title: Effect of buprenorphine on psychomotor functions in patients on buprenorphine maintenance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients on buprenorphine maintenance for opioid dependence often abuse its additional doses over and above the maintenance dose. Being a psychoactive agent, it may affect psychomotor performance with all its consequences, for example, effect on quality of life. This study was conducted to assess the effects of its additional doses on psychomotor performance in patients who are maintained on it.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an interventional study, carried out in an in-patient setting in a tertiary care national drug dependence treatment center.
  
  
  METHODS
  It included 19 subjects maintained on buprenorphine, 4 mg/d (s/L) for at least a month.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maintenance dose was followed by three administrations of buprenorphine, 2 mg, at two hourly intervals (cumulative dose design).
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were assessed on digit symbol substitution test, trail making, digit span, and delayed recall, after each administration and the next morning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Performance of subjects on Digit Symbol Substitution Test (chi2 = 52.98, p < 0.000) and Trail Making Test-A (chi2 = 26.29, p < 0.000) and B (chi2 = 42.08, p < 0.000) improved significantly with each assessment while other tests were unaffected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improvement in psychomotor performance (which could be true effect of drug itself or a result of other factors, eg, inadequate maintenance dose or practice effect) though contrasting with some of the earlier findings, does have significant clinical implications regarding the long-term use of buprenorphine. It would be worthwhile repeating this type of study in a placebo controlled design to further verify the results.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Unit, Lister Hospital, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ankush
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: Hem Raj
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Renuka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jena
authors.forename: Raka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002047:Buprenorphine