8 The clinician should be alert for signs of drowsiness or motor impairment. Physical dependence can be ascertained by: (i) waiting until the patient develops withdrawal signs and symptoms; or (ii) precipitating withdrawal via naloxone (if pregnancy has been ruled out). After the patient is stabilized, the dosage is gradually reduced, either by decreasing the methadone 5 mg/day until zero dosage is reached, or decreasing 10 mg/day until 10 mg Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is reached and then by 2 mg/day.9 Inpatient

methadone substitution and taper is usually accomplished in 5 to 7 days, and has a retention rate of 80%; with outpatient detoxification it takes longer to minimize withdrawal Selleckchem AZD7762 symptoms and to decrease dropout and relapse, but only about 20% complete it.10 Lingering protracted withdrawal symptoms can be helped by clonidine.

Buprenorphine The Food and Drug administration (FDA) approved sublingual buprenorphine in 2002 for office-based treatment for detoxification or Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical maintenance of opioid dependence. Buprenorphine is long-acting, safe, and effective by the sublingual route, but may precipitate withdrawal symptoms if given too soon after an opioid agonist. If the patient has withdrawal symptoms and has waited Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical at least 12 hours after short-acting opioids and 36 hours after methadone, buprenorphine usually serves to relieve these symptoms and is less likely to precipitate withdrawal It may also be useful in emergency department settings.11 Heroin detoxification is managed by administering buprenorphine 2 to 4 mg sublingually after the emergence of mild-to-moderate withdrawal. A second dose of buprenorphine 2 to 4 mg may be administered approximately 1 to 2 hours later, depending Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical on the patient’s comfort level. Usually a total of 8 to 12 mg of buprenorphine is sufficient the first day. For most patients, a slow taper over a week or so is a safe and well tolerated strategy. Any buprenorphine dose that worsens withdrawal symptoms suggests the buprenorphine

dose is too high compared with the level of withdrawal. The symptoms should be treated with clonidine, and further Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical buprenorphine doses withheld for at least 6 to 8 hours. Buprenorphine, even at doses of 16 mg, may not suppress all signs and symptoms of withdrawal if the patient had a very severe habit,12 but most symptoms respond to adding clonidine 0.1 mg every 4 to 6 hours. The duration of withdrawal from abrupt buprenorphine cessation is variable even from patient to patient. In one study, crotamiton about one fifth of the patients maintained on daily buprenorphine 16 mg sublingually for 10 days experienced significant withdrawal symptoms after abrupt stopping.13 Buprenorphine can be used to transfer patients from methadone maintenance to buprenorphine maintenance or to a drug-free state. The patient needs to be at least in mild withdrawal, and the methadone dose 40 mg or less for at least a week prior to beginning buprenorphine.