Sexual dysfunction in men on buprenorphine naloxone-based substitution therapy pmc

4 min read
21 November 2023

Treatment was individualised with doses being administered according to subjects’ withdrawal symptoms and vital signs. Plasma buprenorphine concentrations were higher with bup-lyo than with bup-sl, though norbuprenorphine concentration differences were not statistically significant, and no additional respiratory depression was noted upon switching. The authors note large inter-individual variability of buprenorphine pharmacokinetics. There was also an absence of clinical differences in vital signs and other adverse events when switching formulations. The authors concluded that bup-lyo disintegrated rapidly and that this may enable wider buprenorphine prescribing where supervision of dosing is required. No clinical difference between medications was observed and no increased respiratory depression occurred with bup-lyo.

Espranor is an opioid medication, sometimes called a narcotic. Wear a medical alert tag or carry an id card stating that you take espranor, in case of emergency. Any doctor, dentist, or emergency medical care provider who treats you should know that you are being treated buprenorphine oral lyophilisate for narcotic addiction. This online article is intended for medical professionals and does not recommend one medication over another. If you are a member of the public, always speak to your gp or medical advisor who will recommend the best treatment options available to you. The feedback received about espranor from both service users and the people involved in delivering their treatment has generally been positive.

I would suggest that the slow disintegration of buprenorphine and the need to be supervised by a member of staff, which can be stigmatising for patients, is as important in influencing adherence to treatment. Another question posed by the authors is whether the use of espranor® will lead to prescribing of lower doses or alternatively higher effective dosing. This is all speculative at this point, and only time will tell. Although the overall sample size is relatively small, one major advantage of this study is the inclusion of patients with co-existing physical and mental health disorders. Patients with mild to moderate depression, anxiety, hepatitis c, concurrent benzodiazepine use, and a history of alcohol use disorder were all included, provided severity was not likely to compromise the subject’s ability to participate in the trial. It is a common limitation of clinical studies that the relative health of the participants is not representative of real-world patients, and so any results lack applicability to clinical practice.

Do not suddenly stop taking espranor as this may lead to withdrawal symptoms. Talk therapy can help you figure out why you began using drugs in the first place. You can learn to identify specific situations and feelings that have led you to use in the past. Identifying these triggers helps you recognize and eliminate the negative thought  patterns that cause you to make poor decisions.

Both methadone and buprenorphine are designed to stop the worst of these symptoms from happening in the first place, so recipients can function with relative normality and participate fully  in their treatment. Conversely, patients requiring doses lower than 2mg would not be suitable for espranor® as it is only available in 2mg and 8mg tablets. This may be particularly relevant for patients who are detoxing from buprenorphine, and require doses lower than 2mg at the tail end of a detox. This phase of a detox can be psychologically challenging for patients, and many benefit from having very small incremental reductions in the last few days. This would have to be done with sublingual formulations, which may be disruptive for the patient, particularly if there are perceivable differences in bioavailability between formulations.

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