Passion Flower & Clonidine
Detoxifying from an opiate addiction can be a painful and difficult experience. Clonidine is a prescription medication that is used to treat the symptoms of physical withdrawal from opiates. An herb called passion flower has also been shown to ease some of the symptoms associated with this withdrawal. The combination of passion flower and clonidine is the superior treatment for the management of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
-
Opiates
-
Opiates are a class of drugs that includes morphine, heroin, codeine and Demerol, which work in the body as an artificial endorphin and can be used to treat pain. Overuse of opiates causes the brain to stop producing neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters create natural endorphins that help the body relieve pain. Therefore, a person who abuses opiates becomes both psychologically and physiologically dependent on the drug as a result of the body's inability to relieve its own pain naturally. To break this dependency, detoxification is necessary but can cause a number of physical and mental withdrawal symptoms, including tremors, vomiting, agitation, high blood pressure, anxiety, sweating, chills, insomnia and leg cramps.
Clonidine
-
According to Drugs.com, clonidine is a prescription medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Although it is not FDA approved for use in withdrawal symptoms, clonidine has been shown to provide relief for some of the symptoms of opiate detoxification
-
Passion Flower
-
Passion flower is a plant native to North America, but is found mostly in the Midwest and Southeast. Extracts of passion flower are used to treat insomnia, anxiety, ADHD and irregular heartbeat. It is commonly used to help manage many of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
Combination Therapy
-
According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, the combination of passion flower and clonidine showed significant improvement in the relief of some of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Researchers randomly assigned 65 opiates addicts to treatment with passion flower extract and clonidine or clonidine plus a placebo. Study results showed that both options were effective in treating the physical symptoms of withdrawal. However, the combination of passion flower and clonidine showed significant superiority over clonidine alone in the treatment of mental symptoms such as anxiety, agitation and irritability.
Warning
-
Passion flower may interact with certain medications and substances such as benzodiazepines, anticoagulants and alcohol. Tell your doctor of any medications that you are taking before using an herb or supplement. Further studies are needed to determine the safety of passion flower.
-
References
- Photo Credit passion flower image by Pat Lalli from Fotolia.com
