buprenorphine

bu·pre·nor·phine | \ ˌbyü-prə-ˈnȯr-ˌfēn

, -fən \

Definition of buprenorphine

: a semisynthetic narcotic analgesic that is administered in the form of its hydrochloride C₂₉H₄₁NO₄·HCl to control moderate to severe pain and treat opioid dependence

Note: Buprenorphine is administered by injection to control pain, is used in the form of a transdermal skin patch to control pain or treat opioid dependence, and is used in combination with naloxone in the form of a dissolvable tablet placed under the tongue or film placed inside the cheek to treat opioid dependence.

Examples of buprenorphine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One hurdle is a shortage of physicians trained in prescribing buprenorphine or methadone or in treating addiction. — Washington Post, "The Opioid Crisis," 27 Aug. 2019 That should entail dramatically boosting access to medications like methadone and buprenorphine, which are considered the gold standard of treatment for opioid addiction and reduce the mortality rate among opioid addiction patients by half or more. — German Lopez, Vox, "Drug overdose deaths were so bad in 2017, they reduced overall life expectancy," 29 Nov. 2018 Officials say a 22-year-old Riverdale woman was caught trying to sneak hundreds of strips of buprenorphine, a drug that treats opioid addiction, into the Eastern Correctional Institution on the Eastern Shore. — Phil Davis, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland woman charged with attempting to smuggle opioid treatment drug into Eastern Shore prison," 30 July 2019 The supervising physician must have a DEA waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, a spokeswoman said. — STAT, "In national first, N.J. program will let paramedics administer buprenorphine," 26 June 2019 The app has a feature for patients to self-report cravings and triggers, as well as record their use (or non-use) of buprenorphine, according to the press release, which the physician can monitor from a dashboard of their own. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "The FDA Thinks This App Could Help People With Opioid Use Disorder Stay in Recovery," 17 Dec. 2018 And indeed, illicit buprenorphine is one of the most common forms of contraband in prisons and jails. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Seven jails start providing medications for addiction in pilot program," 5 Sep. 2019 In June, a corrections officer at Eastern Correctional Institution in Somerset County pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges for her part in a scheme to smuggle synthetic cannabinoids and buprenorphine into the prison. — Phil Davis, baltimoresun.com, "Jessup prison employee, two others plead guilty to racketeering in drug smuggling scheme," 24 July 2019 Volkow suspects buprenorphine will improve mood and emotional responses to addiction better than methadone, for instance, because of subtle differences in how each medicine works. — Lauran Neergaard, The Denver Post, "Researchers peek into opioid users’ brains as they try to quit," 9 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buprenorphine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

1 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Buprenorphine.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buprenorphine. Accessed 12 December 2019.

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More Definitions for buprenorphine

buprenorphine

noun

bu·pre·nor·phine | \ ˌbyü-prə-ˈnȯr-ˌfēn, -fən

Medical Definition of buprenorphine

: a semisynthetic narcotic analgesic that is derived from thebaine and is administered in the form of its hydrochloride C₂₉H₄₁NO₄·HCl to control moderate to severe pain and treat opioid dependence