Executive Summary and Recommendations
Naltrexone has been approved as an adjunct to psychosocial treatment and should not be seen as a replacement for psychosocial interventions.

Patients requiring narcotic analgesia are suitable candidates for naltrexone treatment.

Naltrexone interferes with nonopiod pain medications such as as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin.

The Consensus Panel recommends that patients be abstinent for how many days before initiating naltrexone treatment?

What percent of patients experience adverse effects at the initiation of naltrexone treatment?

Chapter 1 - The Current Situation
What percent of the national health care budget do alcoholics consume?

The abuse of alcohol and other substances can cause profound changes in brain chemistry and function. Understanding of this fact may help to reduce the stigma and shame surrounding repeated relapse to alcohol abuse.

Chapter 2 - Pharmacological Management with Naltrexone
When starting a patient on naltrexone treatment, which of the following should be considered a part of eligibility determination.

Naltrexone has been proven to be an effective replacement to psychosocial treatment of alcoholism.

The daily cost of treatment with naltrexone is approximately:

Reduction in drinking resulting from treatment combining Naltrexone therapy may lead to improved liver function.

For what drug is Naltrexone contraindicated in patients who are addicted and have not yet withdrawn?

There is no withdrawal syndrome associated with naltrexone therapy, therefore the usual daily dose may be discontinued without tapering off.

Chapter 3 - Basic Neurobiological and Preclinical Research
Advances in neurobiological research has helped to establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is relapsing and chronic in nature.

The fundamental functional unit of the nervous system is a specialized cell called a:

Within a neuron, signals are carried via:

Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons are neurotransmitters.

Pleasure inducing action that becomes repetitive is called:

Unlike many other drugs of abuse (such as opiates, etc.), alcohol acts upon a specific receptor in the brain.

Endogenous opiods, a class of neuropeptides, produce what is know as the “runner’s high” and also reduce sensitivity to pain.

Both animal and human studies have shown alcohol to increase levels of GABA.

This neurotransmitter is the primary inhibitor of the central nervous system:

Men with alcoholic fathers are how many times more likely than men without any family history of alcoholism to experience early onset of alcoholism?

Chapter 4 - Clinical Findings
Naltrexone is the first medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol dependence in nearly 50 years.

The most impressive result from the studies done with naltrexone were significantly reduced rates of relapse.

The average age of subjects participating in most studies of naltrexone is:

Chapter 5: Clinical Profile
Naltrexone was approved by the FDA in December of:

By binding to opiod receptor sites within the central nervous system, naltrexone prevents the stimulation of opiod receptors.

The mean elimination half-life value for naltrexone is:

One of the most serious potential adverse effects of naltrexone is kidney toxicity.

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