Current marketing status of Naltrexone in Ireland: Only Rx

Before the doctor prescribes you Naltrexone, he must make sure that the benefits of this medication for your health exceed its potential risks.

You suffer from alcoholism or you have been taking opioids for a long time? Try Naltrexone tablets. This strong opioid receptor antagonist will help you to quickly and easily get rid of severe or moderate dependency.

Attentively read this review to figure out the details of the mechanism of action, adverse events and efficacy of this medication.

Irish therapists for substance abusers often prescribe Naltrexone in the complex treatment of alcoholism or opiate addiction. It helps to significantly reduce the risk of these disorders recurrence.

In Ireland, Naltrexone was approved in 2001, and since then has been sold in the form of 50 mg tablets. Its distributors in the Irish market are the pharmaceutical companies AOP Orphan, Bristol-Myers and Accord. Today, Naltrexone is sold in Ireland under the brand name Nalorex.

The action mechanism of Naltrexone lies in the opiate receptors suppression. Thus, it blocks different subjective effects that occur when people abuse certain drugs or ethanol, including euphoria, insensitivity to pain, loss of contact with reality.

Naltrexone also has a mild stimulating effect on patients with addiction. Due to this action, it helps reduce the symptoms intensity of apathy, fatigue or abulia that may manifest in this disorder. These symptoms include:

• weakness,
• lack of will,
• fatigue,
• sleep disorders,
• emotional lability.

Before starting to use Naltrexone, carefully read the recommendations for developing a proper dosing chart of the drug:

• for an effective alcoholism treatment, doctors recommended taking this drug by 100 mg three times a week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
• if this Naltrexone dose does not have any therapeutic effect, sufficient to treat the addiction, increase it to 150 mg.
• to reduce the risk of acute withdrawal syndrome, start taking these pills not earlier than 5-10 days after opioids discontinuation.
• to avoid Naltrexone overdose, take it strictly in the regularly scheduled time, and do not take two doses in one day.
• do not take more than 150 mg of Naltrexone a day to avoid such side effects of the drug, like insomnia, arthralgia, fatigue, restlessness, or nausea.

Duration of Naltrexone use is calculated in accordance with the degree of patient’s disorder. This medication is recommended to be used about three months. Yet, if the patient has a strong dependence, the duration of treatment may be prolonged.

The elderly and patients with impaired hepatic or renal function should take the minimum Naltrexone doses. These tablets are contraindicated in children and adolescents younger than 18 years, and patients with certain diseases or disorders, including:

• acute hepatitis,
• abstinence syndrome,
• severe renal insufficiency,
• severe hepatic impairment.

Naltrexone abuse may cause the recurrence of opioid or ethanol withdrawal symptoms, as well as minor liver dysfunction. In this regard, it is sold in Ireland by prescription only.

In order to get a prescription for Naltrexone, urine test can be required.

This test will help determine the presence and severity of the disease, and to choose the correct therapeutic Naltrexone dose, the most effective and safe for you personally.

Naltrexone is absorbed in the stomach by 95%, and is rapidly distributed throughout the body. Its effect onsets about two hours after the oral administration, and the therapeutic effect may last about two days.

Metabolism of the drug occurs mainly in the liver, where it breaks down into several active metabolites, including 6-β-Naltrexol. Naltrexone is excreted primarily by the kidneys. Therefore, a violation of their functions may increase the rate of its removal from the body.

Simultaneous use of this medicine with other medicines may cause its adverse reactions. Check out the complete list of drugs that interact with Naltrexone in this online review:

• Do not take high doses of opioids, when using Naltrexone. This will help you prevent an increase in histamine synthesis, thus avoiding such allergy symptoms, as itching, redness or rash.
• You may also reduce the risk of these undesirable effects by avoiding simultaneous use of Naltrexone with drugs, such as Methadone (Phymet), Fentanyl (Breakyl) or Buprenorphine (Butrans).
• When using Naltrexone, patients are not recommended to take such drugs, as Lithium (Camcolit), Clozapine (Clozalux), Alprazolam (Gerax), Diazepam (Anxicalm), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium).

Abstain from alcohol or opioids, when using Naltrexone. By adhering to this recommendation, you may avoid such symptoms of withdrawal syndrome, as:

• tremor,
• nausea,
• delirium,
• lacrimation,
• stomach cramps,
• muscle pain,
• distortion of perception.

Several double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials confirm the high efficacy of Naltrexone in the addiction treatment.

In addition, it differs from most other opioid receptor antagonists, such as Naloxone (Prenoxad), with an extremely favorable safety profile. Naltrexone has no properties of psychoactive substances, and does not cause euphoria, hallucinations, sedation or intoxication.

This effect of Naltrexone allows minimizing the risk of tolerance or abuse of this medication in long-term use. Take these pills regularly to safely and quickly recover from addiction of any intensity, and thus:

• improve quality of life,
• regain confidence,
• improve your productivity,
• improve relationships with people.

Most patients respond to Naltrexone very favorably, which is why it is the drug of choice in Ireland for the prevention of opioids or ethanol abuse.

Start the treatment of opioid or alcohol dependence today to get rid of these disorders in just six months.

Regular psychological counseling is recommended to improve the effectiveness of Naltrexone. Often, Irish healthcare providers also prescribe family therapy in conjunction with this drug.