Before receiving buprenorphine injection,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to buprenorphine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in buprenorphine injection. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: antihistamines; benzodiazepines such as such as alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium, in Librax), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), estazolam, flurazepam, lorazepam (Ativan), oxazepam, temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion); carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, Teril, others); diuretics ('water pills'); erythromycin (E.E.S., Eryc, PCE, others); HIV medications such as atazanavir (Reyataz, in Evotaz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva, in Atripla), etravirine (Intelence), indinavir (Crixivan), nevirapine (Viramune), ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra), and saquinavir (Invirase); certain medications for irregular heartbeat including amiodarone (Nexterone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), procainamide (Procanbid), quinidine (in Nuedexta), and sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF, Sorine); medications for glaucoma, mental illness, motion sickness, Parkinson's disease, ulcers, or urinary problems; ketoconazole, other medications for pain; medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex, in Treximet), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); muscle relaxants; phenobarbital; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); sedatives; sleeping pills; 5HT3 serotonin blockers such as alosetron (Lotronex), dolasetron (Anzemet), granisetron (Kytril), ondansetron (Zofran, Zuplenz), or palonosetron (Aloxi); selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, in Symbyax), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Brisdelle, Prozac, Pexeva), and sertraline (Zoloft); serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), desvenlafaxine (Khedezla, Pristiq), milnacipran (Savella), and venlafaxine (Effexor); tramadol; tranquilizers; trazodone; or tricyclic antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as amitriptyline, clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Silenor), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Also tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or receiving the following monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors or if you have stopped taking them within the past two weeks: isocarboxazid (Marplan), linezolid (Zyvox), methylene blue, phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may also interact with buprenorphine, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
tell your doctor if you or a family member drinks or has ever drunk large amounts of alcohol or have or have ever had prolonged QT syndrome (condition that increases the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat that may cause loss of consciousness or sudden death). Also, tell your doctor if you have or have ever had low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood; heart failure; a slow or irregular heartbeat; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways); other lung diseases; a head injury; a brain tumor; any condition that increases the amount of pressure in your brain; adrenal problems such as Addison's disease (condition in which the adrenal gland produces less hormone than normal); benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH, enlargement of the prostate gland); difficulty urinating; hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist); a curve in the spine that makes it hard to breathe; or thyroid, gallbladder, or liver disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you receive buprenorphine extended-release injection regularly during your pregnancy, your baby could experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms after birth. Tell your baby's doctor right away if your baby experiences any of the following symptoms: irritability, hyperactivity, abnormal sleep, high-pitched cry, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, or failure to gain weight.
tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. Tell your baby's doctor right away if your baby is sleepier than usual or has trouble breathing while you are receiving this medication.
you should know that this medication may decrease fertility in men and women. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using buprenorphine extended-release injection.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are receiving buprenorphine extended-release injection.
you should know that buprenorphine extended-release injection may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
you should not drink alcohol or use street drugs during your treatment. Drinking alcohol, taking prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or using street drugs during your treatment with buprenorphine injection increases the risk that you will experience serious and life-threatening breathing problems.
you should know that buprenorphine may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting when you get up too quickly from a lying position. To avoid this problem, get out of bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up.
you should know that buprenorphine may cause constipation. Talk to your doctor about changing your diet or using other medications to prevent or treat constipation while you are using buprenorphine injection.