It ssems that the one thing that makes the withdrawal from buprenorphine very hard to deal with is it's incredible long duration. A minimum of 2 weeks of misery for anyone who can't taper it to an incredibly low dose, or just wants to suck it up and get it over with.
To my understanding the medication Nubain, which contain Nalbuphine, is very similar in it's MOA and effects to Buprenorphine, but has a half-life that is remarkably shorter.
So, would it not be a potentially useful tool in detoxing someone off of Bupe to use Nalbuphine in equivalent doses to what they are preparing to stop the Bupe at, for several weeks. In this case you would think the withdrawal period would be greatly reduced as you have switched the person's dependence from Bupe ot the Nalbuphine and they just need to kick that. They both bind strong to the U opioid receptors but have only mild action. It is no perfect fit, but trying to expect a person to go through 3 weeks of opiate withdrawal is not a perfect idea either and neither is the idea of living your life on buprenorphine.
To my understanding the medication Nubain, which contain Nalbuphine, is very similar in it's MOA and effects to Buprenorphine, but has a half-life that is remarkably shorter.
So, would it not be a potentially useful tool in detoxing someone off of Bupe to use Nalbuphine in equivalent doses to what they are preparing to stop the Bupe at, for several weeks. In this case you would think the withdrawal period would be greatly reduced as you have switched the person's dependence from Bupe ot the Nalbuphine and they just need to kick that. They both bind strong to the U opioid receptors but have only mild action. It is no perfect fit, but trying to expect a person to go through 3 weeks of opiate withdrawal is not a perfect idea either and neither is the idea of living your life on buprenorphine.