We have located links that may give you full text access.
Buprenorphine-related deaths among drug addicts in France: a report on 20 fatalities.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology 1998 October
This paper reports a series of 20 fatalities involving a high-dose, sublingual buprenorphine (BUP) formulation recently marketed in France for the substitutive therapy of opiate addicts. The files were recorded over a 16-month period from five different urban areas in France. All subjects but one were male, aged 14-48 (mean 26.6). BUP and its primary metabolite norbuprenorphine (norBUP) were assayed in postmortem fluids and viscerae by HPLC-MS. Blood levels for BUP and norBUP ranged from 1.1 to 29.0 ng/mL (mean 8.4 ng/mL) and 0.2 to 12.6 ng/mL (mean 2.6 ng/mL), respectively, that is, within or slightly over the therapeutic range. BUP exhibited extensive tissue distribution, with average postmortem concentrations of 6.0, 35.0, 45.5, and 80.0 ng/g in the myocardium, kidney, brain, and liver, respectively. In blood, as in viscerae, norBUP levels were generally lower than BUP. The highest concentrations were found in the bile for both BUP (range 575-72,650 ng/mL) and norBUP (range 41-30,000 ng/mL). Therefore, bile may represent a sample of choice for postmortem screening. BUP was identified in 9 of the 11 hair samples assayed at concentrations ranging from 6 to 597 ng/g (mean 137 ng/g), whereas norBUP was never detected. Intravenous injection of crushed tablets, a concomitant intake of psychotropics (especially benzodiazepines), and the high dosage of the BUP formulation available in France appear to be the major risk factors for such fatalities.
Full text links
Related Resources
Trending Papers
Treatment of hyponatremia: comprehension and best clinical practice.Clinical and Experimental Nephrology 2025 January 23
How We Treat ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: A Focus on the Maintenance Therapy.Journal of Clinical Medicine 2025 January 2
Allergic rhinitis.Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology 2024 December 27
Insomnia in older adults: A review of treatment options.Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 2025 January 2
Aldosterone and Potassium in Heart Failure: Overcoming This Major Impediment in Clinical Practice.Cardiac Failure Review 2024
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2025 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app