Rapid intravenous symptom-inhibiting fentanyl induction (SIFI) to optimize rotation onto oral opioid agonist therapy among individuals who use unregulated fentanyl: protocol for an open-label, single arm clinical trial.

Background: Most opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment guidelines target community medical settings, and the subsequent recommendations were established to prioritize safety and reduce diversion prior to the fentanyl era. For people with OUD who use unregulated fentanyl, slow induction onto opioid agonist therapy (OAT) with gradual dose titration is often ineffective or insufficient for reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings, thereby hampering engagement and retention in treatment. Given the severe risks associated with continued use of the increasingly toxic unregulated drug supply, new and innovative approaches to the management of OUD are urgently needed.

Case series: Symptom-inhibited fentanyl induction (SIFI) onto treatment-dose opioid agonist therapy in a community setting.

Background And Objectives: Existing opioid agonist therapy (OAT) guidelines are far from sufficient to address rising opioid tolerances and potency of the unregulated opioid market in North America. Inadequate starting doses of OAT are a universally recognized barrier for people who use fentanyl. Our objectives are to present a novel induction protocol called symptom-inhibiting fentanyl induction (SIFI) that uses rapid intravenous fentanyl administration to inhibit symptoms of opioid withdrawal.