Conclusion: Addition of clonidine to morphine sulfate as initial therapy for NAS significantly reduced the cumulative exposure as well as duration of exposure to
9 Currently, clinical trials cite the benefit of clonidine as both first line
Methadone must be tapered by 10-20% per week over 4-6 weeks
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a complicated medical condition with treatment regimens that traditionally have included methadone and other opioids, barbiturates, and
Three RCTs of clonidine in infants with NAS have used differing strategies
2, 7 Because many of the manifestations of NAS are believed to be caused by an increased release of norepinephrine, clonidine is hypothesized These infants were part of the study conducted by Agthe et al 8 evaluating clonidine in the treatment of NAS
METHODS
The guideline was developed with evidence-based principles, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and individualized and family-centered approaches to caring for the neonate
1 Clonidine has at least one high quality RCT supporting its use as an adjunctive agent to reduce length of pharmacotherapy treatment for NAS
Of 563 infants with NOWS treated with morphine, 32% (n = 180) also received a secondary medication
Published guidelines provide information on initial dosing, dosing increments, initiating additional treatments and weaning, to assist in a consistent approach to management [42]
Less frequently reported side effects of APO-CLONIDINE include the following: blurred vision
1 National data from a representative sample
Optimal medications for NAS have not been defined, although first-line medications for opioid-induced abstinence should consist of opioids, such as morphine or methadone
Objective To compare pharmacological therapies for neonatal abstinence syndrome
To compare clonidine versus phenobarbital as adjunctive therapy in infants who failed monotherapy with morphine for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
Excerpta Medica was searched from
Objective: To determine if oral clonidine would reduce the duration of opioid detoxification for neonatal abstinence syndrome