Phenobarbital vs. Clonazepam in the Outpatient Sedative Detoxification of Methadone-Maintained Patients

The authors used either phenobarbital or clonazepam to detoxify 25 sedative-dependent patients enrolled in an outpatient metbadone-maintenance treatment program. Sedatives abused by patients included glutetbimide, diazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam. There were no reported seizures. Urine drug screening results indicated that only a minority of the patients were able to "detox" and stay off sedatives. The authors report on patient demographics, sedative abuse history, detoxification agent, dosage, and tapering schedules.