naltrexone (oral)

What is the most important information I should know about naltrexone?

What is naltrexone?

Naltrexone blocks the effects of opioid medication, including pain relief or feelings of well-being that can lead to opioid abuse.

Naltrexone is used to prevent relapse in adults who became dependent on opioid medicine and then stopped using it. Naltrexone can help keep you from feeling a "need" to use the opioid.

Naltrexone is also used to treat alcoholism by reducing your urge to drink alcohol. This may help you drink less or stop drinking completely. Naltrexone will not cause you to "sober up" and will not decrease the effects of alcohol you recently consumed.

Naltrexone is not a permanent cure for drug addiction or alcoholism.

Naltrexone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking naltrexone?

• you are currently addicted to opioids;
• you are having withdrawal symptoms from opioid addiction;
• you have used any opioid pain medicine within the past 7 to 10 days (including fentanyl, Vicodin, OxyContin, and many others);
• you have used methadone or LAAM in the past 7 to 10 days; or
• you have liver failure or active hepatitis.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver disease; or
• kidney disease.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

How should I take naltrexone?

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

Your doctor may recommend you have a family member or other caregiver make sure you take naltrexone on schedule, to make sure you are using the medicine correctly as part of your treatment.

Naltrexone is only part of a complete treatment program that may also include additional forms of counseling and/or monitoring. Follow your doctor's instructions very closely.

After taking naltrexone, your body will be more sensitive to opioids. If you use an opioid medicine in the future, you will need to use less than before naltrexone treatment. Using the same amount you used before could lead to overdose or death.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

What should I avoid while taking naltrexone?

Ask your doctor before using any medicine to treat a cold, cough, diarrhea, or pain. These medicines may contain opioids and may not work as well while you are taking naltrexone.

What are the possible side effects of naltrexone?

Using opioid medicine while you are taking naltrexone could stimulate opioid withdrawal symptoms. Common withdrawal symptoms are craving for opioids, sweating, fever, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, watery eyes, runny or stuffy nose, tingling, goose bumps, body aches, shaking, muscle twitching, trouble sleeping, and feeling anxious, depressed, fearful, restless or uneasy.

• severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
• confusion, mood changes, crying, hallucinations; or
• depression, thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Common side effects may include:

• nausea, vomiting, stomach pain;
• headache, dizziness, drowsiness;
• feeling anxious or nervous;
• sleep problems (insomnia); or
• muscle or joint pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect naltrexone?

Other drugs may affect naltrexone, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about naltrexone.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 5.01. Revision date: 2/10/2021.