Planned opioid withdrawal

Treatment of opioid dependence by planned (managed) withdrawal is ineffective compared to longer-term therapy (MATOD); encourage patients to consider MATOD as an alternative because relapse after withdrawal is very common and associated with increased risk of overdose because of reduced opioid tolerance.

If a patient chooses planned opioid withdrawal, short-term prescribing of buprenorphine is preferred over symptomatic treatment because it is more effective in controlling symptoms, requires a shorter treatment time and increases the likelihood of withdrawal completionGowing, 2017. During buprenorphine treatment, offer patients the option of switching from the buprenorphine withdrawal regimen to buprenorphine maintenance (MATOD) because MATOD has better long-term outcomes.