Skin redness after Buprenorphine in cats

The FDA has received 84 reports of skin redness in cats after Buprenorphine. That is 1.5% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 2.2% across reports for all cat medicines.

84Reports

27%Marked serious

17%Recovered

9.5%Died or euthanised

2 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

19 24%

1–2 days

21 27%

3–7 days

17 22%

1–4 weeks

18 23%

Over a month

3 3.8%

How the animals did

Recovered

12 14%

Recovered with lasting effects

2 2.4%

Still unwell when reported

37 44%

Died

4 4.8%

Euthanised

4 4.8%

Not known

25 30%

Problems reported at the same time

Hair loss

43 51%

Itching

24 29%

Loss of appetite

22 26%

Application site reaction

21 25%

Skin rash or irritation

12 14%

Swelling

11 13%

Lethargy

9 11%

Fever

9 11%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Buprenorphine pain relief (an opioid).

Questions owners ask

Can Buprenorphine cause skin redness in cats?: 84 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 2 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Skin redness with similar medicines

Skin redness after Dexmedetomidine (Dexdomitor) 22 reports · 0.8% of its reports

All reported side effects of Buprenorphine in cats · Medicines most reported with skin redness