[Buprenorphine depot in opiate use disorder]

Abstract

Background: Patients with opiate use disorder may be treated medicamentally with methadone and sublingual buprenorphine. However, also two forms of subcutaneous buprenorphine that can be administered weekly or monthly are available.

Aim: To describe the effectiveness and the side effects of the buprenorphine depot.

Method: Embase was searched and cross-references were sought in the included studies and previous reviews.

Results: Nine articles were included. One randomized study (n = 428) compared buprenorphine depot to the sublingual form, with the depot being more effective after 12-24 weeks. The other randomized study (n = 504) compared the depot with placebo. The depot was found to be effective. In two comparative non-blinded studies, no significant difference in abstinence was reported between the depot and sublingual administration. Medium-term effectiveness (16-52 weeks) was confirmed in five follow-up studies, in which the depot preparation proved both effective and well tolerated.

Conclusion: The buprenorphine depot is described as promising in the international literature. However, there are still several uncertainties that make its prescription should be done with great caution.