Self-Reported Buprenorphine Misuse Continues Declining

Newly published research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that misuse of buprenorphine continues to drop even as the number of patients receiving the medication to treat opioid use disorder continues to rise.

Findings were published Friday by JAMA Network Open.

Researchers reviewed the 2015-19 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, specifically analyzing data on use and misuse of prescription opioids, including buprenorphine. In 2019, nearly three-quarters of US adults who reported buprenorphine use in 2019 said they did not misuse the medication within the past 12 months, continuing a trend of decreases in patient-reported buprenorphine misuse during the study period. In the most recent year studied, about 1.7 million survey respondents said they used buprenorphine as prescribed vs. 700,000 who reported misuse. In 2019, less than 18% of individuals with a past-year opioid use disorder received medications to treat their addiction, according to a news release announcing the findings.

Among patients who did report buprenorphine misuse, the most common reasons given were “because I am hooked” on opioids (27.3%), which NIDA said suggests that patients might be taking the medication without a prescription to self-treat cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with OUD, and “to relieve physical pain” (20.5%).

The study also found that among adults using buprenorphine, those receiving drug use treatment were less likely to misuse buprenorphine, while those who received no treatment (as well as those in rural areas) were more likely to misuse. There was no correlation observed between buprenorphine misuse and being a racial/ethnic minority or living in poverty.