Best practice portal main page
Opioid withdrawal with antagonists under heavy sedation to reduce adverse effects
Summary of the evidence
Opioid withdrawal with antagonists under heavy sedation or anaesthesia was compared to withdrawal managed with reducing doses of methadone in a systematic review of (Gowing 2010, 8 RCTs, N=1109) and:
- heavy sedation or anaesthesia increased adverse effects (RR 3.21, 95%CI 1.13 to 9.12);
- heavy sedation groups showed higher risk of life threatening than the non-heavy sedation groups (RR 14, 95%CI 0.74 to 264).
