Drug info - Buprenorphine Patches

[cockney]

Say swim or swiy came across a couple of these patches rated at 10 micrograms an hour and containing 10mg of Buprenorphine. How wouold someone use them considering swim consumes around 180-240 dhc and 300-400mg tramadol a day currently?
Buprenorphine is the only active ingredient listed.

[Laudaphun]

I've heard of them yet am unfamiliar with them as I do not believe they are on the market yet in the U.S., although I could be wrong. Doubt the pharma company would let that happen until patent on suboxone/subutex expires. But, many people seem to feel that a patch would be a better alternative to the sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone tabs. Well, at 10 mcg/hour that would be what? 240 mcg per day? Sure wish we had something like that in the U.S. as opposed to only 8mg and 2mg sublingual tablets.

If SWIM was SWIY shed probably just wear the thing like it was made for. I have read that bupe has a very high bioavailability transdermally or at least that was the theory. If SWIY has any dreams about using these things SWIY should make sure to report the dream as it will have been the first experience SWIM has heard of.

[cockney]

Yeah, swim thought about doing just that but is worried about dribbling on his keyboard at work all day ) So was wondering if there was any other way.
Swim would assume that it would be impossible to cut the patches up into smaller patches?, again assumption is they are full of a gel like substance ?
Also he has the concern that after 7 days he may get an unwanted rattle on as there are theoretically only two available..
Swim has plenty of time as he needs to taper off current meds to taste this little treat so will look forward to more advise in anticipation !

[Laudaphun]

If you were able to get those patches approved in the U.S. and a patent you could become a very rich person. Of course, it is probably very likely that one of the large pharma companies (likely the suboxone manufacturer) already has a similar product on the way. I am unfamiliar with the manner in which these patches or any medication containing patch really works with the matrix but that sure would beat having to suck on gross orange pills every morning. Of course, most drugs that SWIM has heard of that come in the form of a patch are short acting... not sure how something with such a long half-life would work... that may be it's one draw back. It's already hard enough for those on buprenorphine maintanence to take a dump with a single dose a day. I sure hope they include a comparison on the complaints of constipation in the clinical trials vs. the sublingual tablets.

10 mcg / hour really does not seem like a very large amount after seeing doctors routinely prescribe people 24-32mg sublingual tablets, but unsure of the exact bioavailability for something like that.

[cockney]

Originally Posted by Laudaphun

not sure how something with such a long half-life would work... that may be it's one draw back. It's already hard enough for those on buprenorphine maintanence to take a dump with a single dose a day. I sure hope they include a comparison on the complaints of constipation in the clinical trials vs. the sublingual tablets.

Sounds hellish on the bum ) Another reason to find how to utilize these without wearing them for a week, im used to a DHC lockup and thats no fun at all...

Yaba,
Any ideas on using them other than wearing? Also, why are they prefered over Fent ? If they cause the constipation as mentioned above swim would have thought this was something a doctor would need to avoid in an elderly patient ? Incedently these theoretical patches may have come from a theoretical elderly relative who was binning them as they didn't help arthritis pain.

[yaba]

They are used at my work in a EMI (elderly mentally infirm) unit for pain relief. (UK) The Doctors like the buprenorphine patches better then fentanil.
Also buprenorphine patches only becomes a controlled drug at 10 mcg or above. At my work they have to have two nurses to give a patient a controlled drug.

[yaba]

Sorry swim doesn't know how to abuse them.. The doctors don't like giving out controlled substances... They will give fentanil but brup is first choice now.

[cockney]

Only semi abuse really, swim is actually in pain management but doctor will not go further than DHC and tramadol and thats taken a while, combi still doesn't give adequate relief when pain is really bad.

[scuzzbagz]

These patches arent really indicated for addiction,unlike the subutex pills,theyre used as an alternative to temgesic pills for pain relief,and so only give 300 mcg,rather than 2mg,or 8mg,you get with subutex,so unless youve reduced your dosage with subutex down to the lowest levels,theyre not much use for addiction,or to abuse,unless you have a tiny habit.

[cockney]

Swim has a minimal habit he thinks, 240mg DHC and 100mg tramadol gives swim a dopy grin, although he does needs to take 50mg tramadol and a couple of 8mg codeine by 2pm or he doesn't feel too clever but this is down from the 100mg trams he needed to feel ok at work a week to 10 days ago.
swim intends to keep the patches until he has tapered right down on current script before trying them and is not intending to use them for any kind of withdrawl plan, swim has ample legit DHC and Codeine for this task. Swim just purely wants to taste something he has never tasted before, and their free so just like free food, must taste all the better )
He is still unsure on how to consume and how much though... As said, he really doesn't want to wear them all day for a week.

[SeconalClerek]

Swims friends mother uses the 70mcg p/h patch that release over 96h thats 1.68mg per 24h period. However Swim was pleased to find the matrix contains 40mg of Buprenorphine. So what swim does is peel the plastic matrix of the plaster leaving a sticky opaque plastic sheet kinda like OHP paper. Swim would then cut and apply 1/4 of this sheet 10mg on swims tougue and 60mins later BOOM. They work better than the sublingual pills because the matrix releases it slowly. Swiy can scrape off with your teeth a gum like silicone which contains the Buprenorphine, swiy can hold this under your tongue for ages.

As for using them as a Subutex substitute, yes they are easy to apply and last long but as you see they can be abused and such high doses are obtainable.

8mg per day subutex = a 200mg matrix at 8mg per 24h or 32mg over 96!

A novel implantable formulation of buprenorphine (Probuphine®), using a polymer matrix sustained-release technology, has been developed to offer treatment for opioid dependence while minimizing risks of patient noncompliance and illicit diversion. The goal of the current study was to conduct an initial, open-label, evaluation of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of two doses of Probuphine in subjects with opioid dependence maintained on sublingual buprenorphine. Two doses of Probuphine were evaluated in 12 heroin-dependent volunteers switched from daily sublingual buprenorphine dosing to either two or four Probuphine implants based upon their buprenorphine daily maintenance dose of 8 mg or 16 mg respectively, and were monitored for 6 months. Probuphine implants provided continuous steady state delivery of buprenorphine until their removal at 6 months. Withdrawal symptoms and craving remained low throughout the 6 months. For the 12 subjects, an average of 59% of urines were opioid-negative across the 6 month treatment period. Injection site reactions were present in half of patients, but none were serious. No safety concerns were evident. These results suggest that Probuphine implants offer significant promise for enhancing delivery of effective opioid substitution treatment while minimizing risk for abuse of medication.

ROCK ON!!