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What Causes Hypertension While On Nucynta?

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Posted on Sat, 10 Jun 2017
Question: I was taken off methadone 20 mg BID about 5 weeks ago following a slow tapering. The doctor replaced it with Belbuca 300 mg BID. It does not control the chronic neuropathy pain. The physician now wants to add Nucynta 100 mg BID to start. I have blood pressure on 106/60. Sometimes it's lower. Should I be concerned about using both drugs?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
can't be predicted

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

opioids will lower your blood pressure. Whether this lowering will affect you significantly or not cannot be predicted. You can find out only by trying. Buprenorphine (Belbuca) is less potent than methadone but is also less likely to cause addiction and other adverse effects. Nucynta is less potent than buprenorphine, so buprenorphine is the primary agent for pain.

If the double-opioid regimen does not work as expected there is an easy "solution" to try. This is to add some paracetamol to your regimen. Paracetamol is nowhere near in potency when compared to opioids but it may provide additional relief when used in combination, so patients who have come close to relieving their pain with an opioid may benefit from paracetamol.

So in conclusion, the opioid combination may indeed cause untoward effects but they can't be predicted on an individual basis. You should try it first...

I hope you find my comments helpful!
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3810 Questions

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What Causes Hypertension While On Nucynta?

Brief Answer: can't be predicted Detailed Answer: Hello, opioids will lower your blood pressure. Whether this lowering will affect you significantly or not cannot be predicted. You can find out only by trying. Buprenorphine (Belbuca) is less potent than methadone but is also less likely to cause addiction and other adverse effects. Nucynta is less potent than buprenorphine, so buprenorphine is the primary agent for pain. If the double-opioid regimen does not work as expected there is an easy "solution" to try. This is to add some paracetamol to your regimen. Paracetamol is nowhere near in potency when compared to opioids but it may provide additional relief when used in combination, so patients who have come close to relieving their pain with an opioid may benefit from paracetamol. So in conclusion, the opioid combination may indeed cause untoward effects but they can't be predicted on an individual basis. You should try it first... I hope you find my comments helpful! Kind Regards!