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What is Naltrexone?

Category: Prescription Drugs

Most popular types: Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Vivitrol ReVia

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Naltrexone, in low doses such as 3mg to 4.5mg, has been found to boost the immune system in MS, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system disorders.

See patients taking Naltrexone

Reported purpose & perceived effectiveness
Purpose Patients Evaluations Perceived Effectiveness
Multiple sclerosis 478 371
Fibromyalgia 204 272
Fatigue 152 196
Pain 56 64
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome 46 95
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 42 39

Show all 186 reasons taken

  • Major
  • Moderate
  • Slight
  • None
  • Can't tell
See all 2565 patients that have taken Naltrexone

Side effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Side effects as an overall problem
Severity Evaluations Percentage
Severe 46
Moderate 70
Mild 246
None 651

Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Naltrexone

Side effect Patients Percentage
Vivid dreams 36
Nausea 18
Headaches 14
Insomnia 14
Insomnia 12
Stiffness in morning 9

Show all 133 reported side effects

Dosages

Based on patients currently taking Naltrexone

Dosage Patients Percentage
4.5 mg daily 21
3 mg daily 12
50 mg daily 3
1 capsule(s) daily 2
2 mg daily 2
0.35 mg daily 1
0.5 mg daily 1
0.25 mg four times daily 1
1.5 mg daily 1
1 capsule(s) twice daily 1

See all 17 dosages

Why patients stopped taking Naltrexone

Multiple reasons could be selected

Reason Patients Percentage
Did not seem to work 150
Other 70
Side effects too severe 53
Doctor's advice 43
Expense 20
Course of treatment ended 10
Personal research 10
Change in health plan coverage 2
See all 285 patients who've stopped taking Naltrexone

Duration

Currently taking Naltrexone

Duration Patients Percentage
1 - 6 months 6
6 months - 1 year 2
1 - 2 years 4
2 - 5 years 19
5 - 10 years 13
10 years or more 9

Stopped taking Naltrexone

Duration Patients Percentage
Less than 1 month 43
1 - 6 months 90
6 months - 1 year 37
1 - 2 years 63
2 - 5 years 43
5 - 10 years 11
Adherence
Adherence Evaluations Percentage
Always 853
Usually 121
Sometimes 16
Never taken as prescribed 23
Burden
Burden Evaluations Percentage
Very hard to take 17
Somewhat hard to take 46
A little hard to take 126
Not at all hard to take 824
Cost per month
Cost per month Evaluations Percentage
$200+ 8
$100-199 28
$50-99 111
$25-49 484
< $25 257
Not specified 125

What people switch to and from

Patients started taking Naltrexone after stopping:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Pregabalin (Lyrica) 8
Tramadol (Ultram) 8
Gabapentin (Neurontin) 7
Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 6
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Norco) 6

Show all 47 treatments patients report switching from

Patients stopped taking Naltrexone and switched to:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) 2
Acamprosate (Campral) 1
Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) 1
Azathioprine (Imuran) 1
Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Suboxone) 1

Show all 22 treatments patients report switching to

Last updated:

79 patient evaluations for Naltrexone

Sort by: Most recent

Jul 31, 2020 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Effectiveness
    Major (for migraine headaches)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 5.5 mg Twice daily
Advice & Tips: Originaly I took LDN for RA but now the main reason is migraine. I still have had no migraine attacks while on LDN - nearly 3 years I think. Before LDN I had approx 5 to 15 attacks a year.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Dec 30, 2018 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I have not had any migraine attacs for about a year, and it must be due to LDN. I have no troubles getting a perscription anymore, so I am slowly working up my dosage. Maybe one day I can say it allso works well for RA.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Aug 17, 2017 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 3.3 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: There is really no need to continue, because is so hard to get a prescription and it does not help me much anyway.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Mar 21, 2017 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I am convinced LDN helps slightly but it not enough. 5 month without painkillers and only twice shortly om prednisolone should indicate some effect. Only I can't go on just now, my pains are too severe.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Dec 31, 2016 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 2.2 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: My third attempt started on 2016-10-31, still taking Sulfasalazine. I am out of Prednisolone and Leflunomide and I have no need for painkillers. That being said, I do have pains in both arms and hands.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Sep 1, 2016 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 1.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I have to try out Sulfasalazine once more (after a 4 year break), and I don't want LDN to affect the result.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Mar 10, 2015 (Started Jan 31, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 1.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: First I had a positive effect, but after approx 25 days I felt bad again. So I take a reading break to find out what I did wrong.
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Jan 19, 2019 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Cost: $25-49 monthly

Jul 2, 2017 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (occasional insomnia, insomnia)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Mar 5, 2017 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Sep 7, 2012 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: This medication's given me some very un-expected increase in heat tolerance.
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Feb 9, 2009 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Sep 7, 2008 (Started Sep 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: This medication is FDA approved for MS in "compounded" form only. If an MS patient can obtain a prescription for this medication (many neurologists won't consider writing a script for this), they'll need to have access to a "compounding" pharmacy. As with all medications, success rates appear to vary. Many people who I know that are using LDN have realized dramatic, if not astonishing symptomatic relief in addition to less disease activity. Some that I know tried it for a period of time without any noticible relief or change & thus stopped using it. Success rates have seemed to depend on dosage level, at least from my observations. Some using LDN notice change almost immediately at the lower dosage levels. Others, as noted above, realize no change at any dosage level. Personally, the symptom relief that I've noticed most is an increase in heat tolerance. As far as my overall success rate, I'd say this medication has done very well in slowing the progression. I've gone over 15 months without having an exacerbation or needing IV solu-medrol. 11 of those months have been since I began using LDN, & I'm not using highest dosage. Maintaining my mobility level & being essentially symptom free for this period of time is very unusual (& quite pleasant!) for me; especially over the last 3 yrs. Note: neurologists/MS specialists might recommend a dormant period of time between stopping a current medication (Beta-Seron, Avonex, etc.) & the beginning of LDN use.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
  • 7 helpful marks

Oct 5, 2018 (Started Jan 17, 2013)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for increased alcohol intake)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take

Sep 12, 2013 (Started Jan 17, 2013)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for increased alcohol intake)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 4.5 mg Daily
  • 0 helpful marks
Last updated:
Showing 3 of 79 patient evaluations for Naltrexone