A comparison of four buprenorphine dosing regimens using open-dosing procedures: is twice-weekly dosing possible?

Aims. To compare opioid withdrawal symptoms during 24-, 48-, 72- and 96-hou r buprenorphine dosing regimens and to evaluate subjects' preferences for t hese different dosing schedules. Subjects. Fourteen opioid-dependent subjec ts participated in this study. They received daily sublingual maintenance d oses of 4 mg/70 kg (n = 4) or 8 mg/70 kg (n = 10) of buprenorphine. Interve ntion. In the first study subjects received in a random order, four dosing regimens for five repetitions of each: daily maintenance doses every 24 hou rs (4 or 8 mg/70 hg), double the daily maintenance dose every 48 hours (8 o r 16 mg/70 hg), triple the daily maintenance dose every 72 hours (12 or 24 mg/70 kg), and quadruple the daily maintenance dose every 96 hours (16 or 3 2 mg/70 kg). Measures of subjective and observer opioid withdrawal symptoms were assessed prior to receipt of each dose. In a second study, subjects c hose between the different dosing regimens. Findings. Some withdrawal ratin gs increased during the less frequent dosing schedules in the first study. In the second study, 46% of subjects preferred the quadruple-every-fourth-d ay dosing regimen over every other option, and only 14% preferred to be dos ed daily. Conclusions. These results suggest that some opioid-dependent out patients are willing and able to Endure the withdrawal symptoms associated with less than daily dosing, and a twice-weekly dosing regimen may be possi ble.