Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of gabapentin (1600 mg/day) as an adjunct to methadone-assisted detoxification (MAD) in the treatment of opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Methods: Design: A 3-week open label study (as the second phase) following a double blind placebo controlled study with 900mg/day of gabapentin (as the first phase of this study). Setting: A specialized outpatient clinic for the treatment of patients with addictive disorders. Participants: Twenty-seven opiate addicts, who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for opioid dependency, randomly selected among outpatients referred to our clinic. Intervention: The subjects received adjunctive treatment with gabapentin (1600 mg/day) in addition to MAD for three weeks. Measurements: The Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) with a total score of 0 to 64 was administered at six time-points during the study.
Results: The total SOWS score was significantly decreased after the intervention. Compared with our previous trial, an almost significant difference was observed in total SOWS scores between groups treated with gabapentin 1600 mg/day and 900 mg/day at the end of the intervention period (p = 0.06). Gabapentin at a dose of 1600 mg/day was significantly superior to a dose of 900 mg/day in decreasing the severity of coldness, diarrhea, dysphoria, yawning, and muscle tension.
Conclusion: Add-on gabapentin at a dose of 1600 mg/day may be effective in reducing some of the withdrawal symptoms in opiate addicts undergoing methadone-assisted detoxification.