Preventive therapy of opiate addiction with naltrexone

The trial included 120 patients with opiates addiction: the study group (60 patients) and a control one (60 individuals) which were similar in sex, age and clinical peculiarities of the disease. Naltrexon was administered prophylactically to the patients of the study group during 6 months and longer, while the patients of the control group didn't receive naltrexon. Simultaneously, a program of common therapy and rehabilitation concerning both groups was performed during 6 months. It was established that application of naltrexon decreased probability of relapse of drug abuse, facilitated an inclusion of a patient into a program of therapy and rehabilitation, increased a number and quality of remissions as well as it also decreased a tendency to alcohol and sedative drugs administration. Naltrexon had no side effects and was well tolerated by the patients. 8 follow-up cases of treatment with metadone in some foreign clinics are presented. These observations and literary data show that prophylactic properties of metadone are less pronounced as compared with naltrexon.