Elevated liver enzyme levels in opioid-dependent patients with hepatitis treated with buprenorphine

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in liver enzyme levels amon g opioid-dependent patients treated with buprenorphine. Liver enzyme levels were evaluated among 120 individuals before treatment and following a mini mum of 40 days of buprenorphine treatment (2, 4, or 8 mg/70 kg/day). Among patients with a history of hepatitis, AST and ALT levels significantly incr eased (p < .05) with buprenorphine treatment . The odds of observing an inc rease in AST were determined to be dependent upon buprenorphine dose (p < . 05; odds ratio = 1.23 per 1 mg increase in dose). These results suggest tha t liver enzyme levels should be monitored carefully when patients with hepa titis are treated with buprenorphine.