Mixing naltrexone and alcohol generally isn’t dangerous, but it can negatively impact your recovery. Still, it’s not uncommon for those who take this medication for opioid dependence treatment to wonder if they can drink alcohol while on it; after all, it is also used to treat alcohol dependence.
So, what happens if you drink on naltrexone? This article will explore the naltrexone and alcohol interaction to help you better understand the risks and effects of combining these substances.
What Is Naltrexone, and What Is It Used For?
Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist drug used for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Naltrexone is an FDA-approved medication for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). It is typically prescribed to help prevent relapse by blocking the effects of opioids. In addition to being used in OUD treatment, it is also used to help individuals with alcohol use disorder.
Naltrexone is available in two forms:
- Oral tablet (ReVia®, Depade®), which is usually taken once daily
- Extended-release injection (Vivitrol®) that is administered monthly
Unlike buprenorphine and methadone, the other two FDA-approved medications for treating OUD, naltrexone is not an opioid. Therefore, it does not cause euphoria or other rewarding effects. It also doesn’t lead to opioid abuse; once you stop taking it, you will not experience any opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Since naltrexone has no potential for abuse or addiction, it is not a controlled substance in the United States. Any healthcare provider licensed to prescribe medications can prescribe it.
Although naltrexone can effectively prevent relapse and help you remain opioid-free, it is only effective under certain circumstances. It should always be used as part of a comprehensive opioid dependence treatment program and taken precisely as instructed.
How Does Naltrexone Work?
Naltrexone works by interacting with the opioid receptors in the central nervous system (CNS). However, unlike other OUD medications, it is not an opioid-replacement drug, and it does not activate these receptors. On the contrary, it blocks them, suppressing cravings for opioids.
Furthermore, naltrexone blocks the actions of opioids and alcohol, such as sedation and euphoria. If you take it with alcohol or opioids, these will not have any pleasurable effect on you (i.e., you won’t feel “high” or “buzzed”).
Can You Drink While Taking Naltrexone?
Technically, you can drink while taking naltrexone; unlike opioids, it does not interact with alcohol. However, most patients taking naltrexone feel little to no desire to do so. This is precisely why this medication is used for AUD treatment.
Taking naltrexone and drinking alcohol won’t reduce the effectiveness of the medication. It also will not induce alcohol withdrawal or make you feel sick like some other drugs, such as disulfiram (Antabuse®).
Unlike such drugs, naltrexone isn’t meant to discourage people from drinking by triggering a hangover-like state; it is used to reduce the desire to drink by curbing cravings and blunting the rewarding effects of alcohol.
Therefore, whether you take naltrexone for OUD or AUD treatment, you will likely feel less inclined to consume alcohol. If you do, you may notice that this medication makes drinking less enjoyable.
While you may still feel the physical effects of alcohol, such as impaired motor skills or slowed reaction time, you may find that drinking on naltrexone doesn’t cause the typical “buzz” you’d get from alcohol. This helps people reduce the amount of alcohol they consume and, over time, quit altogether.
Although the effects of naltrexone and alcohol combination generally aren’t dangerous, drinking alcohol, especially in large quantities, can still impact your opioid recovery journey.
On this note, let’s discuss the potential risks of combining naltrexone and alcohol.
Risks and Dangers of Mixing Naltrexone and Alcohol
The risks and dangers of mixing naltrexone and alcohol include relapse, liver damage, accidents and injuries, and worsened mental health.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of these risks:
Relapse
Mixing naltrexone and alcohol can make you more likely to relapse. While this medication dulls the rewarding effects of alcohol, it does not negate its physical or cognitive effects.
Since alcohol can impair your judgment and lower inhibitions, drinking can lead to poor decision-making. As a result, you may stop taking your medication and resume opioid use. While relapse on its own is extremely dangerous due to the risk of a life-threatening opioid overdose, alcohol can cause you to misjudge the dose, increasing the risk even more.
Liver damage
Both naltrexone and alcohol are metabolized in the liver. Consequently, taking them together increases the risk of liver damage.
Drinking high amounts of alcohol is especially dangerous, as it elevates the risk of liver injury. Those with pre-existing liver conditions should be particularly careful not to mix naltrexone and alcohol.
