Patch Delivers Buprenorphine for Heroin Detox
A patch that delivers buprenorphine across the skin for 7 days can alleviate newly abstinent heroin abusers' opioid withdrawal symptoms, report Dr. George Bigelow and colleagues at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. The patch represents a new way to deliver buprenorphine during opioid detoxification; currently, the medication is most often given as a sublingual tablet. At Johns Hopkins, 12 heroin-dependent inpatients who were given patches experienced easing of cramps, flushing, nausea, and restlessness within 24 hours. Their symptoms continued to decline over the