Buprenorphine is a first line medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder yet remains vastly under-prescribed. Here, Dr. Capurso reviews the pharmacologic principles relevant to buprenorphine prescribing and lays out how to start patients on the medication both in the clinic and at home.

An emergency department visit can be a “reachable moment” for people with unhealthy opioid use. Here, we review pharmacologic and harm-reduction strategies for use in those settings—and how to advocate for your patients when consulting with emergency clinicians.