Facilitating discontinuation of intravenous opioids by -concurrent use of sublingual buprenorphine with rapid microdosing -induction: A pain management case study.
Arjun Tara, Gregory Acampora, Jingping Wang, Karina De Sousa, Yi Zhang
Journal of opioid management 2021 DOI: 10.5055/jom.2021.0652 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient recovering from multiple abdominal procedures with poor gastrointestinal absorption |
| Intervention | Sublingual buprenorphine |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Key findings | Sublingual buprenorphine was used to help a patient transition off intravenous opioid analgesics after multiple abdominal procedures. The authors propose that sublingual buprenorphine can be a useful agent for acute pain management, especially when conventional strategies provide suboptimal responses. |
Abstract
We report a case in which sublingual buprenorphine was used to help transition a patient off intravenous (IV) opioid analgesics medications post-multiple abdominal procedures. Intravenous opioids are commonly used in inpatient surgical pain management for patients with severe pain who are unable to take oral medications. Typically, a short course of IV analgesics is used, followed by transition to oral analgesic regimen. However, in patients with poor gastrointestinal absorption, pain control can be challenging. We present this case to highlight how sublingual buprenorphine can be a useful agent for acute pain management, especially when conventional strategies provide suboptimal responses.
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 |