Sadie33

Hi, my husband started suboxone 2 weeks ago (16mg/day). Within a couple days he was complaining of how much he was sweating. Sweating is listed as a possible side effect, so we weren't terribly concerned. Then about 4 days ago he started noticing swelling in his ankles and feet. He goes to the doctor tomorrow, and will ask about it, but I was just wondering if anyone here has experienced both sweating and swelling. And if so did it go away?

cleaninLI

Hi Sadie. I've been on suboxone for a little over a year now. I have had sweating since the beginning....but mostly right after a take my dose. The swelling in my ankles and feet began about 3 months in. In the very beginning, I was not on my feet too much because I became very sick for two weeks....lost a huge amount of weight and was very weak. The swelling started after a trip we took to an amusement park. We had walked quite a bit so I figured that was the reason. Problem was it never went away. When I would prop my legs up at night it helped somewhat....but as soon as I was on my feet again the swelling came back. I called the suboxone hotline and they told me it is a side effect of the sub. There are many people who take sub and haven't had a problem with swelling....but there are some that do. I asked the lady from the hotline if I switched to pills instead of films if it made a difference? She told me no it wouldn't. I also asked if subutex would be better....she again told me no that it is the bupe that causes this. I remember reading somewhere....I think it was another forum that someone had this problem and switched to pills and it went away. I also read somewhere that it was the naloxone and not the bupe. I spoke to my doctor, who btw is not very helpful and said it was the bupe too. So I was never switched to anything else. If your husband's doctor is more helpful than mine, perhaps he can ask to be switched to pills or subutex and see if it goes away. If so please let me know. Also if you don't mind letting me know what his doctor says about it. I really appreciate it!

Oh, btw my doctor tested me for heart problems and I also took a series of blood tests to rule out anything else that could be causing it. Everything is ok. I am hypothyroid too....and take levothyroxine...just to let you know. I also smoke....which i want so badly to quit.

My doctor prescribed furosemide 40mgs daily to reduce the swelling. It works when I take it. It's just such a problem when I do because I spend the entire day in the bathroom!

Sadie33

Thanks Cleanin, that is helpful to hear. You said you first noticed the swelling after being at an amusement park, and ironically the first day my husband noticed swelling, was the day we were at an amusement park. I will post what his doctor says.

SparklingSeven

That's a tad spooky, lol

Sadie33

Ok, so the sub doctor was not that helpful. He said the sweating was likely a side effect that would go away with time. As for the edema, he wants him to see his primary physician regarding that. He has that appt Monday, but told him of if gets any worse before that to go to the ER. So now I'm freaking out because he also has had trouble urinating, and that has been going on for about 6 months, long before he started suboxone , but was on other opiates specifically hydrocodone and oxycodone. I'm just so frustrated right now.

cleaninLI

Oh my I'm so sorry! You must be terribly worried! Before you get too worried try to think positively. Just keep keep in mind these sub Doctors....well two of them that I had personally do not have the best bed-side manner. One of then was awesome....but he was a psych doctor affiliated with my IOP. Is this a psych doctor or a regular doctor? If its a psych doctor it could be that he doesn't have that much knowledge.....wants him to see someone who does. Because when I first told my doctor about it....he wanted to do a complete physical work up ASAP to rule out any other problems.....but he is a regular physician....so I made an appointment separately for that. Because it seems my doctor keeps his sub patients separate from his regular patients.....sub is cash only...whereas regular visit is thru insurance. Because there are things that could be more serious that cause this problem. But, I still feel it was probably the sub....since it happened after the sub. Not giving med advice mind you.....and it's important to get checked out. So wait until he gets checked out before you get crazy with worry.

cleaninLI

Oh, one more thing, opiates do cause that problem you mentioned. It interferes with the feeling to pass urine.....that could be linked or it could be a separate side-effect. I think in many cases a reduction of the med helps with that. I have that problem too....not always but sometimes....especially when I first went on the sub. It's like the sensation was dulled. The main thing is try to relax and have him checked out. More often than not these are only side effects....and not something serious. Ok? Praying that he will be found healthy and his doctor will figure out how to get rid of these side effects.

