Watch for Med Changes to Treat Acute Pain for Patients on Buprenorphine/Naloxone

You may see dose adjustments to treat acute pain in patients taking buprenorphine/naloxone combos (Suboxone, etc) for opioid use disorder.

That's because buprenorphine has some pain-relieving effects...but it blocks the effects of other opioids. And there's a chance that adding another opioid in these patients might trigger a relapse.

The good news is that acute pain can often be treated with NON-opioids, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or topicals...so there's often no need to adjust the dose of their buprenorphine or add an opioid.