Looking For Info About Buprenorphine Treatment?As heroin and other opiates are becoming the drug of choice for many addicts, professionals are working to find treatment options that will aid in reducing withdrawal symptoms and the overall treatment success. One of the newer studies involves buprenorphine, which is an opioid drug that acts as an agonist and an antagonist. During the buprenorphine treatment, the participants receive the buprenorphine under their tongue via a small syringe. The medicine is not swallowed, but absorbed through the mucous membranes in the lining of the mouth. Using this method, the buprenorphine is supposed to be released slowly from the mu receptors, which can reduce the frequency of administering the medication. Patients can receive buprenorphin sublingual tables instead of the liquid form of the buprenorphine treatment, which is supposed to be just as long-lasting as the liquid form. It's thought that buprenorphine treatment will be more beneficial than the other current treatments, as it does not have to be administered daily. Since it is absorbed through the lining of the mouth, the body absorbs it differently and releases it differently. The body releases the buprenorphine slowly from the mu receptor, which produces the long-lasting effect. The mu receptors are either agonist (chemical that binds to and stimulates opiate receptors) or antagonists (chemical that acts as a blocker to to the effects of the opiates). Buprenorphine is a partial mu agonist, but will bind to mu opiate receptors and block the effects of heroin slightly. As with most medicinal treatments, you can encounter a few side effects. With the buprenorphine treatment, patients may experience drowsiness, dizziness, headache, itchiness, dry mouth, miosis, hypotension, urinary retention, constipation, decreased libido, and male ejaculatory difficulty. Other severe side effects of buprenorphine treatment can include respiratory depression, even though buprenorphine seems to show a ceiling effect, it's still a potential side effect seen in some patients. And, because buprenorphine is a partial mu agonist, it is also a partial mu antagonist, which means that patients undergoing buprenorphine treatment may experience opioid withdrawal symptoms, especially if the patient has just recently tried another opioid drug, such as methadone. Buprenorphine treatment is a great means of detoxification from heroine and other opiates, but the patient may have to use buprenorphine for both short- and long-term maintenance of recovery. Buprenorphine treatment can be more convenient to many patients, as they can be given a 30 day take-home dose soon after starting their treatment. The doses are also regulated so that the patients can only receive the buprenorphine one certain days and with specific frequency, but usually a patient is not given this freedom until they have completed a certain number of years with compliance to the buprenorphine treatment. |