A urinalysis-based study of buprenorphine and non-prescription opioid use among patients on buprenorphine maintenance

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To understand the pattern of use of opioid-substitution therapy (OST) and opioid abuse among patients on buprenorphine maintenance using urinalysis. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care de-addiction center. We reviewed the laboratory record of all consecutive urine samples sent for drug analysis over a period of 1 year. In all, 179 consecutive urine samples were included in the analysis. The chi-square test was used to compare opioid abuse among those testing positive and negative for buprenorphine on urinalysis. Additionally, in order to assess the potential impact of the prescribed induction and maximum dose of buprenorphine on the findings, we carried out the independent-samples t test. Level of statistical significance was kept at P<0.05 for all the tests. Results: Urinalysis failed to detect buprenorphine in 44.7% of the samples. Rate of detection of dextropropoxyphene was significantly higher among buprenorphine-negative samples (P<0.005). The prescribed induction dose of buprenorphine was significantly lower among those testing positive for heroin. This was found for both buprenorphine-positive (P<0.005) as well as buprenorphine-negative samples (P<0.005). Conclusions: These findings support the routine use of urine drug screening among individuals on OST.

KEYWORDS

• Buprenorphine
• opiate substitution therapy
• urinalysis

Showing references and in-text citations exactly as published.

• DOI10.4103/0976-500X.92496Copy

RELATED ARTICLES

Matched on section and article type within this issue of JPP.

• Article · VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1Secondary metabolites of Cynodon dactylon as anantagonist to angiotensin II type1 receptor: Novel in · pp. 20–25Research PaperSame type: Article
• Article · VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1Antiproliferative property of n-hexane and chloroform extracts of Anisomeles malabarica (L). R. Br. in HPV16-positive human cervical cancer cellsChristo Paul Preethy, Ramamoorthy Padmapriya, Vaiyapuri Subbarayan Periasamy, Anvarbatcha Riyasdeen, Suresh Srinag, Hanumanthappa Krishnamurthy, Ali Abdullah Alshatwi, Mohammad Abdulkader Akbarsha · pp. 26–34Research PaperSame type: Article
• Article · VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1Analysis of hematinic formulations available in the Indian marketB. N. Karelia, J. G. Buch · pp. 35–38Research PaperSame type: Article
• Article · VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1Acute effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on early ventricular arrhythmias after coronary occlusion in ratsMarcelo Perim Baldo, Sérgio Lamêgo Rodrigues, José Geraldo Mill · pp. 39–40Research PaperSame type: Article