Opioid Agonist to Buprenorphine Cross-titration During Pregnancy: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case report of a first-trimester pregnant individual with chronic pain on chronic opioid therapy who successfully cross-titrated from full-µ agonist opioid to buprenorphine without causing significant withdrawal symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year-old gravida 1, para 0 woman with chronic pain on opioid therapy successfully completed a 6-week cross-titration from 120 morphine equivalent dose to buprenorphine in her first trimester without affecting pain scores, functional capacity, withdrawal symptoms except for mild nausea and insomnia, or adverse perinatal outcomes. After increasing her buprenorphine in the second trimester, at 38 weeks, she bore a healthy neonate without eliciting signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome while on a stable buprenorphine dose. CONCLUSIONS: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society of Addiction Medicine agree that pregnant patients with chronic pain should avoid or minimize opioids. For patients on chronic opioid therapy unable to minimize opioid use during pregnancy, it is unclear whether to continue their chronic opioid therapy or transition to other medications, including buprenorphine. This case demonstrated how one pregnant person with chronic pain on opioid therapy but not meeting diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder safely transitioned from full-µ agonist opioids to buprenorphine without precipitating withdrawal or adverse perinatal outcomes. Cross-titration could be similarly performed for a pregnant patient with untreated opioid use disorder. In addition, the used cross-titration schedule and the rationale are provided.

Outpatient cross-titration to buprenorphine for chronic pain: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and safety of the University of Washington's buprenorphine cross-titration protocol for chronic pain in the outpatient setting. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed on 150 patients transitioned from full µ-opioid agonist therapy to buprenorphine using the University of Washington Medical Center Pain Clinic's cross-titration protocol between September 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, in an outpatient setting. Primary outcome was to determine the percentage of patients who completed the cross-titration and continued buprenorphine without full µ-opioid agonists 4 weeks after completion. Secondary outcomes included final buprenorphine dose, days needed to complete cross-titration, deviation rates from the protocol, and opioid-related adverse events. RESULTS: Fifteen of 31 (48.4 percent) included patients successfully converted to buprenorphine. Median duration of successful cross-titration was 29 days (interquartile range 19-57). Average end-titration dose for patients on buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual films was 7.9 ± 5.7 mg/day, while for buprenorphine transdermal (TD) patches, it was 11.9 ± 4.8 mcg/h. Morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) prior to induction varied widely. All patients transitioned to TD buprenorphine were taking ≤30 mg MEDD. Patients previously taking >120 mg MEDD stabilized on 8-16 mg/day buprenorphine. Most common reasons for cross-titration failure were inadequate pain control and intolerable adverse effects. DISCUSSION: The University of Washington's buprenorphine cross-titration protocol for chronic pain was successful in about half of included patients undergoing conversion from chronic full µ-opioid agonist therapy and generally well tolerated. Clinical responses were widely variable, and many required slower taper and higher end-titration buprenorphine dose than anticipated. Although protocols provide structure for cross-titration, each course should be monitored closely and individualized.