Other Specialty Treatments

Naltrexone 25 mg ODT

An orally disintegrating naltrexone format discussed for selected craving, reward-pathway, or behavioral-care goals.

Common goals: Potential reduction in alcohol reward or craving when used within a comprehensive treatment program.
Best program fit: May fit opioid-free individuals within a clinician-led, diagnosis-specific care plan.
Format: 25 mg orally disintegrating tablet

Partner education guide

Where this may fit in an offering.

Potential reduction in alcohol reward or craving when used within a comprehensive treatment program. Some individuals may experience less reward-driven eating, fewer cravings, or improved control over compulsive habits. Can support a broader behavioral-care plan that includes coaching, nutrition, addiction treatment, or mental-health care.

Educational business-planning summary. Potential benefits vary, are not guaranteed, and require individual-specific clinical review.

01 / Common goals

What people may want to understand.

Primary goals

Potential benefits and goals

Potential reduction in alcohol reward or craving when used within a comprehensive treatment program.
Some individuals may experience less reward-driven eating, fewer cravings, or improved control over compulsive habits.
An orally disintegrating format may be convenient for individuals who prefer not to swallow a standard tablet.

Program value

How it may support a program

Can support a broader behavioral-care plan that includes coaching, nutrition, addiction treatment, or mental-health care.
Offers a non-stimulant pathway for selected opioid-free individuals with reward-driven symptoms.

Responses vary by condition. Naltrexone must not be used with current opioid exposure, and weight-loss benefit from naltrexone alone is variable and not guaranteed.

02 / Program fit

Program and operational considerations.

01Administration: Catalog format: 25 mg orally disintegrating tablet. The prescribing clinician and dispensing pharmacy confirm the exact preparation, concentration, handling, and administration technique.
02Typical frequency: Frequency depends on the clinical indication and prescription. A weight-care schedule should not be borrowed from the naltrexone/bupropion combination.
03Expected duration: Use a defined clinician-directed trial period with baseline measures, scheduled reassessment, and a clear continuation or stopping decision.
04Practical advantages: Can support a broader behavioral-care plan that includes coaching, nutrition, addiction treatment, or mental-health care.

03 / Suitability considerations

Who may be considered.

Who may be considered

A carefully screened adult whose goals align with the potential benefits above and who understands that individual response varies.
An individual willing to complete clinician-directed baseline review, monitoring, and an outcome-based follow-up plan.

Qualification notes

Can support a broader behavioral-care plan that includes coaching, nutrition, addiction treatment, or mental-health care.
Strongest fit occurs when the exact formulation, route, source, contraindications, and measurable goals can be clearly documented.

04 / Safety & suitability

What must be screened before treatment.

Common or temporary

In an open-label alcoholism study, new nausea occurred in about 10%, headache in 7%, dizziness and fatigue in 4%, insomnia in 3%, and anxiety or sleepiness in about 2%.
Vivid dreams, reduced appetite, stomach upset, and mood changes are also reported in organization.

Serious or important

Naltrexone can precipitate severe withdrawal if opioids are still present.
Individuals may become more sensitive to opioid overdose after treatment ends, and attempting to overcome the opioid blockade can be fatal.
Dose-related liver injury is an important concern, particularly with high exposure or active liver disease.

Avoid or use only with specialist input

Current opioid analgesic use, opioid dependence, acute opioid withdrawal, a positive opioid screen, or a failed naloxone challenge.
Acute hepatitis, liver failure, prior serious hypersensitivity, or an immediate need for opioid pain treatment.

Screening checklist

Confirm the opioid-free interval appropriate to the opioid used; long-acting opioids and buprenorphine or methadone may require longer specialist-guided planning.
Review urine opioid testing or naloxone challenge when clinically indicated, liver history and laboratory testing, pregnancy status, alcohol use, mood symptoms, and planned procedures.
Confirm that the individual can alert emergency and perioperative clinicians that opioid blockade is present.

When to refer

Suspected opioid withdrawal, overdose risk, acute liver symptoms, severe depression, suicidality, or complex opioid transition requires urgent or specialist medical care.

Safety information is not exhaustive. Prescribing, screening, dosing, monitoring, and emergency guidance must come from an appropriately licensed clinician and the exact product information.

What the research says · reviewed August 2026

Research and source context.

Direct naltrexone-only weight studies are small, old, and mostly unimpressive.

01 / Human research

The clearest clinical signal

Naltrexone alone has weak and inconsistent weight-loss evidence. Better trials test naltrexone with bupropion, which is a different product.

02 / Real-world reports

What people describe

About six usable accounts described less alcohol/food reward or fewer cravings; others reported no weight change. Nausea, headache, vivid dreams, low mood, and tiredness were common reasons to stop.

Public personal accounts are unverified and cannot show how common an outcome is.

03 / Cautions

What deserves attention

Nausea, headache, dizziness, sleep change, and liver injury risk. It blocks opioid pain medicines and can trigger sudden withdrawal in a person using opioids.

Does the research match this exact product?

Combination-drug trials and higher-dose standard tablets do not directly match this ODT.

Complete evidence briefClinical summary, safety notes, reported timing, regulatory context, and linked sources in one document.

Download the evidence briefPDF · larger type

Evidence and regulatory status can change. Confirm the current label, formulation, route, dose, pharmacy source, jurisdiction, and intended use before offering treatment.

Education before offering.

Treatment information is for education only. It is not medical advice. A licensed clinician will review your health and decide whether a treatment is appropriate for you. Eligibility and availability may vary.

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