Description

For decades clinicians have been frustrated by the inability to successfully detoxify opiate addicted patients because opiate-based detoxification, one of the most effective means to achieving that goal, has been unavailable outside the very restrictive confines of narcotic treatment programs (NTPs). A new medication, buprenorphine, shows promise as an effective aid for opiate detoxification. However, little data have been generated for the shorter-term use of buprenorphine/naloxone for this indication. Since the diversity of clinics in the CTN provides an unparalleled opportunity to conduct such a clinical endeavor, the utility of buprenorphine/naloxone in short term (13 day) detoxification versus clonidine in an outpatient setting will be tested in the CTN.