Naltrexone is a commonly used treatment method for those struggling with opioid addiction and alcoholism by acting as an antagonist. The treatment has also been used in a variety of studies and found to help with a range of health conditions with a small dose. 

Naltrexone works by blocking other opioids from binding to the µ-opioid receptor, by occupying it. It does not, however, produce the same pharmacological response. This is effective because it is the opioid receptors that when stimulated, provide a person with the “buzz”. A range of studies has been conducted and proven its efficacy as a treatment. It can also be adjusted in doses, to treat a range of conditions, such as opioid detoxification, alcoholism, autoimmune disorders and chronic pain. 

This article will look at 3 ways that low-dose naltrexone therapy can revolutionize drug treatment. 

#1 It Can Reduce Dependence On Drugs And Alcohol 

Many questions have been raised about the effectiveness of modern-day treatments for opioid detoxification and do not appear to work as well as medical professionals would have hoped. In several studies, low-dose naltrexone has been shown to reduce opioid tolerance, reduce the severity of symptoms experienced during withdrawals from drugs, reduce the discomfort typically felt by opioid-dependent patients, and effectively reduce overall dependence. This is great as many patients suffer from long term detox. 

#2 It Can Help The Brain Recover After Long-Term Opioid Addiction

When you have abused drugs and alcohol over an extended period, the brain starts to change. This can be in a variety of different ways, for example, the architecture and the structure will change, concentration and other cognitive functions will adapt, and the natural reward systems become altered. This is because the brain is adapting to new ways of functioning with the high doses of opioids that the addict is consuming, so it can attempt to return to homeostasis, the body’s natural state of balance. It can be difficult for an addict to come off opioids after extended use, as the brain and body need to learn to adapt again to the new changes. The low-dose naltrexone therapy can be of great help in this process, as it has shown to encourage the body, through stimulation, to release its own (natural) opioids, as it did before the individual consumed opioids.  

#3 It Can Help Reduce Inflammation 

When detoxing from drugs, the chronic pain and inflammation can become unbearable, which often leads to a relapse. This leaves patients in a very difficult situation, as detoxing from drugs means you cannot take any painkillers to help with the pain. This is where low-dose naltrexone can be helpful, as it has shown to be an effective, non-narcotic method of reducing chronic pain and inflammation, safely, as it has been tested on patients with fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. 

Low-dose naltrexone has been utilized in a variety of studies and has shown to be an effective method of therapy to help a range of conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation and much more, which means it can play a vital component in revolutionizing drug addiction treatment.

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