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Published on: February 4, 2014
Failure of clonidine treatment in benzodiazepine withdrawal
E M Joyce1, P Moodley, M S Keshavan
1Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Abstract:
Six subjects, dependent on benzodiazepines for at least 2 years, were gradually withdrawn, using placebo substitution, while taking clonidine. After withdrawal was complete, subjects were switched to clonidine-placebo. Despite administration of clonidine at doses sufficient to produce a fall in blood pressure, an abstinence syndrome was seen in five of the subjects. In none of these cases was the withdrawal syndrome exacerbated by changing from clonidine to clonidine-placebo. Scores of depression, subjective anxiety, observed anxiety and somatic symptoms did not change throughout the study.
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