Naltrexone treatment
Review oral and injectable naltrexone options for alcohol-use disorder and opioid relapse prevention.
Medication decisions require clinical review. A medication that helps one person may be unsafe for another. The review considers recent substance use, withdrawal timing, pregnancy, liver or kidney disease, seizure history, opioid exposure, psychiatric symptoms, current prescriptions, and overdose risk.
Coverage depends on your exact plan, clinician, location and service. Check participation and expected charges with the clinic and your insurer before booking.
An alcohol-medication visit begins with your drinking pattern, goals and withdrawal risk. Naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram have different purposes and precautions. Vivitrol is long-acting injectable naltrexone, not a separate class. Medication selection should also account for opioid exposure, liver and kidney health, other prescriptions, pregnancy questions and the follow-up plan you can maintain.
Oral naltrexone may help reduce drinking and cravings as part of treatment. Vivitrol’s alcohol indication requires ability to abstain before the first injection and not actively drinking at that first administration. Both require opioid-exposure review because naltrexone can precipitate opioid withdrawal and block opioid pain medicine. Tell the clinician about prescribed pain medication, tramadol, buprenorphine, methadone and nonprescribed products.
Acamprosate supports abstinence after stopping alcohol and completing withdrawal; kidney function affects suitability. Its divided daily schedule can matter at work or with caregiving. Disulfiram creates a potentially dangerous reaction with alcohol rather than treating acute withdrawal or directly removing cravings. It requires informed consent, alcohol avoidance and discussion of hidden alcohol and liver symptoms. The reaction risk can persist after treatment stops.
None of these medicines replaces appropriate assessment and treatment of dangerous alcohol withdrawal. Report prior withdrawal seizures or delirium, heavy current drinking and concurrent sedatives before stopping. The clinician should determine the appropriate setting and connect withdrawal management with continuing AUD treatment.
Ask what testing is needed, when response and side effects will be reviewed, how counseling or other support fits and whom to contact after missed medication or renewed drinking. Compare pharmacy access with injection administration and coverage. If a return to drinking occurs, contact the clinician for a medication-specific plan rather than assuming every medicine should be stopped or restarted the same way.
Alcohol use disorder treatment can begin with a discussion about drinking, health, control over use and what you want to change. Medication, behavioral treatment and recovery support may help. The first decision is whether reducing or stopping alcohol requires medically supervised withdrawal care. A relapse-prevention medicine does not make it safe to manage dangerous withdrawal at home.
The main approved medication options work differently. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors and can help reduce heavy drinking or support an agreed alcohol goal; the injection has its own abstinence-before-start requirements. Acamprosate supports maintaining abstinence after alcohol has stopped and withdrawal has been addressed. Disulfiram creates a potentially serious reaction with alcohol and is chosen with informed consent for an abstinence-oriented plan. None prevents intoxication or alcohol poisoning.
The clinician assesses drinking frequency, amount, loss of control, consequences, current symptoms and previous attempts to stop. Prior seizures or delirium during withdrawal are especially important. Kidney and liver function, opioid exposure, pregnancy, psychiatric symptoms and daily medication routines can affect selection. Being able to work or maintain responsibilities does not rule out an alcohol-use problem.
Describe your last drink, usual pattern, previous withdrawal and any current shaking, sweating, nausea, confusion or hallucinations. The clinician decides whether outpatient treatment is suitable or whether more monitored care is needed. This decision should come before a plan to stop drinking suddenly.
Discuss whether your goal is abstinence, reducing harm or another clinically appropriate change. Review naltrexone’s opioid and liver precautions, acamprosate’s kidney requirements and daily tablet burden, and disulfiram’s alcohol-reaction and consent requirements. A medicine is chosen for safety and fit, not because it appears first on a list.
Behavioral treatment can address stress, sleep, relationships and situations linked to drinking. Mental-health and other substance-use treatment may need coordination. Decide which support you want and what is actually available, whether individual therapy, recovery support or another program.
Agree on how progress will be measured: drinking, urges, health, daily function and side effects. Clarify laboratory monitoring, refill or injection visits and whom to contact if drinking returns. A lapse is information for reassessment and does not make continued care pointless.
Bring a medication list, alcohol-use history, recent laboratory results and records of withdrawal or rehab care. Include opioid pain medicines, tramadol, methadone, buprenorphine and nonprescribed substances. If stopping alcohol has caused symptoms before, tell the team when arranging the evaluation. Do not arrive after an unsupervised detox solely to meet a medicine’s starting requirement.
Call 911 or seek emergency care for a seizure, severe confusion, hallucinations with worsening withdrawal, collapse or inability to remain safe. Alcohol mixed with opioids or sedatives can cause dangerous breathing problems. Relapse-prevention medicines have separate adverse-effect precautions and may not be suitable for everyone. Symptoms of liver injury, serious medication reactions or severe dehydration need prompt review.
Treatment review should cover actual drinking, cravings, sleep, mood, adherence and tolerability. If urges continue, check whether the medicine was taken, whether the selected treatment fits the goal and whether additional support is needed. Some people benefit from ongoing medication; duration should be based on benefit and preference rather than a promised cure date. Stopping or changing medicines needs a continuity plan.
