Naloxone reversal of clonidine toxicity: dose, dose, dose

Abstract

Administration of naloxone to somnolent pediatric patients with clonidine toxicity awoke the majority (40/51) and resolved bradycardia and hypotension in some. Persistent bradycardia was benign. Hypotension was rare and clinically insignificant. No adverse effects occurred in any patient including the 21 patients who received 10 mg naloxone. Morbidity in this overdose may be due to ETI, a procedure that could be prevented if high-dose naloxone (10 mg) were administered. Administration of high-dose naloxone should be considered in all children with clonidine toxicity.