Buprenorphine maintenance therapy in opioid-addicted health care professionals returning to clinical practice: a hidden controversy.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hamza H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3538407 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Buprenorphine maintenance therapy in opioid-addicted health care professionals returning to clinical practice: a hidden controversy.
Hamza Heather H Bryson Ethan O EO
Mayo Clinic proceedings 20120301 3
It remains controversial whether it is safe for recovering health care professionals to return to clinical practice after treatment for drug addiction. One specific component of reentry that remains particularly contentious is the use of pharmacotherapeutics, specifically buprenorphine, as opioid substitution therapy for health care professionals who wish to return to clinical work. Because health care professionals are typically engaged in safety-sensitive work with considerable consequences wh ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundBuprenorphine is a highly effective medication for opioid use disorder that is underused by health care professionals (HCPs). Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) misinformation may be an important barrier to buprenorphine access, but most implementation strategies have aimed to reduce negative attitudes towards patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) rather than misinformation specific to buprenorphine use. In this study, we assessed the degree to which HCPs endorsed misinformation related to buprenorphine, and whether this is associated with willingness to provide care to patients with OUD.MethodsIn September-December of 2022, we surveyed HCPs practicing in Ohio (n = 409). Our primary outcomes included a previously validated 5-item measure of HCP willingness to treat patients with OUD, and three other measures of willingness. Our key independent variable was a study-developed 5-item measure of endorsement of misinformation related to buprenorphine, which assessed beliefs in buprenorphine's efficacy in managing withdrawal symptoms and reducing overdose deaths as well as beliefs about the role of buprenorphine in achieving remission. We computed descriptive and bivariable statistics and fit regression models predicting each outcome of interest.ResultsOn average, HCPs scored 2.34 out of 5.00 (SD = 0.80) on the composite measure of buprenorphine misinformation. 48.41% of participants endorsed at least one piece of misinformation. The most endorsed items were that buprenorphine is ineffective at reducing overdose deaths (M = 2.75, SD =0 .98), and that its use substitutes one drug for another (M = 2.41, SD = 1.25). HCP endorsement of buprenorphine misinformation significantly and negatively predicted willingness to work with patients with OUD (b = - 0.34; 95% CI - 0.46, - 0.21); intentions to increase time spent with this patient population (b = - 0.36; 95% CI - 5.86, - 1.28); receipt of an X-waiver (OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.38, 0.77); and intention to get an X-waiver (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33-0.94).ConclusionsMisinformation is common among HCPs and associated with lower willingness to treat patients with OUD. Implementation strategies to increase MOUD use among HCPs should specifically counter misinformation related to buprenorphine.Clinical trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT05505227. Registered 17 August 2022, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05505227.
| S-EPMC10797921 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ContextThe usual treatment for opioid-addicted youth is detoxification and counseling. Extended medication-assisted therapy may be more helpful.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of continuing buprenorphine-naloxone for 12 weeks vs detoxification for opioid-addicted youth.Design, setting, and patientsClinical trial at 6 community programs from July 2003 to December 2006 including 152 patients aged 15 to 21 years who were randomized to 12 weeks of buprenorphine-naloxone or a 14-day taper (detox).InterventionsPatients in the 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone group were prescribed up to 24 mg per day for 9 weeks and then tapered to week 12; patients in the detox group were prescribed up to 14 mg per day and then tapered to day 14. All were offered weekly individual and group counseling.Main outcome measureOpioid-positive urine test result at weeks 4, 8, and 12.ResultsThe number of patients younger than 18 years was too small to analyze separately, but overall, patients in the detox group had higher proportions of opioid-positive urine test results at weeks 4 and 8 but not at week 12 (chi(2)(2) = 4.93, P = .09). At week 4, 59 detox patients had positive results (61%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 47%-75%) vs 58 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone patients (26%; 95% CI = 14%-38%). At week 8, 53 detox patients had positive results (54%; 95% CI = 38%-70%) vs 52 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone patients (23%; 95% CI = 11%-35%). At week 12, 53 detox patients had positive results (51%; 95% CI = 35%-67%) vs 49 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone patients (43%; 95% CI = 29%-57%). By week 12, 16 of 78 detox patients (20.5%) remained in treatment vs 52 of 74 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone patients (70%; chi(2)(1) = 32.90, P < .001). During weeks 1 through 12, patients in the 12-week buprenorphine-naloxone group reported less opioid use (chi(2)(1) = 18.45, P < .001), less injecting (chi(2)(1) = 6.00, P = .01), and less nonstudy addiction treatment (chi(2)(1) = 25.82, P < .001). High levels of opioid use occurred in both groups at follow-up. Four of 83 patients who tested negative for hepatitis C at baseline were positive for hepatitis C at week 12.ConclusionsContinuing treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone improved outcome compared with short-term detoxification. Further research is necessary to assess the efficacy and safety of longer-term treatment with buprenorphine for young individuals with opioid dependence.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00078130.
