Illicit use of clonidine in opiate-abusing pregnant women

OBJECTIVE: To examine prevalence rates and psychosocial correlates of clonidine use in a sample of opiate-dependent pregnant women. METHODS: Clonidine use was assessed in 90 treatment-seeking, pregnant, opiate-abusing women using both self-report and urinalysis toxicology. Clonidine-positive and -negative subjects were compared for selected demographic, substance use, and psychosocial measures. RESULTS: One-third of the sample was clonidine-positive. Urinalysis identified 26 clonidine-positive subjects, whereas self-report detected only six cases. Logistic regression identified four predictors of clonidine use at treatment admission: recent clinical anxiety, greater severity of family or social problems, recent cocaine use, and recent drug treatment. CONCLUSION: Clonidine use is prevalent in treatment-seeking opiate abusers, particularly those with concurrent cocaine use. The abuse potential of the drug warrants further study in this high-risk population.

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