Rapid high-dose buprenorphine treatment strategy reduces opioid withdrawal in individuals using fentanyl

Buprenorphine is a medication approved for pain and opioid dependence. New findings published in The American Journal on Addictions indicate that a transmucosal dose (which dissolves in the mouth) of buprenorphine followed by an injection of extended-release buprenorphine (BUP‐XR) may be an effective treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder who use fentanyl.

The results come from a recent secondary analysis of an open-label study in which 24 participants received a single 4 mg dose of transmucosal buprenorphine followed by an injection of 300 mg of BUP‐XR after approximately 1 hour.

Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale scores dropped significantly after treatment.

“Fentanyl and 20 other synthetic opioids are the leading cause of overdose deaths in 21 the United States and rapid induction to BUP‐XR injection may be an important potential treatment option for this at‐risk population,” the authors wrote.

Reference:

John J. Mariani, Robert L. Dobbins, Amy Heath, Frank Gray, Howard Hassman, Open-label investigation of rapid initiation of extended-release buprenorphine in patients using fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13484.