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.
And sharia is proof that allah hates us and wants us to be miserable...
“And sharia is proof that allah hates us and wants us to be miserable...”
So beer is the opposite of Islam? hmmmm....is there anything it can’t do?
“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, its OK.”
In which case why would you take this drug. I enjoy art. Would I take a drug that reduced my desire to look at art? (Substitute whatever you like for “art.”)
I knew somebody sentenced to take antibuse. He fled Kentucky and was hiding out in Florida, drunk.
“In which case why would you take this drug”
I was responding to your blanket condemnation of alcohol.
Alcoholism is a reflection on the user, not the drink.
Timothy Leary, when he was still working as a “doctor”, administered LSD to patients to ween them off of alcohol.
Have to wonder if the “cure” is better than the disease sometimes.
Nope!
I have a cousin who was a student of his at Berkeley. She’s still nuts from all the LSD.
She may have followed his message at Berkeley while he was making the rounds giving speeches and being the Pied Piper of Acid but he never taught there officially to my understanding.
He was a professor at Harvard and after he was fired there, he taught briefly in the divinity school at Boston University.
Then he headed to a millionaire’s compound in upstate New York where he advocated LSD therapy to the 1%.
(((Maybe of one is an alcoholic.)))
Much of what you said describe’s the typical alcoholic. Most alcoholic’s will never admit to it and never seek help.
Does it work on Diet Coke?
Side effects: In some cases, causes urge to pull up pants. Extreme reactions include improvements in diction and job acquisition.
(((As for the rest of us, we like it, it is fun, it is delicious, and if on occasion we over-indulge, its OK.)))
Most functioning alcoholic’s say the same thing even in a braggadocios manner such as you just did. I’ll never be like them is another common statement. They even go so far as to berate other’s who have the same problem they do.
Thanks for that info. I WISH a doctor could tell me what happened to my body.
Half my face turned red and NEVER turned back,
chronic severe pain from tailbone through spine to top of head and then temple!!!
muscle spasms all the time since it happened,
video testing of eyes showed cerebellum and brain stem insult.
Also lost the hearing in my right ear, ENT said vestibular damage,. It is pulsatile and drives me insane!!
videonastnography, or something like that,
they are thinking of using it in the battlefield to determine extent of injury
There is not a drug that cures opiate or alcohol addiction. I treat many such patients, and believe me if there was an easy answer, I would use it. Naltrexone can help, but it is not a magic button. Suboxone can also help, but it is very similar to methadone - it replaces opiates and is tapered gradually.
The problem with monkeying around with the opoid receptors is you can mess them up. If you use heroin, your body will stop producing natural painkillers and you will no longer be able to experience ‘natural’ pleasure - because your dern receptors are messed up and need time to heal.
Are these used mainly for detox purposes?
I bet she just attended a lecture or two there as you say.
Either way, she was rather enthusiastic about using acid.
If I can figure out a way to broach the subject, I'll ask her next time I see her.
‘I know theres one to save heroin users lives during overdose. Forget the name.’
If you’re talking about Narcan, I’m not sure it saves their lives. I think it just wakes them up long enough to name their dealer to the cops.
This requires a prescription in the U.S..
It is not a natural herbal-type treatment. It is an artificial chemical and will likely have long-term side effects and interactions that no one knows about. BUT it is much, much better than alcohol abuse, if that is the alternative.
You might be able to get it from an online overseas pharmacy without a prescription. A lot of these are shady and might just be snatching credit card info. Here is a link to a price comparison of some online pharmacies. The comparison site also may be a scam, by the way:
http://www.pharmacychecker.com/generic/price-comparison/naltrexone/50+mg/
The online prices at that comparison site appear to be a lot higher that the local U.S. pharmacy prices. There might be cheaper online pharmacies that are not on the comparison site. (Comparison and review sites often are often scam sites steering business to a particular retailer.)
Here is a price comparison of U.S. pharmacies:
http://www.goodrx.com/naltrexone
WalMart appears to be cheapest at $37.69 for 30 tablets.
It would likely be cheaper if you have Rx insurance. It is available as a generic, so it might be just a few dollars per month.
Because the online pharmacies are so overpriced, and since this drug is taken daily, it is cheaper to get a prescription. You might have a hard time finding a doctor who knows anything about the drug and is willing to prescribe it. I would confirm that the doctor is willing to prescribe the drug for alcoholism before paying for an office visit.
No. Naltrexone is given to people in conjunction with other programs to prevent relapse once they have detoxed. Suboxone is used like methadone to gradually taper off narcotics.
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