What Is Naltrexone?

Most experts agree that therapy is the key to dealing with an addiction, but sometimes it’s hard for people with addictions to handle the demands of therapy sessions.

They may be so distracted by cravings that they can’t concentrate on the lessons in each class. Or, they may be unable to fight off cravings at all, so they relapse to drug use before they’ve even started to develop healthier habits.

It’s a serious problem, and there may be a novel way to handle it. The solution may be a medication known as naltrexone. This medication has the potential to help amend the chemical signals that make an addiction both possible and persistent.

Why Is It Needed?

It’s true that some people with addictions heal quite nicely without the help of any medications at all. But it’s also true that some drugs come with such severe damage that recovery can be difficult, unless there’s a little boost involved.

Heroin is one such drug. According to the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug and other Addiction Services, heroin is so addictive, in part, because it lights up many different areas of the brain, including those involved with reward. That means people who take heroin go through a physical transformation that changes their brain cells. Portions of the brain that deal with reward and motivation are primed to respond to even the slightest suggestion of heroin, and they call out for the substance around the clock, until it’s provided to them.
Heroin isn’t the only addictive substance out there, either. A quick peek at demographic data suggests that alcohol is also terribly addictive. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence suggests that one adult in 12 in the United States has an alcohol abuse or dependence issue. These people may also have brain changes due to alcohol abuse, and they may find that resisting drink is difficult simply because it’s widely available. A walk through a grocery store, a mini-mart, or a restaurant becomes a test of will for these people, and sometimes, they just can’t resist the temptation to give in.

Researchers quoted by the Washington Post say that these chemical changes are very difficult to overcome. For example, in studies done on animals, researchers associated a light with a hit of drugs. Researchers then did studies on how the animals’ brains responded to that light. They found that portions of the brain that are touched by drugs fire up when the light is provided, long before the drug arrives. That change is remarkably persistent, so it’s hard for the animals to behave in any other way. Their brain cells respond to the light. That’s a cue for cravings.

The same process happens in people with addictions, but their cues may have nothing to do with light. For heroin users, brain cells may light up when they see needles, powder, or people they once took drugs with. For people with alcohol addictions, the triggers may involve ice rattling in a glass. Those cues spark brain changes that are almost impossible to ignore.

People with addictions may desperately want to change the way in which they respond to drugs and drug cues. They may have long lists of all the goals they’d like to accomplish and all the reasons that support sobriety.

But they may also have brain changes that undermine their plans. Unless those brain changes can be addressed, relapse will always be a possibility. Medications like naltrexone may help.

Best Practices

A researcher quoted in a piece published by NPR suggests that there’s no data about the efficacy of using naltrexone alone in order to tackle an addiction. It’s possible that some people could overcome an addiction with the help of pharmaceuticals alone, but the current research doesn’t really support that approach.

Instead, most experts recommend combining naltrexone with proven therapies that can help people to deal with an addiction. Putting psychotherapy in combination with naltrexone has the proven ability to assist people with an addiction. For example, in one study, researchers found that pairing naltrexone with psychotherapy helped people to avoid early relapse. Presumably, that meant they stayed in therapy for a longer period of time as a result. The drug didn’t cure their addiction, but it gave the therapies they’d use to cure an addiction more time to work.

If you’re a good candidate for naltrexone therapy, your team might provide the medication during the very early days of your recovery. The medication might help you to steer clear of an early relapse, and it might help to break the allure of drugs for your healing mind. Then, as you grow stronger in therapy and more capable of resisting the craving to use, you might find that you don’t need naltrexone, and you can work with your doctor to determine when and how to quit.

Stopping the drug without the approval of your treatment team isn’t smart, as you might fepel more confident about your healing than you should be. Your team can advise you on the best way to heal and the best tools to use. Naltrexone may be just what you need to heal, or there may be another medication that would work better. Your team can help you to make the right decision so you can move forward with your sober life.

If you’d like to get in touch with a team that can help you with your addiction and any mental illnesses that complicate your recovery, please call. We have resources made just for people like you, and we’re happy to put you in touch with teams that can help. Just call and we’ll tell you more.


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