Will taking Buprenorphine affect anesthesia during surgery?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have a question about anesthesia. First of all, thank you for your time in reading this. I will be short and to the point as I am sure your time is valuable.

I am currently on a step-down dose of tablet Subutex (no Naloxone) and will be scheduling my surgery soon. My current dosage is 4 mg per day. The dosage would be probably reduced to 2 mg by next month when I have the surgery. Will this medication affect my anesthesia in any way? I did plan to talk with my doctor, but his office is closed till next week. I was just curious, and hence I wanted to ask you about this so that I will have proper information and need not worry about it.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I appreciate that you have chosen icliniq.com for your medical needs.

One thing you forgot to mention is what surgery have you planned for. For patients taking tablet Buprenorphine (Subutex), if it is a minor surgery, then there is no need to stop the tablet Buprenorphine (Subutex). But if you are to undergo a major surgery, then it should be stopped five days prior to the surgery.

Your anesthetist should be informed that you are taking the tablet Buprenorphine (Subutex) since he may change his plan for postoperative analgesia accordingly. Also, please inform your treating physician about the surgery and all about the advice given by your anesthesiologist to you.

I hope I have resolved your queries.

Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.