People who take opioids for chronic pain may spin up the risk of developing opioid addictions.
The review was published in the December 2020 issue of theJournal of the American Dental Association.
What Is Low-Dose Naltrexone?
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Naltrexone is not considered addictive.
It is given in a tablet, when taken at home, and is usually taken once a day.
High doses of naltrexone have been associated with liver damage.
Research from the last decade shows low-dose naltrexone is helpful in managing pain from chronic conditions.
“Two mg to 3 mg once a day has been effective in some patients.
We have gone as high as 4 or 5 mg,” Mikhael tells Verywell.
The systematic review also looked at the role low-dose naltrexone can play in decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.
The study found that low-dose naltrexone helped decrease inflammation in cytokines.
“We always say that pain is like a monster,” he says.
Mikhael may prescribe low-dose naltrexone to treat a patient who has fibromyalgia.
“However, a combination of both can be very safe and complementary and get us good results.”
One of the reasons is that chronic pain patients may develop hyperalgesia, an increased sensitivity to pain.
People who take opioids to manage chronic pain may also develop a dependency on them.
“These patients go on narcotics…they think it’s giving them good results,” Mikhael says.
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