Buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid dependence

Buprenorphine has become of increasing interest to be an alternative to methadone in the treatment of heroin addicts. The aim of the paper is to review, from a clinical perspective, the current status of what is known about the pharmacology of buprenorphine, with a particular emphasis on the issues...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European neuropsychopharmacology 2004-05, Vol.14 (3), p.209-216
Main Authors: Davids, Eugen, Gastpar, Markus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine - pharmacology
Buprenorphine - therapeutic use
Clinical Trials as Topic
Female
Humans
Maintenance therapy
Male
Narcotic Antagonists - pharmacology
Narcotic Antagonists - therapeutic use
Opioid dependence
Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy
Pregnancy
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - therapy
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Buprenorphine has become of increasing interest to be an alternative to methadone in the treatment of heroin addicts. The aim of the paper is to review, from a clinical perspective, the current status of what is known about the pharmacology of buprenorphine, with a particular emphasis on the issues of maintenance therapy in heroin addiction. A systematic review of published follow-up data, from observational and experimental studies was done. Electronic databases Medline and PSYNDEXplus were searched from their earliest entries. Buprenorphine appears to be a well-tolerated drug, with a benign overall side effect. Buprenorphine is an additional treatment option for heroin dependent patients, especially for those who do not wish to start or continue with methadone or for those who do not seem to benefit from adequate dosages of methadone.
ISSN:0924-977X
1873-7862
DOI:10.1016/S0924-977X(03)00146-9