Research Citations

Selected papers on buprenorphine, BPD, the endogenous opioid system, and related mechanisms.

Buprenorphine is an opioid medication. Combining it with benzodiazepines, alcohol, or other central nervous system depressants increases the risk of respiratory depression. See the safety section on the main page.

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Borderline Personality Disorder & the Endogenous Opioid System

Borderline Personality Disorder: A Dysregulation of the Endogenous Opioid System? (2010)

Proposes that BPD symptoms stem from imbalance in the brain’s internal opioid system, affecting attachment, pain, distress tolerance, and emotional stability.

DOI: 10.1037/a0018095

The Interpersonal Dimension of Borderline Personality Disorder: Toward a Neuropeptide Model (2010)

Explores attachment, distress, and affective instability through the lens of endogenous opioids and neuropeptide systems.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09050744

Buprenorphine for Depression & Suicidality

Safety, Tolerability, and Clinical Effect of Low-Dose Buprenorphine for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Midlife and Older Adults (2014)

Demonstrates that low-dose buprenorphine improves mood in people whose depression did not respond to standard treatment options.

DOI: 10.4088/JCP.13m08725

Ultra-Low-Dose Buprenorphine as a Time-Limited Treatment for Severe Suicidal Ideation: A Randomized Controlled Trial (2015)

Shows rapid (days-scale) reduction in severe suicidal thinking using ultra-low doses of buprenorphine.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15040535

Use of Buprenorphine in Treatment of Refractory Depression — A Review of Current Literature (2017)

Summarizes emerging evidence for buprenorphine’s antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects, including partial mu-agonism and kappa-antagonism mechanisms.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2017.01.015

Case Reports Related to BPD

The Use of Buprenorphine/Naloxone to Treat Borderline Personality Disorder: A Case Report (2022)

Documents a patient with BPD who showed substantial improvement in emotional regulation and suicidality after treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone).

DOI: 10.1186/s40479-022-00181-1

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