There are several drugs on the market that are used for opiate withdrawal. Some are used individually while others may be used in a combination with other medications. Depending on the medications used, the withdrawal symptoms may be reduced drastically and may be shortened considerably. Because relapse is so high, most clinics use specialized prescription medications where dose and withdrawal are closely monitored.
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine was approved to treat opioid dependence and withdrawal by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. Buprenorphine differs from other opiate replacement therapies because it acts as both an opiate agonist and antagonist when combined with Naltrexone. In this effect, it blocks other opiates, such as heroin, from entering the endorphin receptor. The Department of Health and Human Services states that Buprenorphine also differs from other drugs used to treat opiate withdrawal because it has a ceiling effect, meaning that its maximum effective dose is 35 mg. This greatly reduces abuse potential and especially overdose.
Research by Mattick et al, in the 2008 Issue 2 of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that Buprenorphine is statistically superior than a placebo and as effective as methadone in the treatment of opiate dependence and withdrawal.
Methadone
Methadone has been used in the United States for the treatment of opiate dependence and withdrawal since 1947 when it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It has been seen as the standard of treatment for opioid dependence for decades and rarely are other medications as effective in preventing relapse or assisting in minimizing withdrawal. Methadone is usually administered at a clinic and patients may reduce their dosage by as little as 1 mg at a time. Methadone dependence is common, but the dosage and withdrawal can be minimized by a medical professional.
Clonidine
Clonidine is a nonopiate drug used to alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Clonidine acts as both a hypotensive and sedative, both of which can treat the notable opiate withdrawal symptoms of hypertension and insomnia. In the January 1980 issue of JAMA, Gold and associates found that all of the patients studied were able to detox from chronic opiate administration through the use of Clonidine to block withdrawal symptoms.
Other Medications
Hermann and other researchers at the University of Heidelberg published a study in the June 2005 issue of Addiction Biology, stating that benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants were moderately effective nonopoid medications used to treat opiate withdrawal. Conversely, benzodiazepines have their own potential for dependence and medical supervision should always be considered.