Accidents and Injuries
Since naltrexone only blocks the pleasurable effects of alcohol but not its physical effects, combining these substances increases the risks of accidents, falls, and injuries. Even though you may not feel any “buzz,” alcohol can still affect your coordination and reaction time. When drinking on naltrexone, you may not always understand just how intoxicated you are.
To reduce the risk of accidents, avoid driving or operating heavy machinery after mixing naltrexone and alcohol, even if you feel sober.
Exacerbation of mental health problems
As a depressant, alcohol can lower your mood and cause mood swings. It can also worsen any pre-existing mental health issues you may have, such as depression and anxiety. This can make it more challenging for you to stay in recovery, increasing the risk of relapse and subsequent overdose.
Why It’s Important to Follow Medical Guidance During OUD Treatment
It’s important to follow medical guidance during OUD treatment because it maximizes the chances of a safe and successful recovery.
While naltrexone is a safe and effective medication for treating OUD, you should not use it without medical supervision. Initiating naltrexone treatment too early or using it in higher doses than necessary can be dangerous. For this reason, you should seek professional opioid addiction treatment.
However, not all treatments for opioid dependence are safe and effective. Some, such as rapid detox, promise a swift recovery yet frequently lead to relapse. Others, such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), require you to take opioid-replacement medications, essentially keeping you dependent on opioids.
These traditional approaches have one major drawback: they fail to address the root of opioid dependence. Dependence stems from the chemical changes that occur in the nervous system with prolonged opioid use. Reversing them is key to a lasting recovery, yet these methods aren’t capable of doing it. As such, they often result in relapse.
The ability to eradicate opioid dependence at its root is precisely what makes Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR) superior to traditional approaches.
Developed by Dr. Andre Waismann, ANR is an ultra-modern opioid dependence treatment that takes a medical, scientifically based approach to healing OUD.
It is the only method that rebalances the endorphin-receptor system, restoring normal brain function. Therefore, it eliminates withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, negating the risk of relapse. The procedure is carried out by board-certified healthcare professionals in an ICU setting of fully accredited hospitals with advanced medical equipment.
With an average hospital stay of only 36 hours, ANR treatment has helped nearly 25,000 people worldwide break free from opioid dependence once and for all.
Ready to return to an opioid-free life? Contact us today for a free, 100% confidential consultation!
Key Takeaways
Although mixing naltrexone and alcohol is generally safe since these substances do not interact with one another, it’s best to abstain from drinking while taking this medication. This way, you can avoid making poor decisions that may impact your recovery, prevent accidents and injuries, and reduce the risk of liver damage.
Finally, let’s summarize the key points we covered today:
- Available as an oral tablet or an extended-release injection, naltrexone is an opioid antagonist prescribed for OUD and AUD treatment.
- You can drink alcohol while taking naltrexone, but most people feel less desire to do so because it reduces the enjoyment of drinking.
- ANR is a revolutionary opioid dependence treatment that supports lasting success by re-regulating the endorphin-receptor system imbalance.
Naltrexone and Alcohol FAQ
You can still feel drunk on naltrexone if you mix it with alcohol, but not the same way you do when drinking alcohol without it. Drinking on naltrexone can impair your coordination and judgment, but it doesn’t cause the typical “buzz” associated with alcohol use. Since this medication blunts alcohol’s rewarding effects, it can help those with AUD refrain from drinking.
Naltrexone reduces alcohol’s euphoric effects by blocking opioid receptors located throughout the nervous system. In other words, it diminishes the pleasure you get from drinking alcohol by inhibiting certain parts of the brain. Over time, naltrexone can help you stop associating alcohol with pleasure, reducing the desire to drink.
Naltrexone does not block all pleasure. St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University researchers suggest that this drug does not cause anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure. Therefore, although naltrexone reduces the pleasure of using opioids or alcohol, it does not usually affect your body’s response to enjoyable activities, such as exercise-induced euphoria.
You should be able to drink right after stopping naltrexone. You don’t usually have to wait until the medication is eliminated from the system, as mixing naltrexone and alcohol rarely, if ever, causes harm; in most cases, it simply blunts the effects of alcohol. If you aren’t sure when you can safely drink after stopping naltrexone, it’s best to consult your doctor.
