ArticlePediatrics2021
Phenobarbital and Clonidine as Secondary Medications for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.
Article in Pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Accelerated Weaning of Opioids to Reduce Pharmacologic Exposure for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.The Journal of pediatrics · 2026Trial
- Comparison of the effect of phenobarbital & levetiracetam in the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) as adjuvant treatment in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit: a randomized clinical trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Trial
- Managing newborns at risk for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)/neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS): Updates and emerging best practices.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Review
- La prise en charge des nouveau-nés à risque de syndrome d'abstinence néonatale et de syndrome de sevrage néonatal aux opioïdes : mises à jour et pratiques exemplaires émergentes.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Review
- Optimal Drug, Optimal Dose, or Both in the Pharmacological Treatment of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome?Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2025Article
- Advances in animal models of prenatal opioid exposure.Trends in neurosciences · 2024Review
- Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Review of Treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy · 2023Article
- Prenatal methadone exposure selectively alters protein expression in primary motor cortex: Implications for synaptic function.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Future Newborns with Opioid-Induced Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Could Be Assessed with the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) Test and Potentially Treated Using Precision Amino-Acid Enkephalinase Inhibition Therapy (KB220) as a Frontline Modality Instead of Potent Opioids.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Review
- Comparison of Two Morphine Dosing Strategies in the Management of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.The journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG · 2022Article
- Use of Phenobarbital to Treat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome From Exposure to Single vs. Multiple Substances.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
21 authors at 17 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesDespite the neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) epidemic in the United States, evidence is limited for pharmacologic management when first-line opioid medications fail to control symptoms. The objective with this study was to evaluate outcomes of infants receiving secondary therapy with phenobarbital compared with clonidine, in combination with morphine, for the treatment of NOWS.
methodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of infants with NOWS from 30 hospitals. The primary outcome measures were the length of hospital stay, duration of opioid treatment, and peak morphine dose. Outcomes were compared by group by using analysis of variance and multivariable linear regression controlling for relevant confounders.
resultsOf 563 infants with NOWS treated with morphine, 32% (
conclusionsAmong infants with NOWS receiving morphine and secondary therapy, those treated with phenobarbital had shorter length of hospital stay and shorter morphine treatment duration than clonidine-treated infants but were discharged from the hospital more often on secondary medication. Further investigation is warranted to determine if the benefits of shorter hospital stay and shorter duration of morphine therapy justify the possible neurodevelopmental consequences of phenobarbital use in infants with NOWS.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.