Methadone vs Buprenorphine
Plasma peak levels at 4 hours for methadone
Half of methadone leaves our body in 22 hours, which make it better candidate for opioid withdrawal
symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are the reason for continual use of opiates
Input from clinical trials have shown that 80-100 milligram per day has significant advantage as compared
to lower doses in reducing opioid use
Buprenorphine has poor bioavailability, meaning when taken by mouth, it's not that Effective Therefore, it's
better to take it under the tongue. It's partial agonist on MU opioid receptors meaning doesn't matter how
much you take but it will have same effect on your receptors and hence won't cause respiratory depression
Buprenorphine comes in three forms. It comes as Buprenorphine sublingual tablets,
Buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual films. Buprenorphine/ naloxone sublingual tablets. If Buprenorphine
is given immediately to someone on opioids, it will displace opioids from your receptors in our brain area
and can cause withdrawal. Therefore, it is a protocol to observe 24 hours opioid withdrawal. In a patient
before we give first dose of buprenorphine
