opioid dependence Flashcards
untreated heroin dependence shows early withdrawal symptoms within how many hours?
8 hours
Untreated heroin dependence shows early withdrawal symptoms within 8 hours, with peak symptoms at …..hours
36-72 hours
symptoms of untreated heroin dependence subside substantially after how many days?
5 days
what two drugs are used as opioid substitution therapy
methadone
buprenorphine
substitute medicine should be commenced with the following regimen
short period of stabilisation
followed by withdrawal regimen or by maintenance treatment
maintenance treatment has the following advantages
- enables pt to achieve stability
- reduces drug use
- reduces crime
- improves health
maintenance treatment needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure
pt continues to benefit
when should you attempt withdrawal regimen after stabilisation with methadone or buprenorphine
only after careful consideration
enforced withdrawal is ineffective for …
sustained abstinence and it increases risk of pt relapsing and subsequently overdosing because of loss of tolerance
complete withdrawal from opioids usually takes how long in an in-pt or residential setting, and how long in a community setting?
4 weeks
12 weeks
when should withdrawal regimen be stopped and maintenance therapy resumed at optimum dose?
(3 points)
if abstinence not achieves, illicit drug use resumed, or pt cannot tolerate withdrawal
following successful withdrawal, further support and monitoring to maintain abstinence should be provided for a period of at least…
6 months
patients who miss 3 days or more of their regular prescribed dose of opioid maintenance are at risk of overdose because of … so what should you consider
loss of tolerance
consider reducing dose in these pt
if a pt misses 5 or more days of treatment, what is recommended before restarting substitution therapy? and which drug is it particularly important in?
an assessment of illicit drug use is also recommended before restarting substitution therapy
this is particularly important for patients taking buprenorphine because of the risk of precipitated withdrawal
why is buprenorphine preferred by some patients?
less sedating than methadone
buprenorphine may be more suitable for employed patients or those undertaking other skilled tasks such as driving because…
less sedating than methadone
this drug is safer when used in conjunction with other sedating drugs and has fewer drug interactions
buprenorphine
dose reductions may be easier with this drug because withdrawal symptoms are milder, and pt generally require fewer adjunctive meds, there is also a lower risk of overdose
buprenorphine
this drug has a lower risk of overdose
buprenorphine
….. can be given on alternate days in higher doses and requires a shorter drug free period than with ….. before induction with naltrexone for prevention or relapse
Buprenorphine can be given on alternate days in higher doses and it requires a shorter drug-free period than methadone hydrochloride before induction with naltrexone hydrochloride for prevention of relapse.
pt dependent on high doses of opioids may be at increased risk of precipitated withdrawal. precipitated withdrawal can occur in any patient if …. is administered when other opioid agonist drugs are in circulation
buprenorphine has a very high affinity for the mu receptor and will displace any other opioid on the receptor, thereby causing precipitated opioid withdrawal.
If precipitated withdrawal occurs, it stays within …. hours of the first buprenorphine dose and peaks at around ….
starts within 1-3 hours
peaks at around 6 hours