Assessing cognitive and psychomotor performance under long-term treatment with transdermal buprenorphine in chronic noncancer pain patients.

Background: The therapeutic use of opioids has been associated with altered cognition and impaired psychomotor function. Several studies have demonstrated the impact of opioid therapy on psychomotor performance and cognition, but there are no data about the effect of long-term treatment with transdermal buprenorphine on driving ability.

Methods: Thirty patients suffering from chronic noncancer pain, who had been treated with stable doses of transdermal buprenorphine, included in a prospective trial and compared with 90 healthy volunteers (matched pairs).