Probuphine is the brand name of an FDA-approved buprenorphine implant that was used in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).ⓘ
Buprenorphine is the same medication found in Suboxone and many in the non-medical world referred to Probuphine as a “Suboxone implant”, which lasted for 6 months.
Is Probuphine still available?
No, Probuphine was discontinued by the manufacturer in October 2020.
Why was Probuphine discontinued?
The manufacturer states that the decision to discontinue Probuphine was not because of safety issues. Instead, due to difficulties in distribution and financial viability exacerbated by COVID-19. The cost was significantly higher than Suboxone.ⓘ
Is there another buprenorphine implant?
There is no buprenorphine implant available at the moment. Though, continuous-release buprenorphine is available in the form of a monthly injection – called Sublocade.
The most significant safety risk of continuous-release buprenorphine is overdose from opioids. Overdose can occur from addiction relapse, but also in emergency situations from anesthesias or pain medications.
What is the best alternative to Probuphine?
The best FDA-approved alternatives to Probuphine are:
Are you looking for opioid addiction medications?
4 Comments
My girlfriend was taking methadone, tapered to 30 mg daily, and last dose was taken 72 hours ago …she was given 4mg of Suboxone by her clinic and sent home …..shortly later she was thrown into withdrawal….will she be thrown in to withdrawal again the next day if she takes it but this time they want to give her 8mg….I am absolutely sickened with this clinic because I believe the administered switch from methadone to Suboxone was done incorrectly…and I am on fire with anger at this clinic…..but can she safely take the 8mg the next day?
This response likely arrived to you too late, but yes, she can safely take buprenorphine 8mg. She is already in withdrawal, which is what you want when starting buprenorphine. Stopping the buprenorphine at that point would only prolong the withdrawal. The best practice is to continue increasing the buprenorphine and also providing the patient other comfort medications to help with withdrawal symptoms.
I know this response is too late, but hopefully someone else will read this. You must microdose Suboxone when coming on methadone. You do not have to drop down methadone. You just have to continue your normal dose by introducing tiny bits of Suboxone .5 mg the first day, 5 mg twice the second day And each day. Twice a day the third day 2 mg twice a day. Fourth day, 4 mg twice a day and then on the fifth day form milligrams three times a day and discontinue current weather in methadone. It’s important to continue using regular dose of your current opiate for the first five days. This is known as the Bernese method or Microdosing going for methadone or to use Microdosing instead of traditional Method to prevent precipitated withdrawal It’s a shame that most places don’t even know about this in the United States however, it’s very common in other countries, including Canada in the UK. I successfully went from 90 mg to Suboxone with minimal discomfort.
IMPORTANT. That previous reply should’ve said .5 mg meaning 1/2 mg on day two and not 5 mg talk to your doctor clinic about the Bernice method. Also go on Reddit and read published articles With keyword microdose buprenorphine , or Bernese method. The intention is to slowly replace your current opiate on the receptors with buprenorphine. It’s important to go slowly to not go into precipitated withdrawal.. street Fentanyl even avoided for several days prior to a traditional bupe induction can cause precipitated withdrawal because it’s stored for so long.