Symptomatic management of opioid withdrawal
| Symptom | Drug | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Hydroxyzine | 25–100 mg orally every 6–8 hours as needed (maximum 400 mg/day) |
| Lorazepam | 1 mg every 4–6 hours as needed (maximum 6 mg/day) | |
| Hypertension, tachycardia | Clonidine | 0.1–0.2 mg every 6–8 hours, taper if given for > 7 days |
| Diarrhea | Loperamide | 4 mg initial dose followed by 2 mg after each loose stool (maximum 16 mg/day) |
| Myalgias, arthralgias | Acetaminophen | 1,000 mg every 6–8 hours |
| Ibuprofen | 600 mg every 6 hours for up to 7 days (maximum 2,400 mg/day) | |
| Nausea, vomiting | Ondansetron | 4 mg every 6 hours as needed (maximum 16 mg/day) |
| Insomnia | Trazodone | 25–100 mg nightly (maximum 300 mg) |
| Muscle cramps | Cyclobenzaprine | 5–10 mg every 8 hours as needed (maximum 30 mg/day) |
| Gastrointestinal cramps | Dicyclomine | 10–20 mg every 6–8 hours as needed (maximum 160 mg/day) |
Based on information in references 36, 39, and 40.