• Amanda Zimmerman, Rami Bikdash, and Richard Rauck.
• West Forsyth Pain Management, North Carolina, USA.
• Pain Med. 2021 May 21; 22 (5): 1109-1115.

ObjectiveTo provide clinical data for the conversion of Schedule II opioids to buprenorphine buccal film and to demonstrate sustained analgesia and a reduction in morphine milligram equivalents after conversion.DesignRetrospective review of electronic medical records.SettingGroup clinical practice providing outpatient chronic pain management care in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.SubjectsPatients who received opioids for chronic pain between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019, were selected for chart review if they were converted to buprenorphine buccal film from a Schedule II opioid.MethodsPatients who met inclusion criteria were stratified into subgroups on the basis of preconversion morphine milligram equivalents, whether they remained on opioids for breakthrough pain postconversion, and pre- and postconversion numerical rating scale pain scores. Outcomes of interest included the differences between pre- and postconversion numerical rating scale pain scores and daily morphine milligram equivalents for each subgroup.ResultsOf 157 patients reviewed, 87.9% were successfully converted to buprenorphine buccal film. Overall, numerical rating scale pain scores were stable after conversion. Statistically significant reductions were demonstrated in the <90 daily morphine milligram equivalent subgroup. Postconversion daily morphine milligram equivalents decreased by 85.4% from baseline. Change in daily morphine milligram equivalents is representative of patients who remained on breakthrough pain medication.ConclusionsResults demonstrate continued analgesia after conversion to buprenorphine buccal film despite reductions in daily morphine milligram equivalents. Most patients were able to convert directly from their long-acting opioid to buprenorphine buccal film and stabilized without the use of concomitant opioids for breakthrough pain. Aggressive titration strategies were associated with greater success.© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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