Buprenorphine Consent to Treatment Form
Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of people with opioid dependence. Buprenorphine can be used for detoxification or for maintenance therapy. Maintenance therapy can continue as long as medically necessary.
Buprenorphine itself is an opioid, Buprenorphine treatment can result in physical dependence of the opiate type. If buprenorphine is suddenly discontinued, some patients have mild withdrawal symptoms; others have symptoms such as muscle aches, stomach cramps, or diarrhea lasting several days. To minimize the possibility of opiate withdrawal, buprenorphine should be discontinued gradually, usually over a specified period of time.
If you are dependent on opiates, you should be in as much withdrawal as possible when you take the first dose of buprenorphine. If you are not in withdrawal, buprenorphine may cause significant opioid withdrawal. Some patients find that it takes several days to get used to the transition from the opioid they had been using to buprenorphine. During that time, any use of other opioids may cause an increase in symptoms. After you become stable on buprenorphine, it is expected that other opioids will have less effect. Attempts to override the buprenorphine by taking more opioids could result in an opioid overdose. You should not take any other medication without discussing it with your physician first. You should also understand there are general risks associated with use of any medication. These risks include but are not limited to allergic reaction, side effects, injury or death if used improperly – including inappropriate dosing, frequency, ingestion, or use in combination with other sedating medications or substances.
Combining buprenorphine with alcohol or other medications is potentially hazardous. The combination of buprenorphine with benzodiazepines has resulted in death. The form of buprenorphine you may be taking is a combination of buprenorphine with a short-acting opiate blocker (naloxone). If the Suboxone tablet were dissolved and injected by someone taking heroin or another strong opioid, it could cause severe opiate withdrawal.
Buprenorphine tablets must be held under the tongue until they dissolve completely. The buprenorphine is then absorbed over the next 30 to 120 minutes from the tissue under the tongue. Buprenorphine will not be absorbed from the stomach if it is swallowed. Buprenorphine products are available in film or tablet form and are manufactured by different pharmaceutical companies. Trade names include Suboxone, Bunavail, and Zubslov.