| S-EPMC2610690 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IMPORTANCE:Prescription opioid dependence is increasing and creates a significant public health burden, but primary care physicians lack evidence-based guidelines to decide between tapering doses followed by discontinuation of buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride therapy (hereinafter referred to as buprenorphine therapy) or ongoing maintenance therapy. OBJECTIVE:To determine the efficacy of buprenorphine taper vs ongoing maintenance therapy in primary care-based treatment for prescription opioid dependence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:We conducted a 14-week randomized clinical trial that enrolled 113 patients with prescription opioid dependence from February 17, 2009, through February 1, 2013, in a single primary care site. INTERVENTIONS:Patients were randomized to buprenorphine taper (taper condition) or ongoing buprenorphine maintenance therapy (maintenance condition). The buprenorphine taper was initiated after 6 weeks of stabilization, lasted for 3 weeks, and included medications for opioid withdrawal, after which patients were offered naltrexone treatment. The maintenance group received ongoing buprenorphine therapy. All patients received physician and nurse support and drug counseling. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:Illicit opioid use via results of urinanalysis and patient report, treatment retention, and reinitiation of buprenorphine therapy (taper group only). RESULTS:During the trial, the mean percentage of urine samples negative for opioids was lower for patients in the taper group (35.2% [95% CI, 26.2%-44.2%]) compared with those in the maintenance group (53.2% [95% CI, 44.3%-62.0%]). Patients in the taper group reported more days per week of illicit opioid use than those in the maintenance group once they were no longer receiving buprenorphine (mean use, 1.27 [95% CI, 0.60-1.94] vs 0.47 [95% CI, 0.19-0.74] days). Patients in the taper group had fewer maximum consecutive weeks of opioid abstinence compared with those in the maintenance group (mean abstinence, 2.70 [95% CI, 1.72-3.75] vs 5.20 [95% CI, 4.16-6.20] weeks). Patients in the taper group were less likely to complete the trial (6 of 57 [11%] vs 37 of 56 [66%]; P?<?.001). Sixteen patients in the taper group reinitiated buprenorphine treatment after the taper owing to relapse. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:Tapering is less efficacious than ongoing maintenance treatment in patients with prescription opioid dependence who receive buprenorphine therapy in primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION:clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00555425.
| S-EPMC6167926 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimThe aim of this study was to characterize quality of buprenorphine care for opioid use disorder (OUD) by quantifying buprenorphine initiation, engagement, and maintenance for individuals in a large, diverse, real-world cohort in the United States.DesignThis was a retrospective cohort analysis.SettingOUD treatment in the outpatient setting.ParticipantsA total of 45,210 commercially insured and Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees 18 years or older in the OptumLabs Data Warehouse with an index diagnosis of OUD between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018.InterventionsTreatment with buprenorphine.MeasurementsWe calculated 6 measures of buprenorphine treatment quality. We conducted survival analyses to characterize treatment duration and logistic regressions to evaluate the association between clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and quality.FindingsOf 45,210 eligible individuals with OUD, ∼1 in 10 (n=4600, 10.2%) initiated buprenorphine within 365 days following diagnosis (Measure #1) and 2850 individuals (6.3%) initiated buprenorphine within 14 days of diagnosis (Measure #2). Of individuals initiating treatment within 14 days of diagnosis, 1769 (62.1%) had 2 or more buprenorphine claims within 34 days of initiation (Measure #3). Of the 4600 individuals who received buprenorphine, 2300 (50.0%) were maintained in care with 180 days or more of covered buprenorphine treatment during 365 days after diagnosis (Measure #4). Finally, of the 4600 individuals who received buprenorphine, 2543 (55.3%) did not fill any other concurrent opioid analgesic (Measure #5) and 2951 (64.2%) did not fill any concurrent benzodiazepine (Measure #6). Quality was generally lower for individuals with MA compared with commercial coverage and among Hispanic and Black adults compared with White adults.ConclusionWidespread gaps exist in quality of buprenorphine treatment initiation, engagement, and maintenance among commercially insured and MA enrollees with OUD.