Ask whether the service provides AUD evaluation, medication management, behavioral treatment and referrals for withdrawal care. Confirm the costs of visits, tests and medication separately. Injection coverage may differ from oral treatment. Ask for the actual outpatient care intensity and schedule, and whether withdrawal assessment or referral is part of the service.
FDA-approved medications exist for opioid-use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone), alcohol-use disorder (naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram), and tobacco dependence (nicotine replacement, varenicline and bupropion SR). There is no FDA-approved medication specifically for cocaine, methamphetamine or cannabis-use disorder. Evidence-based behavioral care is important; selected off-label medicines require a clinician’s rationale. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine and local anesthetics are not approved addiction-treatment substitutes.
Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors; it is different from buprenorphine, which partially activates them. Starting naltrexone while physically dependent on opioids can cause severe precipitated withdrawal. Vivitrol generally requires at least 7–10 opioid-free days after short-acting opioids; people transitioning from buprenorphine or methadone can remain vulnerable for up to two weeks. The clinician verifies readiness and the current label—do not stop opioids or choose a waiting period on your own.
Acamprosate helps maintain alcohol abstinence in people who are abstinent when treatment begins, alongside psychosocial support. It does not treat acute alcohol withdrawal. Kidney function affects suitability and dosing; dangerous withdrawal requires the appropriate monitored care before relying on a relapse-prevention medicine.
Do not take disulfiram while intoxicated or without the prescriber’s plan; the label requires at least 12 hours after the last alcohol use before starting. Alcohol can cause a severe reaction, including through some medicines or other alcohol-containing products. A reaction can occur for up to 14 days after the last dose, so stopping the tablet is not permission to drink. Disulfiram is not alcohol detox or a cure; withdrawal safety and ongoing behavioral support still matter.
An injection does not guarantee elimination of urges. Discuss their timing, drinking, triggers and other symptoms. The clinician can review treatment fit and support without assuming that an extra or early injection is appropriate.
No. The answer depends on the diagnosis, severity, tests and the medicine. Naltrexone and disulfiram require careful liver review, while acamprosate has important kidney restrictions. Do not select or rule out a medicine from one general rule.
Review oral and injectable naltrexone options for alcohol-use disorder and opioid relapse prevention.
Review acamprosate for maintaining abstinence after stopping alcohol.
Review Antabuse/disulfiram safety and alcohol-avoidance planning.
Review monthly injectable naltrexone scheduling and benefits.
Bronx
932 E 174th St, Bronx, NY 10460
A Bronx access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in West Farms, Crotona Park East, and nearby Bronx neighborhoods.
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Queens
37-15 23rd Ave, Astoria, NY 11105
A Queens access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Astoria, Ditmars, East Elmhurst, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
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Bronx
2063A Bartow Ave, Bronx, NY 10475
A Bronx access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Co-op City, Pelham Bay, Baychester, and nearby Bronx neighborhoods.
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Brooklyn
341 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11216
A Brooklyn access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods.
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Long Island
232 W Old Country Rd, Hicksville, NY 11801
A Long Island access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Hicksville, Plainview, Bethpage, and nearby Nassau County communities.
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Queens
80-10 Northern Blvd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
A Queens access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
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Queens
90-18 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11435
A Queens access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Jamaica, Briarwood, Richmond Hill, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
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Queens
30-07 36th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
A Queens access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
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Long Island
135 Mineola Blvd, Mineola, NY 11501
A Long Island access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Mineola, Garden City, Westbury, and nearby Nassau County communities.
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Manhattan
259 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
A Manhattan access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in StuyTown, East Village, Gramercy, and nearby Manhattan neighborhoods.
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Brooklyn
308 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
A Brooklyn access point for addiction medication review, Suboxone or buprenorphine follow-up, and alcohol-use medication discussion. It also supports tobacco-cessation medication planning and coordinated behavioral-health support. It serves patients in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods.
View local medication support Get directionsDaily buprenorphine-naloxone care for opioid-use disorder when clinically appropriate.
Medication review for opioid withdrawal timing, cravings, stabilization, and follow-up.
Monthly injectable buprenorphine review for eligible patients who are already stabilized on buprenorphine.
Naltrexone options for alcohol-use disorder and opioid relapse prevention after opioid-free planning.
Medication works best when paired with counseling, follow-up, relapse planning, and mental-health support.
Support for relatives who need help encouraging care without shame or coercion.
Nao Medical provides outpatient addiction care. The first visit can focus on the immediate clinical question and medication planning when relevant. When wanted or clinically recommended, the care plan can also include counseling, recovery support, and closer follow-up. Related information: outpatient addiction care.
Patients who want more support can add counseling, relapse-prevention work, care coordination, and recovery follow-up through the outpatient addiction program.
Coverage depends on your exact plan, clinician, location and service. Check participation and expected charges with the clinic and your insurer before booking. Review addiction-treatment insurance support
, relapse-prevention planning, and follow-up are available through Nao Medical's outpatient addiction care. Counseling
Compare alcohol-use-disorder medications, Vivitrol treatment, oral naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. Medication does not replace emergency care for dangerous alcohol withdrawal.
Content was updated August 2, 2026 from the cited sources and Nao Medical's current service information. Medical guidance, prescribing information, medication availability, and insurance rules can change. A licensed clinician must confirm current information and determine each patient's eligibility, testing, treatment, administration setting, and follow-up. Call 911 for a medical emergency. Contact Nao Medical with a question or correction.