Definition
Lofexidine is a medication of the alpha-2 agonist class with a molecular weight of 259.13 g/mol and a chemical formula of C11H12Cl2N2O. It is a structural analog of the alpha-2 agonist clonidine (see “Clonidine”). It was originally approved in Germany to treat hypertension but was withdrawn due to a lack of clinical efficacy (Gish et al. 2010). Lofexidine can be used as a short-acting antihypertensive, but it is primarily used to assist with opioid detoxification. It is approved in the UK for this purpose under the trade name BritLofex. While extended-release formulations of the alpha-2 agonists clonidine and guanfacine (see “Guanfacine”) are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), lofexidine has not been studied for this purpose (see “Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder”). The FDA has not currently approved lofexidine for clinical use in the United States.
Like other alpha-2 agonists, lofexidine...
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References and Readings
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Williams, Z., McPartland, J.C. (2017). Lofexidine. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102086-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102086-1
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