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Naltrexone and dysphoria: fact or myth?
Karen Miotto1, Michael McCann, Janice Basch
1UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 90024, USA. kmiotto@mednet.ucla.edu
The American Journal on Addictions
|May 25, 2002
Summary
Naltrexone, an addiction treatment, does not appear to cause dysphoria. A review of alcohol, opioid, and nicotine studies found no serious side effects related to dysphoria from naltrexone use.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Addiction Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist utilized in treating alcohol and opiate addiction.
- A clinical concern exists that naltrexone may induce dysphoria by blocking opioid peptide effects.
- Opioid peptides are implicated in stress response and well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between naltrexone and dysphoria.
- To review existing pharmacological and clinical data concerning naltrexone's side effect profile.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of pharmacological and clinical studies.
- Analysis of data from alcohol, opioid, and nicotine addiction treatment trials.
Main Results:
- Dysphoria was not identified as a significant side effect in the reviewed naltrexone studies.
- The data did not support a strong link between naltrexone treatment and the occurrence of dysphoria.
Conclusions:
- Naltrexone treatment does not appear to be a common cause of dysphoria.
- Further research is recommended on naltrexone's long-term endocrine impacts and its use with antidepressants.