| S-EPMC8026663 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundBUP-XR (SUBLOCADE®) is the first buprenorphine extended-release subcutaneous injection approved in the USA for monthly treatment of moderate-to-severe opioid use disorder (OUD). Among patients with OUD, those who inject or use high doses of opioids likely require higher doses of buprenorphine to maximize treatment efficacy. The objective of this analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of 100-mg versus 300-mg maintenance doses of BUP-XR in OUD patients who inject opioids.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which adults with moderate or severe OUD received monthly injections of BUP-XR (2 × 300-mg doses, then 4 × 100-mg or 300-mg maintenance doses) or placebo for 24 weeks. Abstinence was defined as opioid-negative urine drug screens combined with negative self-reports collected weekly. Each participant's percentage abstinence was calculated after the first, second, and third maintenance doses in opioid-injecting and non-injecting participants. The proportion of participants achieving opioid abstinence in each group was also calculated weekly. Treatment retention rate following the first maintenance dose was estimated for opioid-injecting participants with Kaplan-Meier method. Risk-adjusted comparisons were made via inverse propensity weighting using propensity scores. Buprenorphine plasma concentration-time profiles were compared between injecting and non-injecting participants. The percentages of participants reporting treatment-emergent adverse events were compared between maintenance dose groups within injecting and non-injecting participants separately.ResultsBUP-XR 100-mg and 300-mg maintenance doses were equally effective in non-injecting participants. However, in opioid-injecting participants, the 300-mg maintenance dose delivered clinically meaningful improvements over the 100-mg maintenance dose for treatment retention and opioid abstinence. Exposure-response analyses confirmed that injecting participants would require higher buprenorphine plasma concentrations compared to non-injecting opioid participants to achieve similar efficacy in terms of opioid abstinence. Importantly, both 100- and 300-mg maintenance doses had comparable safety profiles, including hepatic safety events.ConclusionsThese analyses show clear benefits of the 300-mg maintenance dose in injecting participants, while no additional benefit was observed in non-injecting participants relative to the 100-mg maintenance dose. This is an important finding as opioid-injecting participants represent a high-risk and difficult-to-treat population. Optimal buprenorphine dosing in this population might facilitate harm reduction by improving abstinence and treatment retention.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02357901.
| S-EPMC10693082 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Although buprenorphine treatment reduces risk of overdose and death in opioid use disorder, most patients discontinue treatment within a few weeks or months. Adverse health outcomes following buprenorphine discontinuation were compared among patients who were successfully retained beyond 6 months of continuous treatment, a minimum treatment duration recently endorsed by the National Quality Forum. METHODS:A retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis was performed using the MarketScan multistate Medicaid claims database (2013-2017), covering 12 million beneficiaries annually. The sample included adults (18-64 years of age) who received buprenorphine continuously for ?180 days by cohorts retained for 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-15 months, and 15-18 months. For outcome assessment in the postdiscontinuation period, patients had to be continuously enrolled in Medicaid for 6 months after buprenorphine discontinuation. Primary adverse outcomes included all-cause emergency department visits, all-cause inpatient hospitalizations, opioid prescriptions, and drug overdose (opioid or non-opioid). RESULTS:Adverse events were common across all cohorts, and almost half of patients (42.1%-49.9%) were seen in the emergency department at least once. Compared with patients retained on buprenorphine for 6-9 months (N=4,126), those retained for 15-18 months (N=931) had significantly lower odds of emergency department visits (odds ratio=0.75, 95% CI=0.65-0.86), inpatient hospitalizations (odds ratio=0.79, 95% CI=0.64-0.99), and filling opioid prescriptions (odds ratio=0.67, 95% CI=0.56-0.80) in the 6 months following discontinuation. Approximately 5% of patients across all cohorts experienced one or more medically treated overdoses. CONCLUSIONS:Risk of acute care service use and overdose were high following buprenorphine discontinuation irrespective of treatment duration. Superior outcomes became significant with treatment duration beyond 15 months, although rates of the primary adverse outcomes remained high.
