title: Naltrexone: new preparation. Transient preventive efficacy on alcoholic relapse.
abstract: (1) Naltrexone is an opiate receptor antagonist licensed for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence after withdrawal.  (2) The clinical file in this indication is limited to three placebo-controlled trials lasting three months.  (3) The results show that naltrexone prevents the resumption of alcohol consumption during treatment, but a post-trial follow-up study showed that the preventive effect disappeared a few months after treatment cessation.  (4) Naltrexone has not been compared with acamprosate, a better-assessed drug used in the same indication.  (5) The safety profile of naltrexone is acceptable.
mesh_terms: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013695:Temperance; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009271:Naltrexone