title: The use of tramadol for acute heroin withdrawal: a comparison to clonidine.
abstract: Using a retrospective chart review, 59 patients detoxified with tramadol were compared to 85 patients detoxified with clonidine on rates of leaving against medical advice (AMA) and control of withdrawal symptoms. Patients detoxified with tramadol had 23% (95% CI, 0.09-0.59; P < .01) the risk of leaving AMA and scored an average of 0.24 points lower (95% CI, 0.08-0.41; P < .01) on a 0-3 point withdrawal symptom scale compared to patients detoxified with clonidine. This preliminary study indicates that tramadol is more effective in managing withdrawal than clonidine, and may be especially useful in outpatient detoxification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Cleveland VA Medical Center, 11000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sobey
authors.forename: Theodore V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Parran
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Grey
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Adelman
authors.forename: Jaehak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003000:Clonidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014147:Tramadol / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D014147:Tramadol; D003000:Clonidine