Long Acting Subcutaneous vs Short Acting Sublingual Buprenorphine in Pregnant and Lactating Women

Opioid use disorder increased among pregnant women in recent years, despite an overall decrease in the general population in the same time frame. Given the increased use of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, it has now become the most commonly misused prescription opioid subtype. Untreated opioid use disorder is associated with worse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. To improve compliance with medication assisted therapy, decrease relapse and neonatal abstinence syndrome, we propose a randomized control trial of long acting subcutaneous buprenorphine compared to short acting sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone administration in pregnant and lactating women.