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Review
. 2010 Jan-Feb;19(1):4-16.
doi: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2009.00005.x.

Drug interactions of clinical importance among the opioids, methadone and buprenorphine, and other frequently prescribed medications: a review

Elinore F McCance-Katz  1 , Lynn E Sullivan, Srikanth Nallani
Affiliations
Review

Drug interactions of clinical importance among the opioids, methadone and buprenorphine, and other frequently prescribed medications: a review

Elinore F McCance-Katz et al. Am J Addict. 2010 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Drug interactions are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Methadone and buprenorphine are frequently prescribed for the treatment of opioid addiction. Patients needing treatment with these medications often have co-occurring medical and mental illnesses that require medication treatment. The abuse of illicit substances is also common in opioid-addicted individuals. These clinical realities place patients being treated with methadone and buprenorphine at risk for potentially toxic drug interactions. A substantial literature has accumulated on drug interactions between either methadone or buprenorphine with other medications when ingested concomitantly by humans. This review summarizes current literature in this area.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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