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Clonidine For Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms: Does It Help?

Clonidine is an antihypertensive drug originally synthesized in the early 1960s by chemists employed under the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.  At the time, the chemists intended to develop a peripherally-active adrenergic nasal decongestant to be administered in the form of nose drops.  In the process, the chemists sought to modify amidines to fit the chemical …

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Kratom For Opiate Withdrawal: A Popular “Natural” Intervention

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree from the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Indonesia, Papa New Guinea, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.  The kratom tree produces leaves containing psychoactive compounds, and when ingested, these compounds are capable of eliciting opioidergic and/or stimulatory effects.  Although it is estimated that kratom leaves contain …

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Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal

Gabapentin is rumored to have been synthesized by chemists in the 1970s in attempt to develop an antispasmodic agent.  After its synthesis, rights to gabapentin were acquired by Parke-Davis (a subsidiary of Pfizer) whereafter it underwent clinical trials that evaluated its safety and anticonvulsant efficacy in the treatment of seizures.  Clinical trial data indicated that …

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Niacin For Passing Drug Tests: Does It “Flush” Metabolites To Detox?

Niacin, also referred to as nicotinic acid and “vitamin B3” is a colorless, hydrophilic organic compound derived from pyridine that was initially documented by chemist Hugo Weidel in 1873 while investigating the properties of nicotine.  In 1937, biochemist named Conrad Elvehjem successfully extracted niacin from the liver and dubbed the compound “pellagra-preventing factor” on the …

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