Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Winter-Spring;2(1-2):18-24.

A comparison of the efficacy of buprenorphine and clonidine in detoxification of heroin-dependents and the following maintenance treatment

Hassan Ziaaddini  1 , Mansooreh Nasirian  2 , Nouzar Nakhaee  3
Affiliations

A comparison of the efficacy of buprenorphine and clonidine in detoxification of heroin-dependents and the following maintenance treatment

Hassan Ziaaddini et al. Addict Health. 2010 Winter-Spring.

Abstract

Background: This study compared the success rates of buprenorphine and clonidine in detoxification of heroin-dependents and evaluated the recurrence of drug abuse in patients taking naltrexone in a 6 month follow up.

Methods: A double-blind study was carried out in Kerman's psychiatric hospital on heroin-dependents seeking detoxification during the years 2007-2009.These patients were randomized into 2 groups receiving clonidine and buprenorphine. The success rate of detoxification was evaluated at the end of the trial and each patient was discharged with a daily consumption of 25 mg naltrexone. They were monitored for 6 months with respect to naltrexone consumption and withdrawal from drug abuse.

Findings: Overall 49 patients participated in the study. The success rate of detoxification with naltrexone was confirmed in all subjects. In the group receiving clonidine, 2 subjects (9.5%) had a clinical opiate withdrawal scale (COWS) above 12 in day 5 (P=0.186) and none of the subjects in the group taking buprenorphine had a COWS above 12 in day 5. The signs and symptoms of withdrawal and the desire for substance abuse was declined significantly in both groups over time; 19% of subjects detoxified with clonidine and 39% detoxified with buprenorphine continued taking naltrexone for one month and 52% detoxified with clonidine and 53.5% detoxified with buprenorphine entered the maintenance treatment. The average days remaining in treatment and being free of recurrence of drug abuse was not significantly different between the two groups in a 6 month follow-up.

Conclusion: Administration of buprenorphine within a few days was more efficient in reducing the signs and symptoms of withdrawal when compared to clonidine. However, recurrence of drug abuse was not significantly different between the two groups.

Keywords: Buprenorphine; Clonidine; Heroin withdrawal; Naltrexone; Recurrence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mokri A. Brief overview of the status of Drug. Abuse in Iran. Archives of Iranian Medicine. 2002;5(3):184–90.
    1. Nakhaee N, Ziaaddini H, Karimzadeh A. Epidemiologic study on drug abuse among first and second grade high school students in Kerman. Addiction and Health. 2009;1(1):31–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gowing LR, Farrell M, Ali RL, White JM. Alpha2-adrenergic agonists in opioid withdrawal. Addiction. 2002;97(1):49–58. - PubMed
    1. Kaplan H, Sadock BJ. Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins; 2009. pp. 1376–7.
    1. Telias D, Nir-hood J. Buprenorphine-ketorolac vs. clonidine-naproxen in the Withdrawal from opioids. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 2000;4(4):441–6.

LinkOut - more resources