Patients that benefit from buprenorphine-naloxone on medically assisted treatment for opioid dependence in Malaysia
- Author:
Philip George
;
Parameswaran Ramasamy
;
Sivakumar Thurairajasingam
;
Zia Shah,
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
Medication assisted treatment;
opioid;
buprenorphine-naloxone;
benefits
- MeSH:
Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination
- From:
The Medical Journal of Malaysia
2015;70(4):251-255
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Introduction: Opioid dependence is recorded as the most
common drug of abuse in Malaysia. Currently, the preferred
substitution therapy for most Government treatment centres
is methadone used as substitution therapy for opioid
dependence. There are, however patients who may benefit
from being on the combined buprenorphine-naloxone
formulation as substitution therapy instead.
We discuss six cases of opioid dependence of varied
backgrounds that were treated with buprenorphinenaloxone
therapy and their outcomes.
Discussion: All of the reported patients improved after the
induction of buprenorphine- naloxone. Two of the cases
highlighted the transfer of patients on methadone to
buprenorphine-naloxone due to the adverse effect and
interactions of methadone with other medications. During
the transfer there were no major adverse reactions noted,
and patients were safely able to continue with the
maintenance therapy of buprenorphine- naloxone.
Conclusion: Buprenorphine-naloxone is a safe and effective
drug substitution therapy for opioid dependence. It has
fewer interactions with other medications, and has similar
efficacy to methadone. Being a partial agonist, it has a less
sedating effect making patients more functional.
- Full text:P020150908408870120375.pdf
