Abstract:Buprenorphine has unique and favorable pharmacological properties that make it useful in a variety of clinical scenarios. It has been recommended to consider buprenorphine first-line opioid for chronic pain, especially in the elderly as it may be associated with less cognitive impairment, falls, sexual dysfunction, and sarcopenia when compared with schedule II opioids. It may be useful in patients with comorbid substance use disorder or non-medical opioid use, as there is less risk of misuse, euphoria and it m… Show more
“…A study involving chronic cancer pain and non-cancer pain found that the sublingual buprenorphine to oral morphine ratio of 42 was accurate for 70% of patients 5. The equivalents published by Case et al are a reasonable table to use when rotating 6…”
“…A study involving chronic cancer pain and non-cancer pain found that the sublingual buprenorphine to oral morphine ratio of 42 was accurate for 70% of patients 5. The equivalents published by Case et al are a reasonable table to use when rotating 6…”
“…Asimismo, en el caso de cáncer terminal es el único tratamiento que es factible ofrecer porque mejora el dolor, la astenia, la anorexia, la caquexia y los trastor-nos psicológicos con el objetivo de mejorar la calidad de vida. 58 Se ha demostrado que en los pacientes con diferentes tipos de cáncer gastrointestinal que reciben cuidados paliativos, el desgaste muscular se comporta como un factor pronóstico negativo, con un predominio en el sexo masculino. 59 El dolor es uno de los síntomas más difíciles de tratar durante la etapa paliativa del cáncer.…”
Section: Efectos Del Tratamiento Paliativo Y Otros Tratamientosunclassified
“…Lo anterior contribuye a las dificultades para el control del dolor especialmente en pacientes con caquexia. 58,59 Recientemente se ha empleado también el uso de cannabinoides (CBD) en tratamiento paliativo del cáncer. 60 Se han realizado estudios en investigación en ratones con respecto a la expresión diferencial de los receptores de cannabinoides CB1 y CB2 y ha destacado que la expresión de CB2 mejora con el ejercicio al promover la capacidad regenerativa del músculo mediada por Pax7 y MyoD, lo cual alienta a explorar el CBD en el tratamiento de la sarcopenia en este grupo de pacientes.…”
Section: Efectos Del Tratamiento Paliativo Y Otros Tratamientosunclassified
ResumenEl músculo cuenta con interrelaciones muy importantes con otros órganos como el corazón, hígado, cerebro y tejido adiposo. Su desgaste, conocido como sarcopenia, se ha asociado a los diferentes tipos de cáncer durante el tratamiento, lo que condiciona incremento de la toxicidad derivada tanto de la quimioterapia como de la radioterapia. Lo anterior provoca retrasos del tratamiento y ajustes no deseados de las dosis del mismo que impactan negativamente la supervivencia de los pacientes con cáncer. Existe evidencia que sugiere que la sarcopenia persiste aún en la etapa de supervivencia condicionando un impacto negativo en la calidad de vida de los pacientes y en su productividad laboral. Se conocen diferentes mecanismos fisiopatológicos a nivel celular y molecular involucrados en la sarcopenia en el cáncer que muestran cada vez con mayor claridad una relación bidireccional tanto positiva como negativa entre el cáncer y el músculo.
“… 7 Compared to full opioid agonists, the action of buprenorphine at MORs produces a high-potency analgesic effect with fewer adverse effects, such as physical dependence, respiratory depression, and constipation. 7 , 9 However, due to buprenorphine’s high MOR affinity and slow dissociation, the competitive binding of MORs can precipitate opioid withdrawal in the presence of full opioid agonists. 7 , 10 As such, current bup/nal product monographs require patients to discontinue their existing opioid therapy and experience mild-to-moderate withdrawal symptoms prior to bup/nal initiation to avoid abrupt displacement at MORs.…”
Background
Buprenorphine may provide superior analgesia to full opioid agonist therapy and reverse the effects of opioid-induced hyperalgesia, while having a favorable safety profile and fewer adverse effects, in chronic non-cancer pain treatment. Low-dose initiation of buprenorphine is a useful strategy for patients on long-term opioid therapy because it avoids the need for moderate opioid withdrawal required for traditional buprenorphine initiations. However, there are few published reports of low-dose initiation regimens in the setting of chronic pain.
Aims
The aim of the study was to describe a case series of individuals living with chronic pain who were transitioned from long-term full opioid agonist therapy onto sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone using low-dose initiation regimens.
Methods
This study is a retrospective case series that included all patients who received care at an outpatient chronic pain clinic and were scheduled for low-dose initiation of buprenorphine/naloxone between March 2020 and December 2022. Data were collected through a retrospective review of electronic medical records and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results
Eighteen patients underwent transitions from their baseline opioids onto buprenorphine/naloxone using a low-dose initiation regimen. Of those patients, 17 successfully completed the initiation (94.44%), 12 experienced adverse effects during the initiation (66.67%), with only one patient requiring treatment discontinuation, and all adverse effects resolved once maintenance doses of buprenorphine/naloxone were established. The mean Clinical Global Impression–Improvement score after initiation was 2 (1–5).
Conclusion
Low-dose initiation is an effective approach to transition patients with chronic non-cancer pain from long-term opioid therapy to buprenorphine/naloxone without major complications or worsening pain.
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