Naltrexone is alternative treatment for opioid addiction, study finds
For patients battling opioid addiction, the other common treatment is the once-a-day methadone or suboxone, which both activate the same neurological receptors as heroin, but prevent withdrawal and relapse. Methadone remains controversial, with many in the criminal justice system viewing it as merely exchanging one drug addiction for another. Antagonist drugs, such as naltrexone, which was approved in 2010 by the US Food and Drug Administration for opioid dependence, have gained increasing acceptance to treat prisoners, despite limited data on effectiveness. "Judges and parole officers equate methadone with 'giving in' to the addict, giving them what they want," said Charles O'Brien, MD, PhD, vice chair of Psychiatry and founding director of Penn's Center for Studies of Addiction, and senior author of the study. "But, you can give it in a controlled way so that a person can function very well and does not go into withdrawal. On the other hand, it is a...