| S-EPMC7002204 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceNonadherence to buprenorphine may increase patient risk of opioid overdose and increase health care spending. Quantifying the impacts of nonadherence can help inform clinician practice and policy.ObjectiveTo estimate the association between buprenorphine treatment gaps, opioid overdose, and health care spending.Design, setting, and participantsThis longitudinal case-control study compared patient opioid overdose and health care spending in buprenorphine-treated months with treatment gap months. Individuals who were US Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries diagnosed with opioid use disorder who received at least 1 two-week period of continuous buprenorphine treatment between 2010 and 2017 were included. Analysis took place between January 2010 and December 2017.InterventionsA gap in buprenorphine treatment in a month lasting more than 15 consecutive days.Main outcomes and measuresOpioid overdose and total, medical, and drug spending (combined patient out-of-pocket and Medicare spending).ResultsOf 34 505 Medicare beneficiaries (17 927 [520%] male; 16 578 [48.1%] female; mean [SD] age, 49.5 [12.7] years; 168 [0.5%] Asian; 2949 [8.5%] Black; 2089 [6.0%] Hispanic; 266 [0.8%] Native American; 28 525 [82.7%] White; 508 [1.5%] other race), 11 524 beneficiaries (33.4%) experienced 1 or more buprenorphine treatment gaps. Treatment gap beneficiaries, compared with nontreatment gap beneficiaries, were more likely to be younger, be male, have a disability, and be Medicaid dual-eligible while less likely to be White, close to a buprenorphine prescriber, and treated with buprenorphine monotherapy (ie, buprenorphine hydrochloride). Beneficiaries were 2.89 (95% CI, 2.20-3.79) times more likely to experience an opioid overdose during buprenorphine treatment gap months compared with treated months. During treatment gap months, spending was $196.41 (95% CI, $110.53-$282.30) more than in treated months. Patients who continued to take buprenorphine dosages of greater than 8 mg/d and 16 mg/d were 2.61 and 2.84 times more likely to overdose in a treatment gap month, respectively, while patients taking buprenorphine dosages of 8 mg/d or less were 3.62 times more likely to overdose in a treatment gap month (maintenance of >16 mg/d: hazard ratio (HR), 2.64 [95% CI, 1.80-3.87]; maintenance of >8 mg/d: HR, 2.84 [95% CI, 2.13-3.78]; maintenance of ≤8 mg/d: HR, 3.62 [95% CI, 1.54-8.50]). Buprenorphine monotherapy was associated with greater risk of overdose and higher spending during treatment gaps months than buprenorphine/naloxone.Conclusions and relevanceMedicare patients treated with buprenorphine between 2010 and 2017 had a lower associated opioid overdose risk and spending during treatment months than treatment gap months.
| S-EPMC9535497 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A sublingual soluble-film formulation of buprenorphine/naloxone (B/N) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid dependency. This preparation provides unit-dose, child-resistant packaging amenable to tracking and accountability, offers more rapid dissolution, and has a potentially preferred taste vs. tablets. This study compared the ability of buprenorphine (B) and B/N films to suppress spontaneous withdrawal in opioid-dependent volunteers. Participants were maintained on morphine and underwent challenge sessions to confirm sensitivity to naloxone-induced opioid withdrawal. Subjects were randomized to receive either B (16 mg, n = 18) or B/N (16/4 mg, n = 16) soluble films for 5 days. The primary outcome measure was the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) score. Thirty-four subjects completed induction onto soluble films. There was a significant decrease in COWS scores but no significant differences between the groups. The results support the use of B and B/N soluble films as safe and effective delivery methods for opioid induction.
