
Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Although 6 months is the recommended duration for buprenorphine treatment, many patients discontinue within a few weeks or months of treatment.
NEWS BRIEF
Although the National Quality Forum recommends a minimum treatment duration of 6 months for
The researchers undertook a retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis using a Medicaid claims database (2013-2017) of 12 million beneficiaries annually. The sample included adults aged 18 to 64 years who had received buprenorphine continuously for 180 days or longer (ie, 6 to 9 months, 9 to 12 months, 12 to 15 months, and 15 to 18 months). Primary adverse outcomes included emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations, opioid prescriptions, and drug overdose.
Patients who were on buprenorphine for 15 to 18 months had lower rates of emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and filling opioid prescription in the 6 months following discontinuations. However, use of acute care service and overdose were high for all treatment durations following buprenorphine discontinuation. Although rates of adverse outcomes remained high, the best outcomes were seen with treatment duration of 15 months on longer.
References:
1. Williams AR, Samples H, Crystal S, Olfson M.
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