Demystifying Suboxone

Suboxone was approved by the FDA way back in October 2002. Nearly 17 years on, there’s finally growing interest in its use. Primary care providers are prescribing it. And some emergency medicine physicians. Hospital medicine seems to be the next frontier.

I’m pleased to be partnering with Allina Health’s hospitalists on education and order set creation. The latter includes a presentation at their annual CME conference, offered on a repeating basis on April 5th, April 10th, April 26th and May 2nd.

Hospitalists frequently care for patients following overdoses and other opioid-related misadventures—trauma, endocarditis, and so on. Buprenorphine is a very nifty widget in these circumstances.

Another common scenario is acute pain management for patients who take buprenorphine in the community. Pain control is neither hard nor complicated, so long as you follow a few simple rules.

Special thanks to Drs. Saul Singh and David Beddow for their partnership on this.

Additional Resources
Suboxone Dosing Guide [pocket reference]
Buprenorphine Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder [journal article]
Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use  [pocket reference]
Buprenorphine: How to Use It Right [journal article]

Author: doctorfrenz

I'm a physician specializing in addiction medicine

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