Buprenorphine 'microdosing' method for switching patients with opioid dependence from methadone to buprenorphine.
Yesh Chandra Singh, Shalini Singh, Roshan Bhad, Ravindra Rao
BMJ Case Reports November 7, 2024 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2024-259716 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Patients transitioning from methadone to buprenorphine for opioid agonist treatment |
| Topics | Addiction Microdosing |
| Key findings | Two patients successfully transitioned from methadone to buprenorphine using the microdosing (Bernese) method. |
Abstract
Various factors limit the acceptability of methadone as an opioid agonist treatment (OAT), in which case, buprenorphine becomes the preferred alternative. The classical approach is to gradually taper methadone to a low dose and buprenorphine is initiated after some opioid-free period, which generally takes weeks. A novel approach known as 'microdosing' or the 'Bernese method' might serve as a valuable alternative. We describe two cases where the patients were successfully transitioned from methadone to buprenorphine using this method.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microdosing psilocybin for chronic pain: a case series Individuals with chronic neuropathic pain | 2022 | Case series | n = 3 |
| Microdosing of Psychoactive Substances in Business Practice Business managers and creative professionals | 2021 | Case study | |
| Treatment of neuropathic pain with repeated low-dose MDMA: a case report. 64-year-old male with neuropathic pain after chemotherapy and traumatic life experiences | 2025 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Psycholytic dosing or 'microdosing' of Amanita muscaria (red fly agaric) mushrooms—A retrospective case study A woman in her early thirties with depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders from... | 2023 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Clinical improvement following an integrative iboga microdosing protocol in post-concussive and hypoxic brain injury syndromes: a case series Three individuals with persistent neurologic symptoms after traumatic brain injury or... | 2026 | Case series | n = 3 |