24-Hour Induction of Transdermal Buprenorphine to Buprenorphine Extended-Release.

Abstract

Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder but can be slow when using a standard low-dose titration protocol to avoid precipitated withdrawal. This presents a substantial practical barrier in clinical practice. Recent low-dose induction strategies have attempted to simplify and shorten the process required for successful induction, including our own transdermal buprenorphine method, which achieves induction to sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone after 48 h. Here, we present two inpatients with active unregulated fentanyl use that were successfully initiated on buprenorphine extended-release with a novel 24-h transdermal buprenorphine protocol without precipitating withdrawal. This protocol may represent a substantial improvement in the practical feasibility of initiating buprenorphine for patients and providers, although further study is required to confirm efficacy and tolerability.