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Buprenorphine (injection route)

Available brands

Buprenex

About this medication

Buprenorphine injection is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is also used in patients who have received treatment with an oral form of buprenorphine that is placed under the tongue or inside the cheek for 7 days, followed by an adjustment in the dose for at least 7 days. Buprenorphine belongs to the group of medicines called narcotic analgesics (pain medicines). It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. When a narcotic medicine is used for a long time, it may become habit-forming, causing mental or physical dependence. However, people who have continuing pain should not let the fear of dependence keep them from using narcotics to relieve their pain. Mental dependence (addiction) is not likely to occur when narcotics are used for this purpose. Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal side effects if treatment is stopped suddenly. However, severe withdrawal side effects can usually be prevented by gradually reducing the dose over a period of time before treatment is stopped completely. Buprenorphine injectionandBuprenex®are available only with your doctor's prescription.Brixadi™andSublocade®injection is available only under a restricted distribution program called Brixadi™ REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) Program and Sublocade® REMS Program. This product is available in the following dosage forms:

Before using this medication

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects ofBrixadi™andSublocade®injection in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness ofbuprenorphine injectionandBuprenex®in children 2 to 12 years of age. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 2 years of age. \ Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of buprenorphine injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients may be more sensitive to the effects of this medicine than younger adults, and are more likely to have age-related kidney, liver, heart, or lung problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving buprenorphine injection. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

How to use this medication

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you or your child this medicine. This medicine is given as a shot under your skin, into a muscle, or into a vein. It is very important that you understand the requirements of theBrixadi™andSublocade®REMS program, and become familiar with theBrixadi™andSublocade®medication guide. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions. Ask your pharmacist for the medication guide if you do not have one. Your doctor will give you a few doses of this medicine until your condition improves, and then switch you or your child to an oral medicine that works the same way. If you have any concerns about this, talk to your doctor.

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