Buprenorphine maintenance treatment in patients with opioid use disorder diagnosed with COVID-19

Authors

  • Michael Frost, MD, FACP, FASAM

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2020.0598

Keywords:

buprenorphine, COVID-19, opioid use disorder

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting individuals with pre-existing opioid use disorder (OUD), many of whom are receiving daily dosed buprenorphine treatment. There is a limited clinical experience with how to manage buprenorphine maintenance in infected individuals. Published guidance considers the possibility of dosage or formulation changes. This case series reports on 10 cases involving individuals with OUD who were receiving daily dosed buprenorphine and contracted COVID-19. It was found that for those with mild-moderate COVID-19 disease, in the absence of significant respiratory symptoms, changes to buprenorphine management including changes to daily dose, were not necessary.

Author Biography

Michael Frost, MD, FACP, FASAM

Medical Director, The Frost Medical Group, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

References

Volkow ND: Collision of the COVID-19 and addiction epidemics. Ann Intern Med. 2020; 173(1): 61-62. doi: 10.7326/M20-1212.

Becker WC, Fiellin DA: When epidemics collide: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the opioid crisis. Ann Int Med. 2020: M20-1210. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7138333/. Accessed September 14, 2020. doi: 10.7326/M20-1210.

Howland RH: A question about the safety of buprenorphine/naloxone and benzodiazepine drugs. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health. 2015; 53(12): 11-14.

American Society of Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 adjusting medication dosage or formulation. Available at https://www.asam.org/Quality-Science/covid-19-coronavirus/medication-formulation-and-dosage-guidance. Accessed April 25, 2020.

Ghandi RT, Lynch GB, del Rio C: Mild to moderate COVID-19. Available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp2009249. Accessed April 28, 2020.

Published

11/01/2020

How to Cite

Frost, MD, FACP, FASAM, M. “Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Diagnosed With COVID-19”. Journal of Opioid Management, vol. 16, no. 6, Nov. 2020, pp. 405-7, doi:10.5055/jom.2020.0598.

Issue

Section

Clinical Report