A Cochrane Review of buprenorphine maintenance for opioid dependence concluded that ‘Buprenorphine is an effective intervention for use in the maintenance treatment of heroin dependence, but it is not more effective than methadone at adequate dosages’ (Mattick et al. 2004);

It has also been suggested that buprenorphine has the potential to ameliorate the signs and symptoms of withdrawal from heroin and possibly methadone, but treatment protocol and relative effectiveness need to be investigated further. It is therefore suggested that there is limited evidence of superiority of either medication, and the decision as to which medication to use should be made in consultation with each patient after consideration of the relative merits (Gowing et al. 2004).

References
Gowing, L., Ali, R. and White, J. (2004). Buprenorphine for the management of opioid withdrawal (Cochrane Review). The Cochrane Library. 3. Wiley. Chichester.

Mattick, R.P., Kimber, J., Breen, C. and Davoli, M. (2004). Buprenorphine maintenance versus placebo or methadone maintenance for opioid dependence. (Cochrane Review). The Cochrane Library. 1. Wiley. Chichester.