Buprenorphine is a semisynthetic opioid of the morphinan class, first discovered in 1966 at Reckitt & Colman's research laboratories in England. It functions as a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist with high binding affinity but lower intrinsic activity than full agonists such as heroin or methadone. Used clinically for both pain management and opioid addiction treatment, its slow receptor dissociation produces an unusually long duration of action. Respiratory depression from overdose is considered less likely than with other opioids.
Buprenorfiini molecular structure diagram from the DrugsPRO substance library.
Also known as: Bupe, Subs, Sobos, Strips, Nalone, Subutex, Zubsolv, Bunavail, Belbuca, Butrans, Buprenex
Classification
Chemical: Medicine
Chemical: Morphinan
Chemical: Opioid
Psychoactive: Depressant
Tag: Habit-Forming
Tag: substituted morphinan
Effects
Decreased Blood Pressure
Pupil Constriction
Pain Relief
Sedation
Cough Suppression
Respiratory Depression
Euphoria
Irritability
Memory Suppression
Dizziness
Mood Lift
Sadness
Cognitive Dysphoria
Decreased Libido
Increased Music Appreciation
Dulled Perception
Internal Hallucination
Sound Amplification
Routes of Administration
Oral
Dosage
Heavy: 1.5 mg
Light: 0.2 – 0.4 mg
Common: 0.4 – 0.8 mg
Strong: 0.8 – 1.5 mg
Threshold: 0.2 mg
Duration
Onset: 0.5-1 h
Peak: 1-4 h
Sublingual
Dosage
Heavy: 8+ mg
Light: 0.2-0.5 mg
Common: 2 – 4 mg
Strong: 4 – 8 mg
Threshold: 0.2 mg
Duration
Onset: 0.67-1.33 h
Peak: 1.5-2 h
After Effects: 24-72 h
Offset: 12-48 h
Total Duration: 24-48 h
Insufflated
Dosage
Heavy: 1.5 mg
Light: 0.2 – 0.4 mg
Common: 0.4 – 0.8 mg
Strong: 0.8 – 1.5 mg
Threshold: 0.1 mg
Duration
Onset: 0.5-1 h
Peak: 4-8 h
After Effects: 1-3 h
Transdermal
Dosage
Heavy: 40+ mcg/h
Light: 5-10 mcg/h
Common: 10-20 mcg/h
Strong: 20-40 mcg/h
Threshold: 5 mcg/h
Duration
Onset: 0.5-1 h
Peak: 1-3 h
Offset: 1-2 h
After Effects: 1-2 h
Total Duration: 3-7 h
Harm Reduction
Check interactions before mixing substances, pay attention to dose spacing and hydration, and treat all dosage guidance as approximate rather than guaranteed safe.
Sources
Substance data is aggregated from the following public harm-reduction and reference sources.
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Buprenorphine - DrugsPRO aineopas
Buprenorphine: Buprenorphine is a semisynthetic opioid of the morphinan class, first discovered in 1966 at Reckitt & Colman's research laboratories in England. It functions as a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist with high binding affinity but lower intrinsic activity than full agonists such as hero
