Meaning & use
buprenorphine
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
A strong prescription medicine used mainly to treat dependence on opioid drugs and also to relieve severe pain.
Grammar: An uncountable drug name: say 'a dose of buprenorphine', not 'a buprenorphine'.
Patterns
- be treated with buprenorphine
- a dose of buprenorphine
- buprenorphine treatment
Doctors may prescribe buprenorphine to help people stop using heroin safely.
She has been taking buprenorphine under medical supervision for several months.
The clinic offers buprenorphine treatment alongside counseling and support groups.
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
A medicine of this type used in small doses as a painkiller, often after an operation.
Grammar: Still uncountable and usually followed by words like 'injection' or 'patch'.
Patterns
- a buprenorphine injection
- a buprenorphine patch
- be given buprenorphine
The nurse gave him a buprenorphine injection to ease the pain after surgery.
A buprenorphine patch can provide steady pain relief for several days.
Common combinations
- buprenorphine treatment
- Buprenorphine treatment is often combined with counseling.
- a dose of buprenorphine
- The doctor reduced the dose of buprenorphine slowly.
- prescribe buprenorphine
- Only certain doctors can prescribe buprenorphine for addiction.
- buprenorphine patch
- The buprenorphine patch is changed every few days.
Synonyms and how they differ
- methadone
- Another medicine for opioid dependence; it is usually taken daily as a liquid at a clinic, while buprenorphine often comes as a tablet or film.
- naloxone
- A drug used to reverse an opioid overdose quickly; buprenorphine is used for longer-term treatment, not for emergencies.
Commonly confused: buprenorphine or ibuprofen?
buprenorphine vs ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a common over-the-counter painkiller, while buprenorphine is a controlled prescription drug for opioid dependence or severe pain.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'buprenorphine' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Buprenorphine treatment' is the natural collocation for the medical use of this drug. Option 2 is wrong because 'buprenorphine' is uncountable, so 'a buprenorphine' is not used; option 1 is wrong because it is not a supermarket painkiller; option 4 is wrong because it is a medicine, not a vitamin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buprenorphine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.