Interest Growing in Low-Dose Naltrexone as Chronic Pain Treatment

Naltrexone, a drug used for the treatment of opioid and alcohol dependence, is getting a closer look as a treatment for chronic pain when used at low doses. So-called low-dose naltrexone, or LDN, for the treatment of pain has been “on the fringes of medicine” for years, according to a Kaiser Health News story last week that might heighten interest in the therapy. Naltrexone is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid and alcohol use disorders. It comes as a 50-milligram pill that’s taken once a day, as well as an extended-release form administered monthl...