be with naltrexone. 

Observational studies The role of buprenorphine in the treatment of non-psy-chotic major depression has been explored in six treatment-resistant patients with severe non-psychotic depression [183 ]. They received buprenorphine 0.8-2 mg/day and their depressive symptoms improved within 1 week. In the initial days, they had adverse effects such as nausea, constipation, sedation, dizziness, and sweating. 

Dmg fominlations A novel implant of buprenorphine (Probuphine ) with sustained-release technology has been evaluated in 12 subjects with opioid dependence maintained on sublingual buprenorphine [191. Most of them (92%) had at least one adverse event and 58% had events related to the insertion or removal of the implant. Other adverse events were experienced by 42% and included dizziness, constipation, abdominal pain, implant site reactions, flushing, and pallor. There were no serious events. 

In 30 adults, transdermal buprenorphine 35 micrograms/hour produced adequate pain relief, but there was a high incidence of adverse events patients developed constipation n = 3), hypotension (3), urinary retention (2), or paradoxical hyperalgia (1) nine discontinued treatment mostly because of nausea and daytime sleepiness [194 ]. 

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