Buprenorphine Therapy of Opiate Addiction

Buprenorphine, a semisynthetic opioid derivative, has been prescribed widely and uniquely in France as an alternative to methadone for the treatment of heroin-addicted patients during the last five years. In Buprenorphine Therapy of Opiate Addiction, participating physicians and toxicologists summarize and evaluate their experiences with this still uncommon drug, covering all aspects of its use, including the pharmacology, conditions of delivery, risks from use with other psychoactive drugs, toxicology and related deaths, as well as its testing in blood, urine, tissue, and hair. Special attention is given to comparing the long-term care of opiate-dependent patients using high-dose buprenorphine vs methadone, and to explaining the differences in treatment, administration, and delivery. The authors also describe how buprenorphine is currently prescribed and monitored in France and Australia, and review all the latest advances in analytical techniques for the determination of buprenorphine and its metabolites in biological fluids and tissues. Special coverage is given to the use of buprenorphine in the pregnant addict, the risks of buprenorphine overdosing and poisoning, and the effects of combining buprenorphine and naloxone. Comprehensive and groundbreaking, Buprenorphine Therapy of Opiate Addiction covers all the key topics that both treatment personnel and forensic laboratory scientists in the addiction field need to appreciate the success of buprenorphine therapy, and to prepare for its implementation in their own countries.