Just to chime in here about pain management, the CBD is a very good idea to try, and if it works as well or better than the Buprenorphine then that's great. But the reason your vet wisely prescribed Buprenorphine is because it is very long acting and has very few side effects in comparison to a short acting opiate like morphine, Dilaudid, fentanyl, etc. It is also much less harmful to his liver and kidneys than the short acting opiates and any nsaids. Rimadyl is a CoxII inhibitor that is often used in veterinary medicine for arthritis, but it can cause lots of issues long term.
So what I'm trying to say to you is that if the Buprenorphine is really helping him, don't be afraid of it, as it is a great long-term pain reliever for chronic pain conditions like arthritis. The reason that Buprenorphine as well as Methadone are used for long-term treatment of opiate addiction are that after the patient reaches a therapeutic dosage and is on a stable dose, meaning their dose is high enough to stop their pain but does not cause any unwanted side effects, basically the patient just simply feels normal with no pain, and they can live a normal life with no outward signs that they are taking any medication daily, and no internal damage is being done to the liver or kidney either. Buprenorphine is a synthetic, partial opiate agonist, not an actual opiate, and is not mixed with any NSAIDS, and it not only binds to pain receptors and blocks pain, but at a low, stable daily dose it is a perfect medication for long-term, severe chronic pain. Usually once chronic pain patients find their stabile, therapeutic, dose they do not have to increase their dosage ever again because tolerance does not develop like it does with opiates. For all of these reasons Buprenorphine as well as Methadone are starting to be prescribed to people with chronic pain conditions, and I suspect (especially with the DEA, FDA, and law enforcement agencies cracking down on doctors who prescribe opiates long-term) that Buprenorphine will become one of the first-line medications prescribed to people as well as pets who need a life-long solution for chronic pain.
I have worked with a lot of people that have found Buprenorphine to be the only long-term, non-harmful to the liver solution for chronic pain in themselves, their children, and in 2 cases in their dogs who suffer from horrible arthritis and who had bleeding issues from Rimadyl use long-term. There is such a horrible stigma on Suboxone (Buprenorphine) and Methadone because they are used to treat opiate addiction, but it was through this use for treatment of opiate addiction that they discovered that these 2 drugs blocked pretty severe pain for a very long period of time once a therapeutic dose was reached. These 2 drugs have a very long half-life, over 24 hours, so if given once daily (sometimes twice daily depending on the dosage amount) they block pain at the same intensity throughout the half-life and do not cause drowsiness, euphoria, or any of the other side effects that come with opiates. The problem is that people are so afraid to use them or to have people find out they are taking them that they never give them a chance. If your beardie is getting relief from the Buprenorphine and is able to function normally, then it's a fantastic alternative, especially when the alternative is euthanasia. Someone made the comment in this thread already of "wow, that's some pretty strong medication your beardie is on", but actually the dose he is on for pain chronic pain control is not that strong at all. This is a common reaction however, whenever Buprenorphine or methadone are mentioned as treatment for pain. You seem leery of giving it to him, which is also a normal reaction, but once people understand that Buprenorphine is actually less dangerous for your beardie long-term than Rimadyl or even Ibuprofen or naproxen is, then they tend to understand why it's the better choice, again especially if the alternative if euthanasia. Your vet is to be commended for prescribing Buprenorphine to your beardie, as not a lot of vets or even human doctors realize how great a choice it is for long-term control of severe, chronic pain...Will he always have to be on it? Yes, but again, what is the alternative?