Buprenorphine replacement therapy for adolescents with opioid dependence: early experience from a children's hospital-based outpatient treatment program.
Opioid use by adolescents is on the rise and replacement therapy is an effective treatment. Methadone replacement has been used safely and effectively with adults, but methadone programs are often unattractive to teenagers. Buprenorphine is a new replacement therapy that has been shown to be as effective as high dose methadone and may be better suited for the treatment of younger patients. We describe the experiences of several adolescent patients who received treatment from an outpatient adolescent substance abuse program that operates within a children's hospital, with an emphasis on issues of adolescent development.
Levy
Sharon
S
Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. sharon.levy@tch.harvard.edu
Vaughan
Brigid L
BL
Angulo
Michelle
M
Knight
John R
JR
D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D002047:Buprenorphine