What’s the Scoop on Bupe? New Handouts for Teens, Young Adults, and Their Caregivers
10/05/2026
Teens and young adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) can and do benefit from buprenorphine (aka “bupe”), a treatment medication for OUD. These two new handouts help teens and young adults, and their parent and caregivers learn more about this treatment option.
The handouts answer key questions, such as:
- What is buprenorphine? What does it do?
- Is bupe safe? Is bupe addictive?
- How long does someone stay on bupe?
- How can teens and young adults access bupe for OUD?
- What are some ways that caregivers can provide support?
Handout for teens/YA | Handout for parents/caregivers
Kathy Wang, a UW nursing student, developed these handouts as part of her summer internship with UW ADAI. Kathy worked closely with CEDEER’s State Opioid Response (SOR) Training Team and connected with experts and people with lived experience across the state to learn more about teens and young adults and bupe.
These handouts are part of a larger effort by the SOR Training Team to help educate care professionals about the best ways to provide support and treatment to youth with opioid use disorder.
Adolescent Learning Collaborative
A cornerstone of this work is the Adolescent Learning Collaborative, a monthly call that brings together care professionals across the state. The Collaborative meets every month, on the 3rd Wednesday from 12-1pm and is facilitated by Alexis Ball, MD, MPP, and Addy Adwell, DNP, RN, CARN.
Recent calls have focused on: kratom, fentanyl, meds for OUD, polysubstance use, inpatient treatment, and other critical topics.
We encourage participation from a diverse range of health care and treatment roles. Email adai@uw.edu to be added to the Learning Collaborative!
In addition to the Learning Collaborative, other recent SOR Training Team activities for youth have included:
- TA to individual providers
- Development of a clinical toolkit
- Updated website content for friends and family
Thank you Kathy and the SOR Training Team for your work to educate the public and professionals on this important topic!
