Naltrexone is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of opiate and prescription opioid addiction because it stops the activity of opioids. It is also used in the treatment of alcohol addiction because it appears to decrease the addict's desire to drink. Naltrexone can either be administered daily by tablet, or in injection form that can be given once an every four weeks, although the injection can cost up to $1,100 a month.
The difference between Naltrexone and other drugs used to treat opiate dependence is that not like Methadone which is an agonist and is very similar to heroin, Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist, and blocks the effect of opioid medications. An individual who has been off all opioid meds for 7-10 days can begin taking Naltrexone, but they will have to stop taking all other opioid medications while taking the medication. This would include taking Methadone or similar maintenance therapy medications, because of the fact that taking Naltrexone along with these types of drugs can cause sudden withdrawal reactions.
Naltrexone is meant to be used in conjunction with a full Tunkhannock treatment program which would include compliance monitoring, counseling, lifestyle changes, and behavior modification.
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