Baclofen and Clonidine in Opioid Detoxification

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of baclofen and clonidine treatments in opioid detoxification. Method 66 subjects from an outpatient setting diagnosed with opium dependency (based on DSM-IV) took part in a double blind study. Randomly 32 and 34 subjects were assigned to take respectively baclofen and clonidine for 14 days. Findings Both drugs showed similar efficacy in regards to physical and mental symptoms of withdrawal syndrome. No significant difference was noted between the two groups on depression and anxiety scales. The side effect profiles of the two groups were more or less the same except for “vomiting” and “euphoria” which were more significantly evident in the baclofen group. Results Baclofen can be invariably considered as an equivalent of clonidine, in opium detoxification