How Effective Is Buprenorphine for Pain?

The drug buprenorphine is considered a highly effective choice for treating and managing pain. It not only suppresses the brain’s recognition of pain, but also causes it to produce natural chemicals that induce a feeling of well-being. Also among its advantages, the drug remains in the body longer than other pain-killers before finally breaking down and becoming ineffective. Classified as an addictive drug, the use of buprenorphine for pain may be regulated differently in some countries. It should be administered only under the supervision of a physician.

Buprenorphine is a potent drug derived from the same opium poppy plant as the narcotic heroin, which is illegal in most parts of the world. It is similar to another derivative, morphine, but is estimated to be up to 20 times more powerful. Similar to morphine, buprenorphine has been one of the therapeutic tools for treating heroin drug addiction. It is strong enough to alleviate the dangerously painful symptoms of heroin withdrawal, the so-called period of “cold turkey.” The drug is manufactured under various brand names, including Butrans®.

Opiates are the psychoactive chemicals extracted from the opium plant. They bind with brain cells to produce their characteristic narcotic effects. Buprenorphine and several other commercial pain-killers have been processed in the lab to retain their opiates’ pain suppression qualities while minimizing their negative psychological effects. This explains the effectiveness of large dosages of buprenorphine for pain in aiding heroin detoxification. Moderate dosages, usually in injectable solution form, are used for acute pain such as might be experienced immediately after hospital surgery.

Butrans® is a time-release dermal patch for treating chronic pain. Buprenorphine is contained within the adhesive and is absorbed slowly through the skin. The drug is so strong that a dermal patch’s dosage may be as low as 5 micrograms per hour. Other higher dosage rates are available, allowing a physician to finely manage a patient’s pain control needs. Moderate to severe chronic pain such as might be experienced by patients with terminal cancer can be effectively treated with buprenorphine.

The side effects of buprenorphine is the same as other drugs derived similarly from the opiates of the poppy plant. Headache, drowsiness and nausea are often reported. Urinary retention and constipation are somewhat common. The only rare, but potentially dangerous symptom to monitor is breathing difficulty. Most emergencies related to the use of buprenorphine for pain are complications from its interaction with other drugs, especially alcohol which can be a fatal combination.

One of the first uses of buprenorphine was as a tranquilizer for animals, such as elephants. It was first commercialized as a medical drug for humans in the 1980s. Buprenorphine for pain suppression was introduced during the first decade of 2000. Under a doctor’s prescription and close supervision, it is considered very effective. It is, however, a narcotic drug with the potential for addictive abuse.