Pain Management
Chronic Pain Specialist
Addiction Medicine Specialists located in Bothell, WA
Are you suffering from chronic pain and using traditional opioids? You might have better pain control and improved quality of life by using buprenorphine — it offers more consistent relief, often lasts through the night, and is a safer medication with fewer side effects.
Traditional opioids like oxycodone can cause hyperalgesia — a condition where pain becomes more intense over time, potentially causing whole-body pain. Buprenorphine does not cause hyperalgesia, and works on an additional pathway to help control pain.
Most opioids cause tolerance — the longer they're used, the higher the dose must go to provide the same relief. Buprenorphine does not cause tolerance. After a few months of use, the dose can often even be reduced while still offering pain relief.
Most opioids have a short half-life (2–4 hours), causing withdrawal pain to spike repeatedly throughout the day. Buprenorphine has a half-life of 42–47 hours, eliminating the peaks and valleys of withdrawal pain.
Buprenorphine is started in our office in a comfortable setting — we provide wifi, TV, and snacks while you begin a medication change that can transform your quality of life.