title: Heroin detoxification with buprenorphine on an inpatient psychiatric unit.
abstract: The purpose of this open-label, uncontrolled study was to evaluate the feasibility of administering off-label buprenorphine in combination with ancillary medications for inpatient short-term detoxification of heroin-dependent patients at a psychiatric facility. A sample of 20 heroin-dependent patients admitted to an urban psychiatric hospital was administered buprenorphine 6, 4, and 2 mg/day during the first, second, and third day of detoxification, respectively, and then observed during the fourth and fifth day. Eighty-five percent of the subjects abused other substances, 75% reported cocaine abuse/dependence, 75% had comorbid mood disorders. All subjects completed the medication phase of the study. No clinically significant adverse events were reported. There was a significant decrease in the Clinical Investigation Narcotic Assessment (CINA) total score between baseline and days 2 through 5. The results suggest that buprenorphine is well tolerated and may be beneficial for medically supervised short-term withdrawal from heroin for hospitalized psychiatric patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, 100 Penn St, Rm 505, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. bdipaula@rx.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Bethany A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: DiPaula
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Ivan D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D002047:Buprenorphine