title: Case study: paradoxical response to naltrexone treatment of self-injurious behavior.
abstract: Opioid receptor antagonists have been studied in the management of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in developmentally disabled individuals. The authors present a case of a severely retarded, autistic man whose SIB increased dramatically during a trial of naltrexone. A paradoxical increase in SIB, attributed to the extinction burst phenomenon during the initial period of nonreward, is known to occur during treatment with naloxone, a short-acting parenteral opioid antagonist. It has only once been reported during treatment with naltrexone, a long-acting orally administered agent. Opioid analgesic effects and learning theory can explain both increases and decreases in SIB after opioid blockade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seek
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tresise
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gagnon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D009271:Naltrexone