Non-scheduled short-acting opioid to taper off opioids?

This commentary discusses the issues related to the current pharmacotherapy using super long-acting opioids (for the potential convenience for both patients and medical providers) for opioid addiction and argues for the potential to use a non-scheduled short-acting opioid to taper off opioids to reduce total number of patients on opioids and ultimately reduce opioid-related death. This article also proposes to develop short-acting opioids for addiction management instead of the current long-acting regimen. The authors further suggest that dezocine, a previously FDA approved medication for perioperative pain management and a non-scheduled opioid, be brought back to clinical practice in the US as a potential alternative addiction management medication, especially for those who are highly motivated to quit opioids completely using a taper off strategy. © 2024 The Authors. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Citation

Renyu Liu, Bonnie Milas, John Grothusen. Non-scheduled short-acting opioid to taper off opioids? CNS neuroscience & therapeutics. 2024 Apr;30(4):e14705

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PMID: 38584343

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