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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 18, 2026

A Method for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Ethanol in Rats without Water Deprivation, Saccharin Fading or Extended Access Training
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Naltrexone: A Pan-Addiction Treatment?

Elias Aboujaoude1, Wael O Salame2

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. eaboujaoude@stanford.edu.

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Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, shows consistent efficacy and safety for various addictions, including substance use and behavioral disorders. This review suggests naltrexone is an underutilized treatment option for addiction.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Addiction is a significant public health issue with limited effective and safe treatment options.
  • Opioid antagonist medications offer a potential therapeutic avenue for addiction management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct an evidence-based review of naltrexone's therapeutic efficacy and safety across the spectrum of addiction.
  • To assess naltrexone's role in treating both substance-based and behavioral addictions.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic search of PubMed for randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials of oral or long-acting injectable naltrexone.
  • Inclusion of studies on substance use disorders and behavioral addictions like gambling disorder, kleptomania, and trichotillomania.

Main Results:

  • Thirty-nine efficacy studies were analyzed, covering alcohol, opioid, nicotine, stimulant use disorders, gambling disorder, trichotillomania, and kleptomania.
  • Data demonstrated consistent relative efficacy and safety of naltrexone across diverse addiction presentations.
  • Naltrexone was found to be well-tolerated, suggesting it is an underutilized treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Naltrexone exhibits broad anti-addiction efficacy, supporting the role of brain opioid pathways in addiction pathophysiology.
  • Further research is warranted to explore naltrexone's efficacy, tolerability, combination with psychotherapy, and use in comorbid addictions.