Comparison of sublingual buprenorphine and intravenous morphine in reducing bone metastases associated pain in cancer patients

Strategy for effective analgesia with intravenous buprenorphine in patients with acute postoperative pain

BACKGROUND

Analgesic treatment is the primary method for managing acute postoperative pain. Opioid analgesics are the main class of drugs used to treat moderate to severe pain, whether it is acute or chronic. These opioids differ in various ways, including their pharmacochemical properties, distribution and absorption rates, metabolism, and elimination pathways for the drug and its metabolites. These differences result in varying degrees of analgesic efficacy, which, in clinical practice, allows for the selection of the most effective drug that maximizes pain relief while ensuring safety. Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opioid with properties that are not yet fully understood. It has a wide range of applications in treating both acute and chronic pain, including non-cancer and cancer-related pain. One of the most significant clinical advantages of buprenorphine is its safety profile, which includes a ceiling effect on respiratory depression, no immunosuppressive effects, inhibition of hyperalgesia, no cumulative effects in patients with renal failure, and a low risk of constipation following its use.

AIM

This study aims to analyze current reports on the use of intravenous buprenorphine as a first-line opioid analgesic for postoperative pain relief. The paper discusses the pharmacochemical properties of the drug and the mechanisms behind postoperative pain. Additionally, it presents the experiences of the pain management team at Copernicus Hospital in Gdansk regarding administering intravenous buprenorphine.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The current literature on buprenorphine for treating moderate to severe acute pain has been reviewed, focusing on its effectiveness in managing postoperative pain following surgical procedures. Additionally, the experience of the Copernicus Hospital pain team with buprenorphine is summarized in a brief discussion.

CONCLUSION

After reviewing current literature and recommendations, along with the experiences of the pain management team at Copernicus Hospital in Gdańsk, it can be concluded that buprenorphine is an analgesic that demonstrates a high level of efficacy and safety. When used in combination with non-opioid analgesics, buprenorphine achieves a synergistic effect, resulting in effective pain relief. This approach facilitates early patient rehabilitation and enables a swift return to normal activities, even following extensive surgical procedures.

Efficacy and safety of sublingual buprenorphine in managing acute postoperative pain - A systematic review

Sublingual (SL) buprenorphine has been used as a modality of managing acute postoperative pain in many studies. This systematic review aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of SL buprenorphine as an analgesic for various surgeries. After registering the protocol with PROSPERO, we searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Ovid databases with relevant keywords. The primary outcomes were 24-hour pain scores, and the secondary outcomes were postoperative nausea and vomiting, sedation scores, pruritus, rescue analgesia, and urinary retention. The risk of bias scale was used to identify the quality of evidence. From the 103 articles identified, four randomized-controlled trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria for qualitative analysis. The overall risk of bias was low. Most of the studies showed that the use of SL buprenorphine led to either better or comparable pain scores when compared to a control group with lesser or tolerable adverse events. There was a lot of heterogeneity across the studies in this systematic review in terms of the type of surgery performed, the comparison groups, doses of buprenorphine, and the outcomes that were assessed. Therefore, a quantitative meta-analysis was not performed. The results of this systematic review should be interpreted with caution due to heterogeneity in the methodology. Adequately powered studies with robust methodology should investigate the safety and efficacy of SL buprenorphine when used for postoperative analgesia.

Recent Update on Pretreatment and Analysis Methods of Buprenorphine in Different Matrix

