Buprenorphine for Pain: A Narrative Review and Practical Applications

Chronic non-cancer pain affects about 20% of US adults and can significantly affect function and quality of life. Current guidelines recommend multimodal pain control. Despite risks associated with long-term opioid therapy, opioids are commonly prescribed. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist with an improved safety profile compared to full agonists. Some formulations are approved for chronic pain and others for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine is an option for patients who use chronic daily opioids for pain.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research