Posted on 09/11/2015 1:25:51 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant
For many people, the drug Naltrexone is an instant cure for alcohol cravings.
It is available cheap as a 1-pill-per-day generic drug or as an expensive 1-injection-per-month specialty drug. If you or someone you know is an alcoholic, check it out.
It is an opioid receptor antagonist.
Its effectiveness depends on whether you have a specific expression of an opioid receptor gene. For some people, it works instantly and there is zero craving. For other people, it is less effective or does not work at all. It appears to work for most American Indians, Asians (60-70%), some whites (30%), and very few blacks.
It is not habit-forming (unlike methadone). It does not induce nausea if you drink alcohol (unlike Antabuse/Disulfiram). It is safe for impaired livers if taken at the standard dosage (excessive doses may be risky for the liver). The side effects may be lower than the side effects from consuming alcohol. In general, side effects seem to be mild headaches and nausea for the first several days, but this can be reduced by starting at a reduced dose of 12.5mg tablet for a day, then 25mg for the next 2 days, then 50mg per day thereafter. It might render some pain killers ineffective, so use it with caution before surgery.
Look at the astonishing user reviews:
webmd.com reviews
drugs.com reviews
There is another similar drug called Nalmefene. It also is an opioid receptor antagonist. Compared to Naltrexone, it has a longer half-life, greater oral bioavailability and no observed dose-dependent liver toxicity. Nalmefene and Naltrexone have different receptor activity, so if one does not work for a particular person, the other one might.
Is the second one for opiate addiction?
It should be field-tested on the Russians.
Suboxone and Subutex for opiate addiction.
Anyone who goes that route be VERY careful.
I had an idiot doctor who gave it to me along with oxycodone for pain. He was senile. I had no addiction, New York Medical Board cleared him. No shock there,
I went through precipitated withdrawal. It happens if you take suboxone/subutex too soon after oxycontin, heroin, etc.
Should be given in office first few days.
Person should be in withdrawals at least a little before taking.
There is a drug out there that supposedly “cures” opiate addiction. It is taken once and afterwards your opiate receptors in the brain are “reset”, stopping the cravings. It’s not suboxone..
I know there’s one to save heroin users’ lives during overdose. Forget the name. Is that what you’re talking about?
If there’s another one that really does that, i’d like to know it,.
Was taking pain killers for post stroke pain. The precipitated withdrawal did more damage than the stroke.
Thinking maybe this pill could “reset” damaged receptors, but I should probably stay away from medicine as much as possible.
For those who have gone through PW, you know it is horrifying, and can make a previous brain injury quite worse.
Will never get over NY Board finding him guilty of no wrongdoing. Made me lose faith in the system for a while.
But best to move on,
Is precipitated withdrawal the shakes and anxiety?
Be the (sober) person God intended you to be.
The purpose of drinking and doing drugs is to dull your awareness of your mental pain. Does the drug do that? If it does then there is no further use for antidepressants.
Naloxone
I have little faith in doctors or pharmaceuticals. I see as many pharmaceutical representatives in doctors waiting rooms as patients sometimes. It’s a sales driven market with know nothing salesmen pitching a line to Docs. Then they pitch the drugs to patients via TV commercials with a litany of cautions at the commercials end (discontinue if your penis falls off and you have suicidal thoughts).
I think there is a dichotomy between real miracles that the medical field has performed and shamanism as mediocre docs throw under tested, potentially damaging drugs at people.
I have been a patient of a chronic illness for 15 years with little or no relief except to mask.... I also worked in pharmaceutical production (biologics) for 30 years.
That, and MUCH MUCH worse. Head pain so bad you want to cry, vomiting out of control, cold sweats, muscles spasming so badly I could barely take a step, still have pain in those muscles, and much more!!
Everyone who has gone through it has described it as the worst experience in their life, and it WAS MINE by far.
And I wasn’t even addicted!!
You know, when he didn’t recognize or remember me every month and I saw nurses had to lead him to his next room, I should have run, But he was close to work and what was the worst he could do,
AND he told me which pharmacy on Staten Island to go to to get this combo, because CVS would NEVER have filled it. Pathmark did!
If anyone uses suboxone/subutex, please be in early withdrawal at least, take the first doses in doctor’s office, and no LESS than 12 hours since last opiate, some 24 hours.
And if you have any remote idea that your doctor is senile or just stinks, switch!!!
That’s it! But going from overdose to completely knocking all opiates out of receptors, isn’t that really dangerous?
If a partial antagonist can cause horrifying precipitated withdrawals, what does this med do to someone?
It’s better than dying though, I’m sure
Clearly a racist drug.
Speak for yourself! Woo-hoo!
I haven’t looked into it but it most likely targets receptors that affect smooth muscle & such, things like the diaphragm - which goes nighty-night in an OD.
“Be the (sober) person God intended you to be.”
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”
Is it over the counter or prescribed?
“The purpose of drinking”
Maybe of one is an alcoholic. As for the rest of us, we like it, it is fun, it is delicious, and if on occasion we over-indulge, it’s OK.
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