| S-EPMC3225026 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsTo compare the effects of a short or long taper schedule after buprenorphine stabilization on participant outcomes as measured by opioid-free urine tests at the end of each taper period.DesignThis multi-site study sponsored by Clinical Trials Network (CTN, a branch of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse) was conducted from 2003 to 2005 to compare two taper conditions (7 days and 28 days). Data were collected at weekly clinic visits to the end of the taper periods, and at 1-month and 3-month post-taper follow-up visits.SettingEleven out-patient treatment programs in 10 US cities.InterventionNon-blinded dosing with Suboxone during the 1-month stabilization phase included 3 weeks of flexible dosing as determined appropriate by the study physicians. A fixed dose was required for the final week before beginning the taper phase.MeasurementsThe percentage of participants in each taper group providing urine samples free of illicit opioids at the end of the taper and at follow-up.FindingsAt the end of the taper, 44% of the 7-day taper group (n = 255) provided opioid-free urine specimens compared to 30% of the 28-day taper group (n = 261; P = 0.0007). There were no differences at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups (7-day = 18% and 12%; 28-day = 18% and 13%, 1 month and 3 months, respectively).ConclusionFor individuals terminating buprenorphine pharmacotherapy for opioid dependence, there appears to be no advantage in prolonging the duration of taper.
| S-EPMC3150159 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceExpanding Medicaid eligibility could affect prescriptions of buprenorphine with naloxone, an established treatment for opioid use disorder, and opioid pain relievers (OPRs).ObjectiveTo examine changes in prescriptions of buprenorphine with naloxone and OPRs after the US Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion.Design, setting, and participantsIn this cohort study, longitudinal, patient-level, retail pharmacy claims were extracted from IQVIA real-world data from an anonymized, longitudinal, prescription database. The sample included 11.9 million individuals who filled 2 or more prescriptions for a prescription opioid during at least 1 year between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015, from California, Maryland, and Washington (expansion states) and Florida and Georgia (nonexpansion states). Data analysis was conducted from August 1, 2017, to May 31, 2018. Data were aggregated to county-year observations (N = 2082) and linked to county-level covariates. For each outcome, a difference-in-differences regression model was estimated comparing changes before and after expansion in expansion vs nonexpansion counties. Models were adjusted for county demographics, uninsured rate, and overdose mortality in the baseline year (2010).ExposuresPresence of Medicaid expansion in the year.Main outcomes and measuresFor buprenorphine with naloxone and OPRs, rates per 100 000 county residents were calculated separately for any prescriptions overall and by different payment sources. Mean days of medication per county among people filling prescriptions for these agents were also determined.ResultsThe study sample included 11.9 million individuals (expansion states: 40.9% men; mean [SD] age, 44.1 [13.8] years; nonexpansion states: 41.0% men; mean [SD] age, 43.7 [13.7] years). In expansion counties, 68.8 individuals per 100 000 county residents filled buprenorphine with naloxone and 5298.3 filled OPR prescriptions in 2010. After expansion, buprenorphine with naloxone fills per 100 000 county residents increased significantly in expansion relative to nonexpansion counties (8.7; 95% CI, 1.7 to 15.7). Opioid pain reliever fills per 100 000 county residents did not significantly change in expansion counties relative to nonexpansion counties (327.4; 95% CI -202.5 to 857.4). The rate of OPRs per 100 000 county residents paid for by Medicaid significantly increased (374.0; 95% CI, 258.3 to 489.7). There were no significant changes in days per 100 000 county residents of either medication after expansion.Conclusions and relevanceMedicaid expansion significantly increased buprenorphine with naloxone prescriptions per 100 000 county residents in expansion counties, suggesting that expansion improved access to opioid use disorder treatment. Expansion did not significantly increase the overall rate per 100 000 county residents of OPR prescriptions, but increased the population with OPRs paid for by Medicaid. This finding therefore suggests the growing importance of Medicaid in pain management and addiction prevention.
| S-EPMC6324520 | biostudies-literature