Does Clonidine Work Managing Withdrawal Symptoms?

What is Clonidine? Originally developed as a nasal decongestant, Clonidine has been found to work very well for patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms from opiates. According to the JamaNetwork, Clonidine produces a rapid and statistically significant decrease in opiate withdrawal signs and symptoms. Clonidine administration for 14 days enabled all patients to be successfully detoxified from chronic opiate administration. In all patients studied, clonidine was a safe and effective non-opiate treatment of opiate withdrawal that suppressed the effect, signs, and symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Withdrawal Symptoms When someone becomes addicted to a substance, such as opioids, their brain becomes chemically rewired to require the substance. This is why people suffering from addiction go through great lengths to obtain their substance of choice. When the substance is no longer being supplied to the brain, the body experiences the absence and goes through a painful period of time, called withdrawal. Once the brain rewires and learns it doesn’t actually need the substance to survive, the withdrawal symptoms subside and the substance is out of the system. However, getting to the other side of withdrawal symptoms is very difficult for someone experiencing them alone. There are many withdrawal symptoms that come along with detoxing from opiates. They include: Muscle pain Diarrhea Vomiting Nausea Restlessness Insomnia Sweating Anxiety Abdominal pain Increased heart rate Tremors Ho...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Anxiety Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates Drug Rehab Information Drug Treatment Substance Abuse drug detox medicated-assisted detox opiate abuse opiate addiction opioid opioids prescriptio Source Type: blogs