Pharmacokinetics and Subjective Effects of Sublingual Buprenorphine, Alone or in Combination with Naloxone Lack of Dose Proportionality

Objective: Buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone combinations are effective pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence, but doses are considerably greater than analgesic doses. Because dose-related buprenorphine opioid agonist effects may plateau at higher doses, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of expected therapeutic doses.