Question: I read an article recently about the blood pressure medication clonidine and its use for opioid withdrawal. The article indicated the medication was being used "off-label" for this purpose - what does this mean?

By definition, "off-label" use of a drug essentially refers to any time a drug is prescribed for use that is different than what is outlined on the labeling of the drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug label includes information about what condition or disease the drug is intended to treat or manage, as well as the specific dosing and routes of administration for the medical condition(s). If the drug is used for a different indication, given in a different way (e.g., applied topically rather than taken by mouth), or given as a different dose than what is specifically addressed on the drug label, this would represent "off-label" use.