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Abstract

A method of attenuating the symptoms of opioid withdrawal in a human or animal subject comprises administering to the subject an effective opioid withdrawal symptom attenuating amount of an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) for a period of time effective to attenuate such symptoms upon opioid withdrawal. NOS inhibitors useful in the present method include, for example, L-N.sup.G -nitroarginine, esters of L-N.sup.G -nitroarginine, L-N.sup.G -monomethylarginine, L-N.sup.G -benzylarginine, L-N.sup.G -aminoarginine, iminoethylornithine, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds can be used alone or in combination, in conjunction with conventional drugs, such as .alpha..sub.2 -adrenoceptor agonists, mixed agonist-antagonist opioids, and NMDA antagonists, to attenuate the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Effective doses of NOS inhibitors range from about 1 .mu.g/kg/day to about 30 mg/kg/day, administered over the course of about 1 hour to about six days, followed by opioid withdrawal.

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First Claim