Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;151(12):891-902.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2020.08.019.

Use of low-dose naltrexone in the management of chronic pain conditions: A systematic review

Elizabeth Hatfield, Kristine Phillips, Sahar Swidan, Lawrence Ashman
Review

Use of low-dose naltrexone in the management of chronic pain conditions: A systematic review

Elizabeth Hatfield et al. J Am Dent Assoc. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose naltrexone in the management of chronic pain conditions and determine its potential use in orofacial pain management.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was completed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source Library databases up through June 17, 2019, using terms such as neurogenic, inflammation, naltrexone, temporomandibular, and chronic pain. The primary outcome was reduction in pain intensity and, secondarily, improvement in quality of life.

Results: A total of 793 studies were obtained with the initial search and 8 articles were selected for evaluation. Of these 8 articles, 4 were case reports, 3 were clinical studies, and 1 was a randomized controlled trial. Six studies included data on fibromyalgia, 2 studies included data on chronic regional pain syndrome, and 1 examined multiple diagnoses, including fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, and chronic pelvic pain. The primary outcome of all of the studies was pain intensity reduction.

Conclusions and practical implications: Low-dose naltrexone provides an alternative in medical management of chronic pain disorders as a novel anti-inflammatory and immunomodulator. It can offer additional management options, as orofacial pain conditions share characteristics with other chronic pain disorders. Owing to the size and heterogeneity of the studies, more large-scale studies are needed, along with additional studies assessing orofacial pain response to low-dose naltrexone.

Keywords: Neurogenic; chronic; inflammation; naltrexone; pain; temporomandibular.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

LinkOut - more resources