• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Naltrexone Therapy for opiate addiction.

lozgod

lozgod

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
715
Has anyone tried it and how does it work? Do you wait until you are in full blown wd like you would suboxone and then begin?

Does it alleviate withdrawal symptoms and PAWS?

Anything else useful to add? I really want out of this addiction and do not want to substitute it with suboxone. Too many PAWS horror stories out there for me. Even at rediculously low jump offs.
 
I personally think its bullshit, I have tried in in the past and it wasnt for me. Any of my friends that tried it either ripped their implant out or was using dope a couple days after the script being filled. No drug will work, it might make it more comfortable but in the long run it comes down to you and your ability to say NO.

Peace,
Seed;ess
 
bagochina said:
I personally think its bullshit, I have tried in in the past and it wasnt for me. Any of my friends that tried it either ripped their implant out or was using dope a couple days after the script being filled. No drug will work, it might make it more comfortable but in the long run it comes down to you and your ability to say NO.

Peace,
Seed;ess
Click to expand...

The goal for me is not to "not feel opiates", the goal for me is to have something jumpstart endorphin production and to normalize the brain. From what I am researching low dose naltrexone does that without blocking all the opiate receptors. Thereby normalizing you and avoiding PAWS.
 
I dont know man I would tread carefully with naltrexone, ppl report bad side effects and general malaise quite often on Nalt. Your right it does block very well, alcohol to. There was a thread in OD by Fatkidparamedic about him ripping his implant out after the 2 one. I dont have the link though.

Normalizing the brain... hmmm The only thing that I have seen to work is plain old ceasing chemicals and letting your brain do its own work, its pretty smart but just is sometimes slow to the show.

I have a hard time taking my own advice though so maybe somebody else can talk about their experience.

Peace,
seedless
 
First, naltrexone will not alleviate withdrawal symptoms, instead it will precipitate them if you are physically dependent. In rapid detoxification protocols usually they put you under anesthesia and administer naltrexone so you quickly go through the withdrawal process... this sounds great in theory but is nearly universally discredited for a large number of reasons (there are threads on this so search around if interested, usually labelled "ultra-rapid opiate detox" UROD or similar terms should produce results).

Naltrexone, either orally or via implant, generally is most beneficial to block (antagonize) the opiate receptors so full agonists will not work. I suppose its *possible* that it will cut the PAWS symptoms shorter by helping your brain get closer to a normal state quicker as far as receptor sites and endorphin production and all that but that is assuming PAWS is purely caused by neurological changes. The general consensus is PAWS is attributed a number of factors from organic changes, damage from drug use and very largely from the psychological effects of chronically using mind-altering chemicals. I usually see PAWS more as the difficulty in transitioning from getting high to having to cope with life on life's terms.

If your main concern is PAWS, I think diet, exercise and counseling will expedite the process and alleviate more symptoms than naltrexone. In fact, I worry that the desire to use naltrexone is simply a manifestation of the problematic mindset that may have led you into drugs... that when something is wrong, simply take some chemicals. If you truly want to move past the drugs in your life, I don't think naltrexone will be your best bet.

If you think the antagonist effect alone will be beneficial to your transition to sober living, then I think it might be worth a shot. I would definitely read around here for people's experience with naltrexone however, because they are overwhelmingly negative.
 
If it was so great a lot more people would be doing it instead of opiate maintinance. I personally find maintinance so great because it really does get entirely monotonous and dull, killing all pleasure from it and letting you deal with YOUR addiction on YOUR own terms comming to YOUR own conslusions and ceasing use all together by YOURself. This has been a great way to win for a lot of people.

I totally understand where the OP is comming from as far as biophysics go, but naltrexone is really archaic.
 
I've seen multiple posts here on Bluelight where people get a naltrexone/naloxone implant put in so they can stop using opiates and get their shit together, then after a few weeks they create threads asking what would be the best way to cut the implant out of their flesh...crazy shit...they're like ..."yeah its just right under the skin i KNOW i can get that fucker outta there with a razor blade and a little digging but is this going to cause me any harm?" . I think Buprenorphine is the overall best way to tackle opiate addiction.
 
Ouch. no thank you. i had the procedure performed when i was just a wee one. Why would anybody want to do that to their own penis?!
 
thelung said:
I've seen multiple posts here on Bluelight where people get a naltrexone/naloxone implant put in so they can stop using opiates and get their shit together, then after a few weeks they create threads asking what would be the best way to cut the implant out of their flesh...crazy shit...they're like ..."yeah its just right under the skin i KNOW i can get that fucker outta there with a razor blade and a little digging but is this going to cause me any harm?" . I think Buprenorphine is the overall best way to tackle opiate addiction.
Click to expand...

