Lasting Effects From Buprenex?

[Guest freightsmom]

Kai was given a shot of Buprenex at an ER Saturday night and experienced the worst side effects I have ever seen in a dog. I thought it was odd when he would not jump up in the van to leave the ER parking lot. From there, things got worse very quickly. He began to cry and howl, lost control of his bladder and bowels in the van and finally collapsed when his back legs gave out. I immediately kept driving to the ER that I normally go to.

 

My ER called the other ER to get the dosage he was given. They told me Kai was experiencing side effects from the Buprenex. Kai was taken in just for jaw chattering, which that vet believed to be some type of TMJ issue or dental issue. So, you give a drug that is 30 times more potent than morphine for a jaw issue????

 

As of today, Kai still has not returned to the high spirited boy I love. He is still not that interested in food (not even peanut butter), drinking lots of water, will not go up the stairs, has not wagged his tail, lays in the dog bed and just stares, is ignoring his partner in crime, Aimee and seems to be a shell of the boy he was before Saturday night.

 

I have a call in to our regular vet and waiting to hear back from her. From what I have read on the internet, there should not be any lasting effects from the Buprenex. Can anyone share an experience like this or any of the vet techs, should I be concerned about long term effects from the Buprenex? He is obviously super sensitive to opiates/opiads so I will never allow this to be given to any of my hounds going forward. It's not worth chancing what happened to Kai

[Burpdog]

Have you heard from your vet yet?

[Guest BiancasMom]

I would say that is not an uncommon response to Buprenex. Sounds like dysphoria which varies in intensity depending on the patient. I have not heard it is 30 times more powerful than morphine, although I know it lasts longer. I have seen it used in less painful circumstances than morphine or hydromorphone. It usually has less dysphoria than other opiods. I wouldn't hesitate to give it to your other dogs in the future, just ask for a low-end dose. The effect should not last this long, unless perhaps Kai has any liver issues? Sounds like something else is going on. In the future, you can ask for something other than Buprenex, and if needed they can give Naloxone to reverse it.

[Guest freightsmom]

Diane, talked to my vet yesterday and she was suprised he had this severe of a reaction to Buprenex but was also curious why they would give him this drug for something that did not warrant this strength of painkiller. Kai is slowly getting better, he was excited to see me when I walked in the house and more alert overall.. He also went upstairs once last night. Small steps Unfortunately, his jaw chattering continues off and on but only slightly. We are scheduled to see our vet to determine the next step in the cause of this.

 

Biancasmom, dysphoria! That is the word I could not recall. This is where I found the info on the potency of Buprenex http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/buprenorphine-buprenex/page1.aspx. Kai was given a lower end dose but obviously is super sensitive to it. And, you are correct, there is a reversal drug, which I was told there was not..ugh.

[Guest grey_dreams]

I'm sorry to hear he had such a bad reaction. I hope that he will continue to get back to his normal self and be well.

[JJNg]

This is where I found the info on the potency of Buprenex http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/buprenorphine-buprenex/page1.aspx. Kai was given a lower end dose but obviously is super sensitive to it. And, you are correct, there is a reversal drug, which I was told there was not..ugh.

 

How's Kai doing now? And what did your vet say about the jaw chattering?

 

Just wanted to comment that the statement that buprenorphine is 30 times more potent than morphine doesn't mean that it's 30 times stronger than morphine. Potency only refers to how much of a drug is needed to get the same effect. So you need a much smaller volume of buprenorphine to get a similar effect to morphine. This is reflected in the typical dosages used of each medication.

 

In terms of pain killing strength, most vets would agree that buprenorphine is considered a weaker pain med than morphine. This is related to a difference in how the drugs interact with the opiate receptors. Morphine is a full agonist, meaning it fully activates the receptor, while buprenorphine is a partial agonist which only partially activates the receptor, so the effect is more limited.

 

Buprenorphine can be reversed with naloxone, but it typically takes much higher doses than it takes to reverse morphine because buprenorphine binds more strongly to the receptors. Like BiancasMom, I would urge you to reconsider your stance on never allowing buprenorphine to be given to any of your hounds in the future. Obviously I wouldn't advise it again for Kai, but buprenorphine is usually less likely to cause dysphoria than the full agonists like morphine. For many painful conditions or for post-op management, sometimes opioids are the best options available.

[Guest freightsmom]

Thanks for the info Jennifer....and yes, I have reconsidered my original stance on Buprenex. It took Kai until Wednesday to get back to his old self from the buprenorphine. We went to his regular vet on Thursday and she did a full blood workup and nothing out of the norm showed up. She said other than some slight resistance when she turned his neck to the right, there are no physical issues. He needs a dental and we will get that done in the next couple of weeks.

 

Since he has not had any more episodes, we are thinking it may be simple focal seizures. I am going to keep a log when it happens, how long it goes on for and try to video it. I already know it happens at night, usually when he awakens from sleeping or dozing. Our first step before we go down the neurology path is to do the dental and see if there is a dental issue that is bothering him. If not, then we will go down this path. Fortunately, I live in a city that has access to great vet specialists so we do not have to go far for tests and/or treatment. Thanks for checking on my boy!

[JJNg]

Dental pain can certainly cause jaw chattering, so hopefully that's all it is!

[rascalsmom]

Interesting....last night we had to take Phoebe to the emergency vet, and they gave her an injection of buprenorphine. By the time we got home about two hours later, she was a drooling mess, disoriented....and today she is still not herself. She showed little interest in food (definitely OUT OF CHARACTER for her), is not her normal happy, bouncy self at all. This afternoon she even refused a bite of an apple, one of her favorite things. It's been 18 hours+ since the injection.

I called her regular vet and asked that they note this reaction in her chart. Not so sure I want her to get this drug again!

[3greytjoys]

Just saw this old thread but wanted to let folks know that many Greyhounds chatter their teeth/jaws when they are feeling extra happy and loved, excited (e.g. anticipating yummy treats/meals, outings, etc.), or when they are feeling too chilly (cool air temperature). If they are too cold (might include body shivering), try placing Greyhound jammies on them or cover them with a light weight blanket. Greyhound teeth chattering toward their humans is often considered an endearing complement. If none of those possibilities fit, then I'd certainly consider a potential medical cause.

 

Hopefully, the dental helped OP's "Kai" return to normal.