Case Study: Personalized Oral Low-dose Naltrexone Titration for Pain Management

Naltrexone is a competitive opioid receptor antagonist indicated to treat opioid and alcohol dependence. In the U.S., naltrexone is commercially available as 50-mg tablets, and the adult dosage strength typically ranges between 50 mg once daily and 100 mg once daily. However, there is evidence to suggest that naltrexone prescribed in low doses, about 1/10th of the daily standard dosage, may be effective in managing a myriad of chronic conditions, including pain refractory to conventional pharmacological treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted an orphan drug designation for low-dose naltrexone for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome. This article provides a case study of a patient who was treated with a low dose of naltrexone for pain associated with the diagnosis of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.