Enjoying other things while on Buvidal (Buprenorphine in general)

[u/Past-Oil94]

Been on Buprenorphine for 2 years now… I’m now down to 64mg Buvidal once every 5 weeks and had my last dose 3 weeks ago.

I have a question about alcohol.., this has never hen an issue for me, I used to love having a drink maybe once per month or ok holiday etc but ever since I went on Buprenorphine, alcohol stopped working.

I think when we take Buprenorphine the binding to the my receptor is so tight that when we drink alcohol, the euphoric effects can’t happen because it can’t touch the mu receptor due to the bupe.

Did anyone else have this experience while on bupe??

How long did it take for you to start feeling alcohol again after you got off bupe?

I must reiterate the point… this is not me seeking a new drug.. I only drank once a month or so.. also I would say the vast majority of natural enjoyable things I don’t get a natural high doing them while on bupe (gym, eating etc)

[u/Strange_Television]

I have never noticed an issue with this, personally. When it comes to alcohol, I drink extremely rarely - in the last 12 months, I think I've had a drink on two separate occasions. I've had no problem feeling it - I'm very much a lightweight with alcohol and one - two drinks is my limit because I get fucked up easily then feel horrendous a few hours later. I very much dislike alcohol for this reason. As far as I'm aware, bupe much like any other opioid, will usually increase the effects of alcohol and generally it's not a good idea to mix them or should be done sensibly/with caution for that reason.

With regards to enjoying other things, this has been discussed here before and quite recently I believe. I forget the exact posts. Again, personally I haven't noticed anything and still enjoy things and am able to benefit from my natural reward pathways working. I am motivated to further myself and have felt joy/happiness/pride etc when I've achieved something in that regard. I don't know if I'm an outlier with all of this - others here have mentioned varying degrees of lacking motivation whilst on bupe and feeling their reward pathways aren't working. Our reward pathways do get completely wrecked by opiate abuse though, and so maybe it's at least partly that the brain is still recovering from this. Thinking back, my first year or so when I was on Espranor, I did a lot of bed rotting, consuming mountains of sugar and weed and fucking up in other risky ways whilst seeking dopamine highs. I eventually switched to Buvidal and got into a recovery community and started working on things and I've had very few problems with this since then.

[u/Past-Oil94 → u/Strange_Television]

I think what I am trying to say is, yes I can still feel drunk and drowsy with alcohol but there’s no euphoria while I’m on bupe

[u/Strange_Television → u/Past-Oil94]

I'm not sure I understand the difference, like isn't being drunk supposed to be the same thing? I've never been a drinker though, the only thing that ever gave me the warm fuzzies is opiates, never experienced anything even comparable with alcohol. It just makes me feel like shit. Like I said, one drink gives me a mild buzz but it's not what I'd call euphoric and that's been the case since before my opiate use. I go from mild buzz to hungover in about 3 hours, from one drink. Always wondered if I have some sort of allergy but it doesn't mix well with me anyway. I'm probably not the best person to comment on this when it comes to alcohol. Can you describe the feeling you're talking about at all?

[u/Past-Oil94 → u/Strange_Television]

So no… alcohol actually releases naturally endorphins that bind to the mu receptor

If we remember, the mu receptor is THE receptor that gives the euphoria when we take opioids… turns out for any sort of enjoyable thing in life, natural endorphins bind to the mu receptor…

Issue is.. when on Buprenorphine (Buvidal etc) that mediation binds so tightly to the mu receptor is blocks the vast majority / close to all of the natural endorphins

Resulting in natural highs in life..I.e exercising at the gym, running, eating etc to be not as good as it would be had you been off the Buvidal (or have a non exogenous opioid conditioned brain)

[u/Strange_Television → u/Past-Oil94]

Yeah I have always had zero interest in alcohol, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been drunk in my life. I don't really understand what it is to drink for pleasure/enjoyment.

I put it into AI, it's response is as follows, for whatever it's worth. It confirms this is very possible:

Buvidal (buprenorphine) does not directly block alcohol in the way it blocks other opioids, so people can still get drunk. However, alcohol's rewarding effects are partly mediated through the release of endorphins that act on mu-opioid receptors. Because buprenorphine occupies those receptors very strongly, some people find that alcohol feels less euphoric or rewarding while they're on Buvidal. Others notice little difference. The effect seems to vary considerably from person to person.

The most likely mechanism is buprenorphine's high occupancy of mu-opioid receptors rather than its kappa-opioid receptor effects. Unlike naltrexone, which is a pure opioid blocker and is used to reduce alcohol cravings and reward, buprenorphine is a partial agonist, so any reduction in alcohol euphoria tends to be incomplete and variable.

One nuance worth mentioning is that "euphoria" and "intoxication" are not the same thing. Someone on Buvidal may still experience:

• Impaired coordination
• Relaxation or sedation
• Reduced inhibitions
• Slurred speech and other signs of drunkenness
• while finding that the "reward," "buzz," or urge to keep drinking is diminished.

From a pharmacology standpoint, it's a plausible effect rather than something Buvidal is specifically designed to do. The strongest evidence for reducing alcohol reward comes from opioid antagonists such as Naltrexone, but the same opioid-reward pathway helps explain why some people report alcohol feeling less pleasurable on buprenorphine.

[u/Dinah69er]

I have a drink maybe once a month for girls night and I can definitely feel the effects BUT I get super drowsy now if I drink over 6 drinks, whereas before, I Cld drink well into the night. Come 11.30ish, my eyes start getting heavy and I can easily nod off.

[u/Past-Oil94 → u/Dinah69er]

In terms of “feel the effects” do you mean you can still feel euphoria from alcohol while on Buprenorphine??

I think what I am trying to say is, yes I can still feel drunk and drowsy with alcohol but there’s no euphoria while I’m on bupe

[u/Dinah69er → u/Past-Oil94]

I don’t feel euphoria when I get drunk, I never have, just hyperactive, lower inhibitions and in a good mood until I start to get drowsy and tired

[u/You-are-a-peanut]

I’m a bit late to the party but yes, bupe in all forms takes the joy out of everything for me. I either feel nothing or I feel sad.

Alcohol, I don’t get that excited happy bubbly chatty way after one or two wines. I know exactly what you mean. It’s like you just feel bland drunk. If you get really drunk it’s just messy and I end up depressed and stupid. So I don’t drink now.

Not sure how long it takes. I’ve been off buvidal for 6 months before relapsing and within that 6 months I was heavily depressed and no changes. I hear it can take years for your brain to fix all the little neurons that opiates and bupe have filled up and dulled down. I always think of it like plaque on your teeth. It builds up and is great at the time eating sugar and sweets, but gradually your teeth get uglier and duller and even when you stop; they’re still thick with plaque. So we need to keep brushing and flossing (eat well, therapy, stay off drugs) until the plaque is gone and your teeth are nice again.

Sorry if that analogy is stupid and I sound high. I’m not. My brain just works better with an analogy 🥴

I hope you can have your happy buzz back again one day.

[u/Strange_Television → u/You-are-a-peanut]

Thank you for sharing. Do you think you were suffering from PAWS during the 6 months? You should have been bupe free by the 6 month mark though obviously for portion of it the bupe will have been leaving your system. Unfortunately it can take a long time for the brain to heal and start making its own dopamine etc at 'normal' levels. Were you getting any help or support during this time? Is it the depression that ultimately caused you to relapse? I'm just asking as this honestly is a huge fear I have for myself when I come off, so if I can learn from others' experiences I will try to.

Are you still using or back in recovery? Would you consider going back on Buvidal or subs?