Treatment of Polydrug-Using Opiate Dependents During Withdrawal
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2003-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Managed detoxification is a first and necessary step prior to treatment and rehabilitation.
Detoxification can be a major obstacle for some patients, and the availability of managed and
safe withdrawal is a prerequisite for long-term treatment.
In our clinical practice we have felt the need for a standardised and safe detoxification
treatment regimen for our opioid addicts, as dependence on multiple drugs is so common.
Objectives
1. To assess whether a novel standardised treatment regimen - Buprenorphine (BPN) combined
with Valproate (VPA) - will result in fewer withdrawal symptoms during detoxification of
opiate-polydrug users than the existing treatment regimen, i.e. Clonidine (CLN) combined
with Carbamazepine (CBZ).
2. To determine whether there are differences in treatment retention between the BPN/VPA
and the CLN/CBZ groups.
3. To assess differences in clinical side-effects and biochemical interactions between the
two treatment regimens.