Use of buprenorphine for the manufacture of a transdermal dosage form for treating postoperative pain in a patient in need of such treatment is disclosed, wherein the treatment comprises administering to said patient said buprenorphine-containing transdermal dosage form prior to surgery wherein the treatment may further comprise extended subsequent dosing periods with subsequent dosage forms for a given time period as needed by the patient to achieve desired analgesia andwherein the treatment may further comprise a rapid dose escalation of buprenorphine patches to achieve the desired preoperative dosage level, wherein the treatment involves: (a) administering to the patient a first buprenorphine-containing transdermal dosage form for a first dosing period that is no longer than 5 days (b) administering to the patient a second buprenorphine-containing transdermal dosage form for a second dosing period that is no longer than 5 days, wherein the second dosage form comprises the same dosage of buprenorphine as, or a greater dosage of buprenorphine than, the first dosage form and (c) administering to the patient a third buprenorphine-containing transdermal dosage form for a third dosing period, wherein the third dosage form comprises a greater dosage of buprenorphine than the second dosage form, and the third dosage form is the desired dosage level for the postoperative pain control.