Buprenorphine is one of the most commonly used pain-killing drugs due to its lengthy duration of action and high potency. However, excessive usage of buprenorphine can be harmful to one's health and prolonged use might result in addiction. Additionally, an increasing number of cases have been documented involving the illegal use of buprenorphine. Therefore, a variety of effective and reliable methods for pretreatment and determination of buprenorphine and its main metabolite norbuprenorphine have been established. This review aims to update the current state of pretreatment and detection techniques for buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine from January 2010 to March 2022. Pretreatment methods include several traditional extraction methods, solid-phase extraction, QuECHERS, various micro-extraction techniques, etc. while analytical methods include LC-MS, LC coupled with other detectors, GC-MS, capillary electrophoresis, electrochemical sensors, etc. The pros and cons of various techniques were compared and summarized, and the prospects were provided.HIGHLIGHTSProgress in pretreatment and detection methods for buprenorphine is demonstrated.Pros and cons of different pretreatment and analysis methods are compared.New materials (such as nanomaterials and magnetic materials) used in buprenorphine pretreatment are summarized.Newly emerged environmental-friendly methods are discussed.

Effectiveness of Sublingual Buprenorphine and Fentanyl Pump in Controlling Pain After Open Cholecystectomy

Background

The proper management of postoperative pain improves patients’ quality of life, accelerates early postoperative recovery, shortens hospitalization period, and reduces medical costs. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of intravenous fentanyl pump and sublingual buprenorphine tablet in controlling pain after open cholecystectomy.

Objectives

Evaluating the effectiveness of sublingual buprenorphine in reducing postoperative pain and complications after open cholecystectomy.

Methods

This study was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. The study population encompassed those candidates undergoing open cholecystectomy, patients with ASA class I and II, individuals undergoing no other concomitant surgery, and patients in the age range of 20 - 50 years. The first group received sublingual buprenorphine 6, 12, and 18 hours after the first administration. The second group received fentanyl as patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for 24 hours. Then nausea, vomiting, sedation, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were evaluated at the beginning, 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours after surgery. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20.

Results

The mean age of the patients in the buprenorphine and fentanyl groups were 44.8 ± 5.5 and 42.8 ± 7.1 years, respectively. In this study, 22.5% of the patients in the buprenorphine group and 35.5% of the patients in the fentanyl group were male. During 6 and 24 hours after surgery, the pain level regarding the VAS scores was significantly lower in the buprenorphine group than in the fentanyl group; however, analgesic consumption was higher in the fentanyl group. In the early hours after surgery (2 and 6 hours), nausea and vomiting were lower in the buprenorphine group than in the fentanyl group even though the difference was not significant.

Conclusions

This study suggests buprenorphine as an effective drug for patients to reduce postoperative pain because of its limited complications, inexpensiveness, and more convenient administration method.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2019

This paper is the forty-second consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2019 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (1), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (2) and humans (3), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (4), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (5), stress and social status (6), learning and memory (7), eating and drinking (8), drug abuse and alcohol (9), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (10), mental illness and mood (11), seizures and neurologic disorders (12), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (13), general activity and locomotion (14), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (15), cardiovascular responses (16), respiration and thermoregulation (17), and immunological responses (18).

A narrative review of buprenorphine in adult cancer pain

INTRODUCTION

Adult cancer pain is a disease state battled on a global scale. Proper pain management is essential to prevent health complications and promote patient well-being. Due to the opioid misuse crisis in the United States, providers are looking for alternatives to traditional opioids used for adult cancer pain. Buprenorphine has a unique pharmacologic profile, allowing it to be delivered in noninvasive ways; thus, it offers an alternative to traditional options. Randomized controlled trials have shown improved pain scores with transdermal buprenorphine, and they showed reductions in pain scores and increased improvement in quality of life scores versus other opioids. Sublingual buprenorphine has more limited, but promising data for reducing cancer pain.

AREAS COVERED

We provide a narrative review of pathophysiological pathways of pain in cancer, how they are treated, and the unique properties of buprenorphine. Guidelines addressing pain management during cancer treatment are assessed to identify buprenorphine's place in therapy. Recent literature reporting efficacy and safety of buprenorphine use in pain management during cancer treatment will be presented.

EXPERT OPINION

Current literature shows strong data for transdermal buprenorphine and promising data for sublingual buprenorphine. With this evidence, buprenorphine could have a more expanded role in managing adult cancer pain.