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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Psychotropic Analgesic Nitrous Oxide for Alcoholic Withdrawal States

About this resource:

Systematic Review

Source: The Cochrane Collaborative

Last Reviewed: April 2007

Workgroups: Substance Use Workgroup

In this Cochrane systematic review, the Cochrane Collaborative found that psychotropic analgesic nitrous oxide (PAN) is as effective as sedatives for managing mild or moderate alcohol withdrawal. However, researchers noted that the review doesn’t offer strong evidence about the benefits or harms of using PAN instead of sedatives, so more research is needed. They also noted that the studies included in the review were conducted in inpatient settings but that PAN is also used in outpatient settings.

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Objectives related to this resource (1)

Reduce the proportion of people who had alcohol use disorder in the past year — SU‑13
Little or no detectable change

Suggested Citation

1.

Gillman, M.A., Lichtigfeld, F. & Young, T. (2007). Psychotropic analgesic nitrous oxide for alcoholic withdrawal states. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2007 (2). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005190.pub2.