title: Buprenorphine-naloxone therapy in pain management.
abstract: Buprenorphine-naloxone (bup/nal in 4:1 ratio; Suboxone; Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Incorporation, Richmond, VA) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for outpatient office-based addiction treatment. In the past few years, bup/nal has been increasingly prescribed off-label for chronic pain management. The current data suggest that bup/nal may provide pain relief in patients with chronic pain with opioid dependence or addiction. However, the unique pharmacological profile of bup/nal confers it to be a weak analgesic that is unlikely to provide adequate pain relief for patients without opioid dependence or addiction. Possible mechanisms of pain relief by bup/nal therapy in opioid-dependent patients with chronic pain may include reversal of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and improvement in opioid tolerance and addiction. Additional studies are needed to assess the implication of bup/nal therapy in clinical anesthesia and perioperative pain management.
authors: From the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York (K.Y.C.); and MGH Center for Translational Pain Research, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (L.C., J.M.).
authors: Kelly Yan
authors: KY
authors: Chen
authors: Lucy
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Jianren
authors: J
authors: Mao
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069479:Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D009270:Naloxone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000069479:Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009270:Naloxone; D002047:Buprenorphine