Buprenorphine 101: treating opioid dependence with buprenorphine in an office-based setting.

This clinical observation provides a first look at differences between two patient subgroups, prescription opiate (PO) abusers and heroin abusers, presenting for office-based buprenorphine treatment. Medical and drug use histories, medication dose, treatment outcome, and demographic information were collected from the first 101 opiate-dependent adults entering treatment. The results indicate that PO abusers (n = 42) and heroin abusers (n = 59) differed in several demographic characteristics, drug use history, and treatment outcome. Physicians may benefit from this information by using it to tailor comprehensive treatment and medical care plans for opioid-dependent patients taking buprenorphine.