In the United States, the combination formulation of buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) is usually prescribed to discourage misuse by injection.[18] However, more recently the efficacy of naloxone in preventing misuse has been brought into question, and preparations of buprenorphine combined with naloxone could potentially be less safe than buprenorphine alone.[20] Maximum pain relief is generally within an hour with effects up to 24 hours.[18] Buprenorphine affects different types of opioid receptors in different ways.[18] Depending on the type of opioid receptor, it may be an agonist, partial agonist, or antagonist.[18] Buprenorphine's activity as an agonist/antagonist is important in the treatment of opioid use disorder: it relieves withdrawal symptoms from other opioids and induces some euphoria, but also blocks the ability for many other opioids, including heroin, to cause an effect. Unlike full agonists like heroin or methadone, buprenorphine has a ceiling effect, such that taking more medicine past a certain point will not increase the effects of the drug.[21]
Buprenorphine was patented in 1965, and approved for medical use in the United States in 1981.[18][24] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[25] In addition to prescription as an analgesic it is a common medication used to treat opioid use disorders, such as addiction to heroin.[26] In 2020, it was the 186th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2.8million prescriptions.[27][28] Buprenorphine may also be used recreationally for the high it can produce.[26] In the United States, buprenorphine is a schedule IIIcontrolled substance.[26]
^Mendelson J, Upton RA, Everhart ET, Jacob P, Jones RT (January 1997). "Bioavailability of sublingual buprenorphine". Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 37 (1): 31–37. doi:10.1177/009127009703700106. PMID9048270. S2CID31735116.
^Eriksen J, Jensen NH, Kamp-Jensen M, Bjarnø H, Friis P, Brewster D (November 1989). "The systemic availability of buprenorphine administered by nasal spray". The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 41 (11): 803–805. doi:10.1111/j.2042-7158.1989.tb06374.x. PMID2576057. S2CID1286222.
^"Buprenorphine". The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
^World Health Organization (2021). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/345533. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
^ abc"Buprenorphine". SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). July 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.