Utility of Olanzapine in the Treatment of Opioid Withdrawal in the ED

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2017-06-21
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Withdrawal from opioids is a clinical scenario that emergency department physicians encounter frequently. Patients who present with opioid withdrawal display symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, myalgias, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Currently, the standard treatment for opioid withdrawal is clonidine (an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist), as well as supportive cares (anti-emetics, intravenous fluids). Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is given frequently in the ED for many of the same symptoms that are seen in patients who are experiencing opioid withdrawal, however its use in this toxidrome has never been studied. The hypothesis of this study is that olanzapine is a safe and efficacious option when compared to clonidine for the treatment of opioid withdrawal in the emergency department.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute; Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
• Treatments: Clonidine; Olanzapine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Any patients who present to the emergency department where the providers are concerned for opioid withdrawal contributing to their symptoms on presentation is eligible for inclusion.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age less than 18

• Allergy to either medication (olanzapine, clonidine)

• Inability to give informed consent

• Known pregnancy