• Gholam R Kheirabadi, Mansour Ranjkesh, Mohamad R Maracy, and Mehrdad Salehi.
• Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. kheirabadi@bsrc.mul.ac.ir
• Addiction. 2008 Sep 1;103(9):1495-9.

AimsEvaluation of the efficacy of gabapentin in patients undergoing out-patient treatment for opiate withdrawal.DesignA 3-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive gabapentin in methadone-assisted detoxification (MAD).SettingSpecialized Addictive Behaviors Unit, an out-patient unit for the treatment of patients with an addictive disorder serving the city of Isfahan (Iran).ParticipantsForty out-patients, 37 males and three females, aged 21-61 years, who met DSM-IV criteria for opiate dependence.InterventionRandom assignment of subjects to receive adjunctive treatment with either gabapentin (900 mg/day) or placebo under double-blind conditions.MeasurementsSeverity of subjective withdrawal symptoms using the Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale at six stages.FindingsDespite the superiority of gabapentin on controlling some of withdrawal symptoms, no significant differences were reported between two groups.ConclusionsDosage of 900 mg/day of gabapentin is not significantly superior to placebo in controlling opiate withdrawal symptoms.

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