The use of different forms of naltrexone in the treatment of opioid dependence

• Published in: Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova Vol. 111; no. 11 Pt 2; p. 66
• Main Authors: Krupitskiĭ, E M, Zvartau, E E, Blokhina, E A, Woody, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 2011
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Drug Implants - administration & dosage; Humans; Injections; Naltrexone - administration & dosage; Narcotic Antagonists - administration & dosage; Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Russia; Russia
• ISSN: 1997-7298

The authors compared the results of own studies and foreign publications on the use of different formulations of naltrexone (peroral, implantable, injectable) for the remission stabilization and relapse prevention in patients with opioid dependence. Opioid antagonists, in particular naltrexone, are the unique medication for the specific pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence currently approved in the Russian Federation. The main problem that considerably reduces the efficacy and restricts the use of naltrexone in the treatment of opioid dependence is the problem of compliance. Nevertheless, in the double blind randomized placebo-controlled trials, we have demonstrated the higher efficacy of peroral naltrexone for the remission stabilization compared to analogous foreign publications. It might be explained by the cultural specifics of the family in the Russia Federation, in particular, by the possibility to control the treatment by relatives of the patient. However the possibilities of this control are significantly reduced as the patient gets older. Long-acting depot formulations of naltrexone (implantable and injectable) are more effective than peroral ones that allows to solve the problem of compliance and opens new perspectives in the treatment of opiate dependence.