title: Managing opioid addiction with buprenorphine.
abstract: Legislation has enabled physicians to treat opioid-dependent patients with an office-based maintenance program using buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist. Clinical studies indicate buprenorphine effectively manages opioid addiction. Buprenorphine is more effective than placebo for managing opioid addiction but may not be superior to methadone if high doses are needed. It is comparable to lower doses of methadone, however. Treatment phases include induction, stabilization, and maintenance. Buprenorphine therapy should be initiated at the onset of withdrawal symptoms and adjusted to address withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Advantages of buprenorphine include low abuse potential and high availability for office use. Disadvantages include high cost and possible lack of effectiveness in patients who require high methadone doses. Most family physicians are required to complete eight hours of training before they can prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction.
authors.affiliation: Whitsett Center, Chestertown, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Donaher
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Welsh
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006801:Humans; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D002047:Buprenorphine