Sadie33

I know Im going overboard with worrying, and I should just be patient and wait until his f/up with his primary. I know I'm stressing him out about it. Truthfully I don't think my husband was concerned until I said he should go to the ER because he might be having kidney failure. I tend to get dramatic when I'm worried about something. But that is what led him to make an appointment with the primary, so that's good. And you're right, the sub doctor is a psych doctor affiliated with the treatment center, and said it wasn't his area of expertise. I guess I was just expecting (hoping) he would say "oh yeah, this is definitely from the sub, it'll go away". Lol.

cleaninLI

Trust me I'm a hypochondriac! I was so nervous too! The day it started happening we were on vacation, so I figured I was just tired and had been on my feet too much. So I wasn't too concerned....but when it wouldn't go away I freaked out! Started my Google MD search....came up with all these terrible life threatening diseases! I was a basket case! My hubby, who is a pharmaceutical chemist said it's the sub...stop worrying. He says even doctors don't know too much about side effects...they give them a class and authorize them to administer the sub. He always says it's the pharmacists that you should ask if you have questions about a med because they study the meds pretty thoroughly. Well then I spoke with that hotline and sure enough the lady told me it's the sub and that it isn't a real common side effect...as in the majority don't have a problem but it has been reported enough times to list it as a side effect. The urine problem is also a side effect BTW....because I asked her about that too. In fact I called that hotline quite a bit....they were probably tired of my calls! Because I was scared of the sub in the beginning.

Anyway I've had both those problems for a year now and I'm not dead yet! Ha! But it is a nuisance....because it's bothering my legs...making them ugly and itchy. So I am going to attempt to taper down and off pretty soon. It will take time though.

I don't know how old your hubby is, but if he's younger than 50 and is in pretty good health, I really don't think you need to worry. But I'm glad he's getting checked out....that will rule out anything major and give you guys peace of mind.

Sadie33

Thank you so much for telling me all that, it really does make me feel better! One downfall of the Internet is the smallest of ailments can turn into like threatening diseases. And when I googled edema, delayed urination and sweating kidney failure, heart failure, & liver failure all pop up. However, when I google sub and those things, lots of people share similar experiences, so I know I should chill out a little. My hubby is under 40, but he has had health problems since he was 29, when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. In fact this past spring he had hip replacement surgery as he had avascular necrosis, from steroids that were used to treat the UC. It's was the avascular necrosis that led to his relapse as that's when he started taking pain pills again. But the time he started the pills does coincide with when he started complaining of trouble urinating. And the swelling definitely took off after the sub, so while I will continue to worry, I will stop obsessing...Lol.

Sadie33

Just wanted to give a quick update. Hubby went to the ER today, because in addition to the swelling he felt nauseous, couldn't focus, and some chest pain. When he got there his blood pressure was high. They did an EKG, and that was normal. They did bloodwork, urinalysis and an ultrasound of his legs for blood clots. Everything was normal. They had a catheter in him because he couldn't pee while we were there. The urine output was normal. So hopefully this is just related to the sub as previously predicted. He has his primary dr appt Monday, so we'll see what he says and go from there.

cleaninLI

Oh Sadie thank you for this update! I appreciate that so much! So sorry that hubby wasn't feeling good though! Do you know if he suffers from anxiety? I had severe anxiety when I switched from pills to sub. Very bad....it made me sick like that too....racing heart....high blood pressure....nausea vomiting. It lasted for the first 2 or 3 weeks. My husband will tell you...I was a nut job. He said he thought it had something to do with my dopamine levels in my brain. I assume it was adjusting to not having the pills and the associated "feel good" high that came from them. My sleep patterns were all off....there were days and nights that I would pace back and forth trying to relax. It was awful! I felt like I went from everything is right in the world....to impending doom. I'm glad everything came back normal....but I really hope hubby gets some relief soon! You might want to see if your husband could be allergic too. For awhile I thought I was....but then things settled down and I felt tons better.

Oh, my doctor did lower my dose a little though too. That seemed to help me. I was on pretty high dose....but was lowered to 8mgs per day.