That exactly right Lung. I've noticed that same behavior. What people don't realise is that once that implant is in, your not going to feel any opiate (or anything else that might stimulate those receptors including natural endorphines your body might make) until that implant is used up. So what is it, 6 months or so? What a drag! The process is to stop using opiates so that you can manufacture your own body's endorphines and be satified with them. Remember that you were craving in the first place or you'd have never gotten strung out. So I'd tread very carefully with that. If I were in a situation where I couldn't use subo's at the minimum, then maybe I'd try it but only of it meant jail if I didn't.
 
Sorry I should of indicated, I was looking for low dose naltrexone therapy. It's pretty new so I doubt I will find anyone that tried it but gave it a shot.
 
I have actually never heard of low dose naltrexone therapy... Is it a pill that you take every day in addition to counseling or what?
 
Look/search in OD [other drugs] archives, I know in the past there have been huge threads concerning it. People have been trying to play with this angle for a long time.

Peace,
Seedless
 
when it comes to long term opiate addiction, what works the best in terms of getting clean dna staying clean??opiod maintenance seems to have a halfass record at best, tons of people i know on maintenance are on it but using other drugs as well...then we have the NA-addicted people who basically live, eat, breathe sobriety...seems to be somewhat successful but nothing seems to have a really good track record...i think the absolute biggest problem with opiates or drugs in general is the intense amount of pleasure derived from them and the when you get clean your brain still desires that and doing the typical day to day things tends to get realy monotonous and really boring...
 
Ugh Naltrexone the very word is anathema to me. I'm battling not so courageously through the after effects of precipitated withdrawals, and I feellike i've just been subjected to the rack.
That aside I can through the haze of pain see how NLTX could potentially be a real help for addicts, since it shortens the withdrawals quite significantly. I didn't have a huge habit but the withdrawal symptoms should have tapered off by the end of today. Im not sure if I would rate precipitated withdrawals as easier than extended ones- but they are more practical and are over infinitely quicker - for some that is more boon than bane.
Long term I would say there is little point, since once opiate free the responsibility is on the shoulders of the person concerned . NLTX is too easy to cheat by waiting and then dosing, the best thing is to put a universe of distance between oneself and drugs, for me at least, taking NLTX every day would only remind me that im not using opiates - counterproductive.
 
about naltrexone

I find naltrexone very good drug for kicking the habit. It does help with cravings and make sure when you take first time that you are complete clean of any opiates at least 7 full day. I made a mistake, took it to early (80 hours after suboxone) and felt very sick for few days.

It does do wonders only if you really want to give up. You have to change your way of living, find new friends and interests, and after a while you brain will start to produce enough dose of ephedrine and other natural feel good stuff that you will feel much more motivated and you will start to appreciate life much more. If you have a chance move to other town or country and set up new life.

I dont take it anymore but I have it with me all the time in my wallet in case I am down and I want to score. Then I take it as it better to be safe than sorry.

In any case if you need any more advice about sabitex /suboxone, heroin or naltrexone, Im willing to help you out.

What I find is that giving up is not so hard but staying away from it, it is.
 
I have to add that they have to find right dose for you, which may take few days, I feel safe of 50mg of naltrexone but i may need more.
 
When somebody is clean after withdrawal, opioid antagonists can help to prevent relapse.
When all opioid receptors are antagonized, it is impossible for opioids like heroin to dock on. Then you can take heroin and nothing happens.
They have to use naltrexone because naloxone (which is most often used when somebody has an opioid overdose) doesn't have a long enough half life. Naltrexone works the whole day while naloxon is only good for half an hour or so...

It is possible to take naltrexone every day. But when somebody wants to use opioids, it would be no problem not to take naltrexone that day. So those implants are better. But actually I read stories where addicts teared those implants off their skin. But I'm not sure if that's true or an urban legend.
Naltrexone does not only block the effects of opioids. It is also said to reduce cravigs. So - if somebody has such an implant - it is also said to reduce heroin cravings.

And the reductions of cravings shall work for alcoholics, too.

In an other internet forum, I read that it should be great for the time after the acute withdrawal. Maybe it is good for PAWS because it reduces cravings. But maybe it also helps to lift your mood and works against depression and anxiety.
There is a new treatment being used for a variety of purposes using low dose naltrexone. It is well known that low dose naltrexone (LDN) increases endogenous endorphin levels 200 to 300%.
Click to expand...

And those "low doses" of naltrexone are maybe so low that is not triggering withdrawal symptoms in opiate addicts.
In theory the low dose naltrexone does not block the opiate receptors significantly as the higher standard dose of 50 mg. Interesting ldn is even being used for constipation related to opioid use.
Click to expand...

Has anybody tried it? How was it? I once injected naloxone. That was some kind of accident... Not funny! Instant cold turkey. All withdrawal symptoms immediately at 100%. Had to decide if I rather want to wipe up vomit or diarrhea. Luckily it got better after half an hour.
It would be interessting if naloxone could help with withdrawal symptoms or with cravings.
I would be glad if someone could post an experience report.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top