I’m just torn because I know Sinclair method is ideal, but if the person cant do that for themselves right now, are you better off not using Naltrexone at all, or is once a day, the next best thing. We have 50mg tablets, dont know if since he is home recuperating, to start acclimating his body with half a tablet working up to 50mg. I have researched Naltrexone for some time now, and I’d love to hear folks thoughts on using Naltrexone once a day versus the Sinclair Method. A safe place for investigation and discussion of scientific and medical treatments for the neural glitch of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) such as The Sinclair Method (TSM), Baclofen, Campral, Topamax, Antabuse, etc. A subreddit for sharing information and experiences with naltrexone.
Naltrexone Side Effects
If you feel that The Sinclair Method may be right for you, I encourage you to do some more research and speak with a physician who can answer any questions. Popular resources include Claudia Christian’s Tedx Talk, and Annie Grace’s book “This Naked Mind.” You can connect with a physician on the Monument platform to discuss this method along with other medication options. It’s also important to remember that no medication is a “magic pill.” Naltrexone doesn’t remove the ability to ‘get drunk’ or the underlying issues causing the urge to drink. Factors such as anger, stress, anxiety, depression, and pain can influence one’s drinking habits, and cannot be treated with naltrexone. Without addressing these underlying factors, some people feel discouraged from taking naltrexone before they drink, or may try to “drink through it” to seek relief.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before using naltrexone?
- Also tell your healthcare provider if you have sudden or strong feelings, such as feeling nervous, angry, restless, violent, or scared.
- This is why physicians on the Monument platform, such as myself, typically find that daily naltrexone treatment is more effective than TSM.
- Some clinicians may choose to obtain a pregnancy test before starting naltrexone and whenever pregnancy is suspected.
This variant both increases mu-opioid receptor binding affinity and decreases the number of these receptors. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. Naltrexone treatment is started after you are no longer taking opioids for a period of time. Before you start taking this medicine, be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you think you are still having withdrawal symptoms. With dependence, your body needs the drug to feel like it usually does.
More on Drugs & Medications
The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases.
- One of the reasons why alcohol addiction happens is that people experience a rush of endorphins when they drink.
- While this approach is less common in the United States, it has become much more widely used in Europe.
- Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist that’s available most commonly as a 50 mg oral tablet, and also as Vivitrol, a long-acting injectable formulation.
- Naltrexone injection will not prevent withdrawal symptoms that may occur when you stop drinking alcohol after drinking large amounts for a long time or when you stop using opiate medications or street drugs.
Combine the naltrexone with an over-the-counter medication that addresses the side effect. Despite its well-documented benefits, naltrexone remains underutilized, often taking a secondary role to traditional abstinence-based treatment approaches. However, increased awareness and use of this evidence-based medication with the Sinclair Method is offering hope for anyone drinking more than they would like. So, after reading a tone of literature on AUD, I finally decided to try naltrexone via the Sinclair method. This method is supposed to take 3-4 months to “reset” your brain, but I’m seeing big changes early on.
The pill form of naltrexone (ReVia, Depade) can what is Oxford House be taken at 50 mg once per day. The injectable extended-release form of the drug (Vivitrol) is administered at 380 mg intramuscular once a month. There are no known interactions between naltrexone and alcohol. Naltrexone may cause allergic reactions, which can be serious. Stop taking naltrexone and get help right away if you have any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction.
Naltrexone should be used cautiously in patients whose serum aminotransferase results are greater than five times the upper limit of normal. The COMBINE trial was a 16-week clinical trial of naltrexone used in 952 people with alcohol dependence (8). The COMBINE trial’s main results indicated naltrexone plus medical management counseling was as effective or more effective than other more intensive medication and counseling regimes. A secondary analysis of the Sinclair method study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, suggested that naltrexone reduces heavy drinking in regular drinkers (9). To use the Sinclair Method you must take naltrexone between one and three hours prior to drinking alcohol. This is the approximate length of time it takes for naltrexone to become active in your system.