Low-Dose Initiation of Buprenorphine: A Narrative Review.
Amber N EdinoffOmar H FahmyNoah J SpillersAlexa R ZaheriEric D JacksonAudrey J De WittDanielle M WengerElyse M CornettKimberly L SkidmoreAdam M KayeAlan D KayePublished in: Current pain and headache reports (2023)
Case reports have noted success with a low-dose initiation of buprenorphine, which is different from typical protocols, relatively limited by adverse effects when patients were recently administered full agonists. A cohort investigation studied the use of a transdermal patch as part of the protocol, which was fairly well tolerated. While ongoing research is being conducted on this topic, recent case studies and smaller cohort studies have demonstrated the feasibility of a trial to treat OUD with low-dose initiation of buprenorphine.