What is the primary reason for administering naloxone with buprenorphine?

Administering naloxone with buprenorphine primarily serves to prevent misuse. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist often used in the treatment of opioid use disorder. While it can alleviate cravings and withdrawal symptoms, it also has the potential for misuse due to its opioid properties. By combining naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist, the formulation discourages misuse. If someone attempts to inject buprenorphine to achieve a euphoric effect, naloxone will block the opioid receptors and induce withdrawal symptoms, thereby deterring such behavior. This preventive measure is crucial in ensuring that patients use buprenorphine as intended—within a supervised treatment program—rather than engaging in illicit activities related to opioid use.

Other options like enhancing pain relief or inducing sedation do not align with the purpose of naloxone in this context, and decreasing withdrawal symptoms is primarily a function of buprenorphine itself, not naloxone. Naloxone’s role is specifically related to safety and preventing misuse.