Question

Medication Assisted Therapy, for opioids, typically consists of methadone, buprenorphine, and/or Vivitrol. Each have distinct advantages and disadvantages.That said, what are the major advantages of buprenorphine over methadone?

Answer 1

Both drugs are widely used in patients with a drug addiction. However several studies has concluded that buprenorphine has several advantage over methadone. However, both have several similarities such as:

•Opiate receptor agonist.

•Generally long acting on the patient.

•Generally, both do not produce euphoric effect.

•They do not produce fluctuating blood levels.

Even when both drugs are very similar, buprenorphine has been considered a better treatment because:

•It has ben described that buprenorphine do not produce overdose and no effect on hearth rhythms.

•It has a longer period of action than the methadone because buprenorphine has more affinity for the receptor which means it will become more “sticky” and it effects will last longer.

•It has an intrinsic activity which means that when it is attached to the receptor, does not activate the receptors, it only block that receptor. Methadone do activate these receptors.

Buprenorphine is widely used in some patients that previously were ongoing a treatment with other type of opioid such as methadone because both drugs will compete for the receptor and buprenorphine is able to win over other opioids given its high affinity. Thanks to this, patients can quit methadone and use buprenorphine.