CLINICAL TRIAL
JOURNAL ARTICLE
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Diluted tincture of opium (DTO) and phenobarbital versus DTO alone for neonatal opiate withdrawal in term infants.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that treatment of neonatal opiate withdrawal (NOW) in the term infant with diluted tincture of opium (DTO) and phenobarbital was superior to treatment with DTO alone.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a partially randomized, controlled trial in which 20 term infants exposed to methadone and/or heroin in utero were studied. The severity of NOW was assessed by using the Finnegan scoring system. Infants were assigned to either DTO and placebo (n = 10) or DTO and phenobarbital (n = 10) when medication was required. The primary outcome variable was the duration of hospitalization. Severity of withdrawal and hospital cost were secondary outcome variables.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the gestational age, growth variables, maternal methadone dose, or age at enrollment between the 2 groups. The duration of hospitalization was reduced by 48% (79-38 days) (P <.001) and hospital cost per patient reduced by $35,856 (P <.001) for the DTO and phenobarbital group. Furthermore, these infants spent less time with severe withdrawal (P <.04), more time with mild withdrawal (P <.03), and required a lower maximum daily DTO dose (P <.009) when compared with the DTO-only group. The average duration of outpatient phenobarbital use was 3.5 months.

CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of DTO and phenobarbital resulted in a shorter duration of hospitalization, less severe withdrawal, and reduced hospital cost. This combination may be a preferred regimen for the treatment of NOW.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app