Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep-Oct;17(5):612-614.
doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001168. Epub 2023 Apr 18.

Nonopioid Substance Use among Patients Who Recently Initiated Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment

Karen L Dugosh  1 , Michelle R Lent, S Brook Burkley, Conor M K Millard, James R McKay, Kyle M Kampman
Affiliations

Nonopioid Substance Use among Patients Who Recently Initiated Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment

Karen L Dugosh et al. J Addict Med. 2023 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) like buprenorphine are a first-line treatment for individuals who have opioid use disorder (OUD); however, these medications are not designed to impact the use of other classes of drugs. This descriptive study provides up-to-date information about nonopioid substance use among patients who recently initiated office-based buprenorphine treatment for OUD using data from 2 ongoing clinical trials.

Methods: The study sample was composed of 257 patients from 6 federally qualified health centers in the mid-Atlantic region who recently (i.e., within the past 28 days) initiated office-based buprenorphine treatment between July 2020 and May 2022. After the screening and informed consent processes, participants completed a urine drug screen and psychosocial interview as a part of the study baseline assessment. Descriptive analyses were performed on urine drug screen results to identify the prevalence and types of substances detected.

Results: More than half of participants provided urine specimens that were positive for nonopioid substances, with marijuana (37%, n = 95), cocaine (22%, n = 56), and benzodiazepines (11%, n = 28) detected with the highest frequencies.

Conclusions: A significant number of participants used nonopioid substances after initiating buprenorphine treatment, suggesting that some patients receiving MOUDs could potentially benefit from adjunctive psychosocial treatment and supports to address their nonopioid substance use.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percent of participants providing drug-positive urine specimen for each substance tested (n = 257). Note: Opioids category excludes buprenorphine as all participants were prescribed the medication.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Number of non-opioid substances detected in urine specimen (n = 257).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Rossen LM, Sutton P. Provisional drug overdose death counts. National Center for Health Statistics. 2022.
    1. Kampman K, Jarvis M. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) National Practice Guideline for the Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use. J Addict Med. 2015;9(5):358–367. doi:10.1097/ADM.0000000000000166 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2004. - PubMed
    1. Uchtenhagen A Guidelines for the Psychosocially Assisted Pharmacological Treatment of Opioid Dependence. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009. - PubMed
    1. Wakeman SE, Larochelle MR, Ameli O, et al. Comparative Effectiveness of Different Treatment Pathways for Opioid Use Disorder. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(2):e1920622. Published 2020 Feb 5. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.20622 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms