Does anyone use buprenorphine for refractory depession?
Psychological relief differs from depression and psychological distress is not usually an indication for prescribing any type of drug especially opiates. Depression is currently not an approved indication for the use of any opioid. That said, there have been some studies that indicated that buphrenorphine can be of some help with refractory depression, and some physicians may be using it off label for that purpose. This is a gray area legally, and the doctors would still be required to obtain full ATF licensing for the provision of buphrenorphine in any form.
