Naltrexone: FDA-Approved Medication to Reduce Excess Drinking

Discover the Sinclair Method, a groundbreaking approach that uses naltrexone, an FDA-approved medication for reducing alcohol consumption.

How does naltrexone work?

Naltrexone disrupts endorphin activity in the brain. When we consume alcohol, our brain releases endorphins, which cause a feeling of pleasure and counteract pain. This release of endorphins reinforces the association between pleasure and alcohol, leading to cravings and difficulty controlling drinking habits.

Naltrexone was originally intended for daily use regardless of the patient's drinking pattern. But this one-size-fits all approach can have a washout effect in reducing the desire for alcohol and can also cause unwanted side effects by suppressing endorphin activity across a large breadth of healthy, endorphin-backed behaviors. 

Studies in Europe introduced the Sinclair Method, which involves targeted dosing. Naltrexone is taken only when drinking alcohol, allowing other healthy, endorphin-supported activities to remain minimally affected, and the dosing adjusts as you begin to drink less.

This method of taking naltrexone also progressively weakens the urge to drink until the impulse for alcohol disappears almost completely. By adopting this alternative dosing protocol, naltrexone becomes more potent by producing robust extinction of the urge to drink, and more efficient by reducing the need for daily use. 

As shown in the graph below, results demonstrate a significant reduction in alcohol frequency and consumption, typically noticeable within a few weeks.