Buprenorphine is recommended for the pharmacological treatment of OUD and opioid withdrawal: results are similar to methadone, and superior to lofexidine or clonidine (6164)
The locus coeruleus is involved in opioid addiction development: in mice, hypothalamic hypocretin innervation increases after morphine administration, correlated with an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase expression (the enzyme that catalyzes the rate limiting step in this synthesis of catecholamines)
Some case reports support the evidence that opioid withdrawal leads to sympathetic hyperactivity and increased catecholamine release, which may trigger catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy, resulting in heart failure and fatal arrhythmias (8)
It helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms and is often used in combination with naloxone (e.g., Suboxone)
Early research highlighted clonidines ability to significantly reduce the opiate withdrawal syndrome, establishing it as an effective agent for detoxification
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