Addiction Care · 3 min read · Updated November 13, 2026
Naltrexone is one medication a clinician may consider for alcohol use disorder. It can help reduce alcohol’s rewarding effects and the urge to drink. Whether it fits you depends on your medical history, other medicines, and goals. It is a treatment option to discuss, not something to borrow or begin without a prescriber.
Understand the purpose of the medicine
NIAAA’s alcohol-treatment overview includes naltrexone among approved medication options. Taking a medicine for alcohol use disorder does not mean you have failed at recovery. It can be one component of care alongside counseling and practical support.
Ask what benefit the prescriber hopes to see and how you will evaluate it together. Our guide to alcohol treatment goals can help you explain what you want to change. Be specific about cravings, drinking episodes, and daily functioning instead of expecting a medicine to solve every stressor at once.
Disclose opioid use and upcoming procedures
SAMHSA’s naltrexone information explains that the medication blocks opioid effects and requires important safety precautions. Tell the prescriber about opioid pain medicines, opioid-use treatment, other opioid exposure, and planned surgery or dental work. Include nonprescription products and medicines you only take occasionally.
Do not decide on an opioid-free waiting period yourself or assume a small amount does not count. A clinician must determine whether and when starting is safe. Ask how future pain treatment and emergencies will be handled, and how other healthcare professionals should be informed that you take naltrexone.
Compare the practical options
Discuss available formulations, appointments, coverage, and what is realistic for your routine. A treatment that requires follow-up you cannot attend may need additional planning. Ask who can help with authorization, pharmacy questions, transportation, or scheduling before those barriers interrupt care.
Also discuss liver history, pregnancy or breastfeeding, previous reactions, and all medications. Our guide to alcohol and medicine interactions offers a starting point for assembling a complete list. Your prescriber can explain which issues affect the choice and whether monitoring is needed.
Know how to respond when the plan is difficult
Before starting, ask about common side effects, urgent warning signs, missed doses or appointments, and what to do if drinking continues. Do not take extra medication, change the schedule, or stop treatment to hide a setback. Contact the prescriber for a safe next step.
Keep follow-up focused on what is actually happening: benefits, discomfort, cravings, alcohol use, and practical obstacles. If naltrexone is unsuitable, there are other alcohol-treatment options to discuss. The goal is a plan you understand and can sustain, with clinical support available when it needs to change.
Sources & further reading
General educational information. This guide is not a substitute for advice from a qualified treatment professional.
