Elective Naloxone-Induced Opioid Withdrawal for Rapid Initiation of Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.

Phillips, Reid H; Salzman, Matthew; Haroz, Rachel; Rafeq, Rachel; Mazzarelli, Anthony J; Pelletier-Bui, Alexis · Ann Emerg Med · 2019

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

We present a case of elective naloxone-induced opioid withdrawal followed by buprenorphine rescue to initiate opioid use disorder treatment in the emergency department. This strategy may represent a safe alternative to prescribing buprenorphine for outpatient initiation, a method that puts the patient at risk for complications of unmonitored opioid withdrawal, including relapse. After confirmation that the naloxone-induced withdrawal was adequately treated with buprenorphine, the patient was discharged with prescribed buprenorphine to follow up in an addiction medicine clinic, where he was treated 2 days later.

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