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Transition from methadone to subcutaneous buprenorphine depot in patients with opioid use disorder - a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2024

M. Delic*
Affiliation:
Center for Treatment of Drug Addiction, University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

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Introduction

Opioid dependence is a complex condition that often requires long-term treatment and care. Methadone, a synthetic full opioid agonist, and buprenorphine, a partial agonist at the opioid receptor, are most commonly used for substitution therapy of opioid dependence and typically administered orally as a liquid and sublingual tablets. Transition from methadone to sublingual buprenorphine may precipitate withdrawal and is usually performed only in patients on low dose of methadone (<30-40 mg). Microdose induction is proposed as a possible solution to ease the transition to buprenorphine.

Objectives

To present a rapid transition from methadone to sublingual buprenorphine and after that to buprenorphine depot.

Methods

A case report of a patient who was switched from methadone 60 mg to sublingual buprenorphine 8 mg using microdosing and after that switched to buprenorphine depo 16 mg weekly.

Results

Patient was successfully switched to sublingual buprenorphine and after that to buprenorphine depot. The transition was complited without withdrawal simptoms.

Conclusions

This report supports the use of a microdose induction to initiate buprenorphine. Additionally, this approach may be significant for patients stabilized on high doses of methadone who may not be able to tolerate a traditional buprenorphine induction.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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