2019/01/18 by Florence Noble, Nicolas Marie · 1 citation
Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · #Opioid Use Disorder Treatment #Pharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and Effects #Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology #Buprenorphine #Methadone #Opioid #Addiction #Opioid addiction #Medicine #Pharmacology #Pharmacodynamics #Psychiatry #Pharmacokinetics #Internal medicine #Receptor
paper · pdf · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00742
openalex publication_date 2019/01/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
With the opioid crisis in North America, opioid addiction has come in the spotlight and reveals the weakness of the current treatments. Two main opioid substitution therapies (OST) exist: buprenorphine and methadone. These two molecules are mu opioid receptor agonists but with different pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. In this review, we will go through these properties and see how they could explain why these medications are recognized for their efficacy in treating opioid addiction but also if they could account for the side effects especially for a long-term use. From this critical analysis, we will try to delineate some guidelines for the design of future OST.