Patent ID: 8163731

Claim:
A method of treating opioid dependence while minimizing withdrawal symptoms, the method comprising: providing an initial dosing regimen of buprenorphine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the initial dosing regimen being sufficient to minimize withdrawal symptoms wherein the initial dosing regimen has at least one predefined dosing period of at least two days with doses taken at least two times per day; titrating a lowest concentration level of the buprenorphine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in the blood at the end of the initial dosing regimen or immediately before a second or later dose of the initial dosing regimen is taken; and providing a plurality of dosages of the buprenorphine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof plurality of subsequent dosing periods wherein each subsequent dosing period of the plurality of dosing periods is at least two days with doses taken at least two times per day and provides a dosing amount that is less than the dosing amount of the immediately preceding dosing period, the dosing amount in each subsequent dosing period providing a lowest concentration level in the blood of the buprenorphine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the associated dosing period that is equal to at least ninety-five percent of the lowest concentration in the blood of the buprenorphine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof of the immediately preceding dosing period and wherein the method extends for no less than sixty days.