u/1samuel127

Hey, I just wanted to ask a quick question because I wasn't aware of any correlation.

For the first time I've been having I guess what you'd call night terrors starting around 6 - 8 months ago and increasing in frequency. Basically they are bizarre, vivid dreams and I'll start crying or screaming in my sleep. My husband wakes me multiple nights a week when I wake him up screaming. Often when I awake the dream fades almost immediately and I only remember tiny snippets but I'm left with a disturbed, uneasy feeling that the dream was something particularly upsetting, but I don't even remember enough to give an example. My husband said if I say words it's usually just mumbling or nonsensical, except last week I was saying "Mom." (My mom passed away 4 years ago).

I mentioned this to my psychiatrist a few days ago at my regular follow-up because it's been ages since we've made any changes to my psych meds so I doubt that's causing it. I'm also being treated for sleep apnea but again these are fairly new. She suggested it could be caused by the buprenorphine I'm prescribed through pain management. It didn't occur to me that bupe might cause night terrors as I've never heard or read that anywhere before, but now that she mentioned it I realized they started pretty much right after I started bupe iirc. Of course, correlation doesn't always equal causation, but it does seem like an interesting coincidence, so I figured I'd ask here.

Has anyone experienced any type of night terrors while on buprenorphine? Specifically, I take Belbuca 450 mcg every 12 hours. It honestly does zero for my pain, but my pain clinic is under new management and pretty much switching patients over to sub because it's "safer" according to them. I have degenerative disc disease with 7 herniated discs on 3 levels, cervical nerve root compression, lumbar and cervical stenosis, and scoliosis and I'm now being evaluated for possible compression fracture in my cervical spine. That's all beside the point except to say if bupe was helping with the pain it would be worth it, but pain management has told me it's my only option and no break through meds. I'm just wondering if it could be causing my night terrors because they're becoming rather disruptive and I feel really bad for my husband. If I mention any side effects to Pain Management they don't seem to believe me and they probably think I'm just trying to get my old Norco script back but I'm well aware that's not going to happen. Has anyone else experienced this or are you aware of a correlation? I haven't really found anything so far. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

I'll make this as short as possible. I have degenerative disc disease on all 3 levels. It is progressive. My last MRI in 2023 showed 7 herniated discs, 2 lumbar, 1 thoracic, and 4 cervical plus nerve root compression at C5/C6, C6/C7. Ortho surgeon says I'll need those two levels fused. I was surviving on 3 7.5/325 hydrocodone a day for 12 years, prescribed by pain management. I was eventually switched to Oxycodone 5 mg 3x per day to avoid all the acetominophen.

My old PA left and my new PA cut my dose down to 1.5 5 mg oxy pet day. I was also given Belbuca every 12 hours, but it didn't help. I asked if I could stop the Belbuca and go back to the 3 a day protocol I was stable on for 12 years. After I was promised and she swore up and down if I tried the Belbuca I wouldn't lose my oxy, at my last appointment they didn't refill my oxycodone and I'm being forced onto Suboxone - Butrans patch one per week. I feel like my life is over. It's almost 3 and I'm still in bed with my heating pad. I had to hire someone to take care of my horses and someone to help with housework. I have two kids and my youngest is autistic and needs a lot of care and only wants me. I'm trying but I feel like I'm letting everyone down. I spend most of the days when my kids are at school and my husband is gone at work from 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM alone in bed. This PA single-handedly ruined the small life I had.

I'm waiting on the prior authorization for the Butrans patch and currently only have Belbuca 450mch every 12 hours while I wait. I'll be out in a week, so hopefully the prior auth goes through by then.

My question is, since it's still buprenorphine like Belbuca and I get no pain relief from Belbuca, will the Butrans patch help at all with my pain? She said it's the highest prescribed in the US, I think it said like 20 mcg/hour or something like that. Does anyone have any experience with this for pain management? Does it help at all?

Also, when I have my surgery does this mean I'll have to go through a double disectomy and partial cervical fusion without pain control as the Suboxone would block any opiate they'd give me during or after surgery (if they even would?) I watched my mom go through disectomy and fusion. It was awful WITH IV pain meds. Any experience, comments, or tips welcomed. I'd give my left arm for my 12 year treatment protocol back but I'm at the only PM clinic within 50 miles that even does meds period.