A comparison of suboxone and clonidine treatment outcomes in opiate detoxification.

PURPOSE: This retrospective quality improvement study was to evaluate if Suboxone therapy reduced the risk of terminating treatment against medical advice compared with the use clonidine in men aged 18--55 years.

METHODS: Data were collected through chart review for all opioid-addicted male clients admitted voluntarily to a community-based treatment center between July 1, 2009, and December 30, 2009.

FINDINGS: The chi-square test of independence between treatment completion and treatment noncompletion was found to be significant at the 5% critical level (P = .027) for Suboxone therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Suboxone treatment decreased premature termination of opioid detoxification completion when compared with clonidine.