High‐Dose Naltrexone and Liver Function Safety

Studies have found naltrexone useful in the treatment of diseases other than opiate addiction in which endogenous opioids presumably play a role, such as alcoholism and eating disorders. Some of these studies involve high doses (100–200 mg bid). Because investigational studies with high doses (300 mg/day) reported clinically significant increases in liver enzyme levels, the authors measured a spectrum of liver function parameters in response to high doses of naltrexone in a double‐blind, crossover trial (100 mg bid) followed by an open‐label period (200 mg bid). They observed no adverse clinical or laboratory changes in liver function in association with high‐dose naltrexone therapy in eating disorders.