Buprenorphine and carbamazepine as a treatment for detoxification of opiate addicts with multiple drug misuse: a pilot study

pharmacostrategies ro prevent patients from suffering life-threatening comp lications and minimize the withdrawal symptoms. The short-term efficacy of a IO-day low-dose buprenorphinel/19-day carbamazepine regime (n = 15) to a 14-day oxazepam/19-day carbamazepine regime (n = 12) in an open-labelled 21 -day impatient detoxification treatment was compared. Twenty-seven men and women dependent on opioids and misusing other drugs admitted to a detoxific ation unit were included in this protocol. Eighteen of 27 patients (67% )co mpleted the study. Four non-completers (27%) received buprenorphine/carbama zepine (four of 15) and five non-completers (42%) were treated with oxazepa m/carbamzepine (five of 12), but the difference in the dropout rate between the two treatment strategies was not significant. The buprenorphine/carbam azepine regime provided significantly more effective relief of withdrawal s ymptoms during the first week of treatment. No severe side effects occurred during treatment in both groups. The present study supports the hypothesis that patients with additional multiple drug misuse and both regimens were safe with no unexpected side effects.