Using buprenorphine with other medicines and herbal supplements

There are some medicines that may affect how buprenorphine works.

Tell your doctor if you're taking any medicines:

• to help you sleep
• for mental health problems including depression, or to reduce stress or anxiety
• for high blood pressure
• to help stop you feeling or being sick
• to treat symptoms of an allergy
• for any infection (including HIV)
• to control fits or seizures

It's safe to use buprenorphine with paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin.

Do not take any painkillers containing codeine, such as co-codamol or combined ibuprofen and codeine (brand names Nurofen Plus or Solpadeine) when you're using buprenorphine. You'll be more likely to get side effects if you take any of these while using buprenorphine.

There's not enough information to say that complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with buprenorphine.

They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.