Clonidine.

Abstract

Clonidine has provided a nonaddicting solution to an ancient problem, opiate withdrawal without opiates. Gold and colleagues' initial demonstration that this alpha 2 adrenergic agonist could be used to detoxify opiate addicts provided the first nonaddicting treatment for opiate dependency. This discovery has also led to research investigating the utility of clonidine for a number of other neuropsychiatric conditions as well. Clonidine has been studied for use in neonatal narcotic addiction, alcohol detoxification, akathisia, mania, narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol amnestic disorder. Additionally, the clinical application of clonidine was based upon a large body of preclinical research and has opened up other avenues of investigation for non-addictive treatment of opiate dependency.