Buprenorphine Research Paper

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Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opioid partial agonist, resulting from an alkaloid of the potentially lethal poppy plant Papaver somniferum. Although Buprenorphine is an opioid, it is commonly used to help suppress the withdrawal/side effects that occur from opioid addiction(1). To achieve the purpose of this paper, research on the uses and misuses of opioids and the affect Buprenorphine has on the detoxification of a person struggling with opioid addiction(3). Because Buprenorphine is a partial agonist, it still produces the “usual” effects and symptoms that opioids have: euphoria and a depressed or relaxed respiratory system. However, the max high is less than it would be if it were a full agonist, such as heroin(1). Heroin and other …show more content…
Because Buprenorphine is metabolized relatively quickly by the liver, oral use is not recommended but instead sublingually or under the tongue. Buprenorphine primarily affects the mu-opioid receptor acting as a partial agonist; therefore the receptor activation increases as the dose does until the plateau is reached. This is beneficial because, in the case of full opioid agonists, the receptor activation increases as the dose increases which can lead to death. Buprenorphine has a high affinity and slow dissociation from mu-opioid receptors which allow it to block other receptors temporarily(4). This is the process that causes patients who have recently used opioids to go through withdrawal.
Dosing
Managing opioid addiction with buprenorphine can be put into three phases: induction, stabilization, and maintenance. The induction phase is the switch from illicit opioid use to buprenorphine, lasting around a week. Making sure the patient understands and is aware of the risks of sudden withdrawal if buprenorphine is begun too quickly(4).
Once the patient begins to present opioid withdrawal symptoms, the physician will administer the initial dose under observation for side effects. If the patient continues to experience opioid withdrawal, illicit opioid use should be suspected and
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