Buprenorphine: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy.

TLDR: Buprenorphine appears to produce side effects which are similar to those seen with other morphine- like compounds, including respiratory depression, and animal studies and a direct addiction study in a few volunteers suggest that the dependence liability of buprenorphines may be lower than that of other older morphine-like drugs.

Abstract: Synopsis: Buprenorphine1, a derivative of the morphine alkaloid thebaine, is a strong analgesic with marked narcotic antagonist activity. In studies in relatively small groups of postoperative patients with moderate to severe pain, one or a few doses of buprenorphine parenterally (by intramuscular or slow intravenous injection) or sublingually2 were at least as effective as standard doses of other strong analgesics such as morphine, pethidine or pentazocine, and buprenorphine was longer acting than these agents. Only a small number of patients with chronic pain have received repeated doses, but in such patients there was no need for increased doses during several weeks to months of treatment.