Few Physicians Using Buprenorphine to Treat Addiction
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved buprenorphine
to treat heroin and other opiate addiction in 2002, few doctors
are using the drug as an alternative to methadone, Newsday reported
May 6.
While methadone requires patients to make daily trips to a methadone
clinic, buprenorphine is available through a doctor's prescription
and can be taken at home. And unlike methadone, buprenorphine does
not have a high potential for misuse or fatal overdose.
The FDA approved the drug's use for addiction to heroin, morphine,
and prescription opiates such as OxyContin. However, only 1,000
doctors have prescribed buprenorphine since it became available
in pharmacies last spring.
Addiction experts said restrictions attached to buprenorphine have
discouraged its use. For instance, doctors who prescribe buprenorphine
are required to take a daylong class to learn about the drug, and
request a special license from the Drug Enforcement Agency before
they can write prescriptions. In addition, doctors are not allowed
to have more than 30 patients at one time on the medicine.
"There is no other medical treatment that demands this,"
said Dr. Herbert Kleber, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia Presbyterian
Medical Center in Manhattan, N.Y.
Some doctors, like Dr. Ron Brady, medical director of Bridge Plaza,
a methadone program in New York, also are skeptical about the drug's
effectiveness. "I want to see that it works before I start
using it," said Brady. "I have learned that some patients
should never be alone when taking their medicine."
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