Sublingual versus subcutaneous buprenorphine in opiate abusers

To compare the pharmacologic profiles of sublingually and subcutaneously administered buprenorphine, 10 healthy male subjects with histories of opiate abuse were given sublingually administered buprenorphine (1, 2, and 4 mg), subcutaneously administered buprenorphine (1 and 2 mg), and placebo in a double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled study. All active buprenorphine dosages produced a significant degree of miosis but no significant changes in body temperature, blood pressure, or respiratory or heart rate. Buprenorphine produced varying degrees of euphoria related to dose and route of administration but little dysphoria and sedation, as assessed by subscales of the Addiction Research Center Inventory. Subject "liking" for buprenorphine was reported by both observers and subjects. The relative potency of sublingually to subcutaneously administered buprenorphine was calculated for both physiologic and behavioral parameters and found to be approximately two thirds. The results indicated that both sublingual and subcutaneous buprenorphine have a similar profile of effects in opiate abusers.