The Role of Naltrexone in Mental Health Treatment: A Compounding Pharmacy Perspective

As a compounding pharmacy, Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy in Toronto, Ontario, is dedicated to providing personalized medication solutions to meet the unique needs of each patient. One of the customized medications we often work with is Naltrexone, particularly in low doses (LDN). This medication, traditionally used to treat substance use disorders, is showing promise in the realm of mental health​​
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Naltrexone, in low doses of approximately 10% or less of the typical opioid addiction treatment dosage (commonly up to 5mg), exhibits paradoxical properties, including analgesia and anti-inflammatory actions. These dosages are compounded in our pharmacy and require a prescription. Research has indicated that LDN can be beneficial for people with conditions marked by immune system dysfunction, including certain mental health disorders​.

Studies have shown that LDN may reduce mood episodes in individuals experiencing bipolar disorder. This effect is likely due to LDN's ability to modulate endorphin levels, which can influence episodes of both mania and depression​1​.
A study in 2006 involving 34 people with bipolar disorder and substance use disorder reported that participants showed improvement in both depression and mania symptoms after taking Naltrexone for 16 weeks. What's more, Naltrexone did not appear to cause any major negative effects​.

People who take LDN for chronic illness have also reported improvements in co-occurring mental health issues, such as a low or depressed mood, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and difficulty performing daily tasks. This is in addition to a 2021 self-controlled cohort study that found a 65% lower rate of bipolar disorder diagnosis in participants who took Naltrexone to treat either alcohol or opioid use disorder​.
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Furthermore, LDN has shown potential benefits in the treatment of major depression. A small 2017 study indicated that when participants experiencing a recurrence of depression symptoms added 1 mg of Naltrexone to their medication regimen for 3 weeks, they noticed more improvement in their symptoms​.

At Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy, we compound Naltrexone in various forms, including tablets, sublingual tablets, oral sublingual drops, oral suspensions, veggie capsules, topical creams, and ultra-low dose Naltrexone (ULDN). We take care to compound LDN as an immediate-release capsule or tablet and without the use of certain fillers and binders, ensuring the efficacy and safety of the medication​.

It's important to remember that while Naltrexone shows promising results in the treatment of certain mental health conditions, it should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare provider. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new medication.

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