Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder—An Essential Medical Treatment (2024)

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Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder—An Essential Medical Treatment? ›

Buprenorphine and methadone are the first-line treatments for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and are associated with significant decreases in both fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses.

Buprenorphine is a long-acting opioid drug used to replace the shorter-acting opioids that someone may be addicted to, such as heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl or hydromorphone. Long-acting means that the drug acts more slowly in the body, for a longer period of time. The effects of buprenorphine last for 24 to 36 hours.

Across the United States, the mean street buprenorphine price was $3.95/mg (SD=$23.12/mg), the average dose was 8mg (SD=59mg), and the mean number of postings per county was 3.73 (SD=6.04).

As stated in the guidance, going forward, anyone with a standard DEA registration number may prescribe buprenorphine. In addition, there are no longer any limits on the number of patients a prescriber may treat for opioid use disorder with the drug.

You may be able to get Suboxone by visiting your family doctor, provided that they possess a buprenorphine waiver. There is nothing to be ashamed of by asking your family doctor if they can give you a prescription for Suboxone, or discussing the fact that you struggle with opioid addiction.

How long does an individual take buprenorphine? Buprenorphine should be continued for as long as the individual finds it helpful in meeting their substance use and life goals. Many people mistakenly think that they are only “truly better or in recovery” once they stop buprenorphine. This is inaccurate.

However, under an exception to the DEA registration requirements, known as the “three-day rule,” practitioners who are not otherwise registered with the DEA or have not obtained a waiver can administer, but not prescribe, narcotic drugs to patients for up to 72 hours.

- Example #1: 8mg of buprenorphine is equivalent to 240mg of morphine - Example #2: A 25mcg fentanyl patch is roughly equivalent to 60mg of morphine per day - Example #3: Each mg of Oxycodone is the equivalent of 1.5mg of oral morphine.

The indictment also alleges that, to further its scheme, Indivior announced a “discontinuance” of its tablet form of Suboxone based on supposed “concerns regarding pediatric exposure” to tablets, despite Indivior executives' knowledge that the primary reason for the discontinuance was to delay the Food and Drug ...

Previous studies have shown 8 mg sublingual buprenorphine to be equivalent to 60 mg oral methadone in terms of retention rate and opioid-negative urine levels.

What are the new rules for buprenorphine? ›

As of Jan 1, 2023, an X-waiver is no longer required per federal law. Any provider with an active DEA license including schedule III medications can now prescribe buprenorphine without an X-waiver. See Critical Updates About the X-Waiver Removal for more information.

Buprenorphine is a strong opioid medicine. It's mainly used to treat moderate to severe pain, for example during or after an operation or a serious injury, or pain from cancer. It's also used for other types of long-term pain when weaker painkillers have stopped working.

The recommended target dosage of SUBOXONE sublingual film during maintenance is 16 mg/4 mg buprenorphine/naloxone/day as a single daily dose. Dosages higher than 24 mg/6 mg daily have not been demonstrated to provide a clinical advantage.

Federal regulations allow ER doctors to administer Suboxone to manage withdrawal symptoms during your visit. In some cases, ER physicians can provide a three-day supply of Suboxone to ensure you have sufficient medication while you make arrangements for longer-term treatment.

[2] With GoodRx, you can get a prescription for Suboxone without insurance and at a discounted price.

What is Buprenorphine? | UAMS Psychiatric ...

UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute

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UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute

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Buprenorphine is used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to help people reduce or quit their use of heroin or other opiates, such as pain relievers like mor...

Suboxone/Buprenorphine Use in Opioid ...

Northpoint Seattle

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Northpoint Seattle

https://www.northpointseattle.com

Suboxone (Buprenorphine and Naloxone) is a medication used to help with opioid addiction recovery. Many people have had great success in using this type of medi...

Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder - WebMD

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Buprenorphine as part of medication-assisted therapy (MAT) may help you avoid overdose and prevent relapse. Here's what you need to know about this drug.

If you need to take or use buprenorphine for a long time, your body can become used to it. This is not usually a problem. However, you could get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. If you want to stop taking or using buprenorphine, talk to your doctor first.

Opioid antagonists can block the effects of buprenorphine, and buprenorphine has the potential to displace and block other opioids from the opioid receptor due to its high affinity for and slow dissociation from the opioid receptor.

Is buprenorphine an alternative to methadone? ›

Buprenorphine is taken as a replacement in the treatment of heroin and methadone dependence. Replacing a prescribed drug to treat a drug of dependence in this way is known as pharmacotherapy.