In Brief
Emergency department (ED) visits involving buprenorphine increased substantially from 3,161 in 2005 to 30,135 visits in 2010, as availability of the drug increased
In 2010, most buprenorphine-related ED visits were classified as nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals (52 percent, or 15,778 visits), followed by patients seeking detoxification or substance abuse treatment (24 percent, or 7,372 visits) and adverse reactions (13 percent, or 4,017 visits)
Buprenorphine-related ED visits involving nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals increased 255 percent from 4,440 visits in 2006 to 15,778 visits in 2010
Additional drugs were involved in 59 percent of buprenorphine-related ED visits involving nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals in 2010