Illicit use of clonidine in opiate-abusing pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine prevalence rates and psychosocial correlates of clonidine use in a sample of opiate-dependent pregnant women.


METHODS
Clonidine use was assessed in 90 treatment-seeking, pregnant, opiate-abusing women using both self-report and urinalysis toxicology. Clonidine-positive and -negative subjects were compared for selected demographic, substance use, and psychosocial measures.


RESULTS
One-third of the sample was clonidine-positive. Urinalysis identified 26 clonidine-positive subjects, whereas self-report detected only six cases. Logistic regression identified four predictors of clonidine use at treatment admission: recent clinical anxiety, greater severity of family or social problems, recent cocaine use, and recent drug treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Clonidine use is prevalent in treatment-seeking opiate abusers, particularly those with concurrent cocaine use. The abuse potential of the drug warrants further study in this high-risk population.
Anderson
F
F
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Paluzzi
P
P
Lee
J
J
Huggins
G
G
Svikis
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003000:Clonidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D003000:Clonidine