Mj. Mccann et al., OUTPATIENT NONOPIOID DETOXIFICATION FOR OPIOID WITHDRAWAL - WHO IS LIKELY TO BENEFIT, The American journal on addictions, 6(3), 1997, pp. 218-223
The authors examined characteristics of successful completers of an ou
tpatient clonidine/oxazepam detoxification procedure for opioid depend
ence. Of 215 initial applicants, 167 received medication, and 65 succe
ssfully completed by taking a dose of naltrexone. Those who completed
were more likely to have last used an opioid other than heroin to be h
eroin smokers, rather than intravenous users, to have used benzodiazep
ines in the 30 days before treatment, and to have abstained from opioi
ds for a longer time before presenting for treatment. Neu, users (for
less than 2 years) did no better than those using longer than 2 years.
These findings may help in the continued refinement of patient placem
ent criteria.