Could CBD Enhance Naltrexone’s Ability to Curb Alcohol Cravings?

While it’s still in the early stages of exploratory clinical research, combining naltrexone with CBD for alcohol use treatment is showing promise as a treatment that can curb cravings and reduce relapse.

What You'll Learn:

• What cannabidiol (CBD) is and its therapeutic uses.

• Why researchers believe that CBD combined with naltrexone could curb alcohol cravings further and reduce the risk of relapse.

• Details about a recent research study looking at the efficacy of combining CBD and naltrexone.

• How the research study is conducted to determine efficacy.

• Indicators that the combination therapy could be beneficial for alcohol use treatment.

The first ever clinical trial to examine the use of cannabidiol (CBD) with naltrexone for alcohol dependence underway, and it led to some very promising possibilities for the future of alcohol use treatment. Even how the Phase II clinical trial is conducted lends to its credibility of what it finds given that it is:

• Randomized

• Double-blind

• Placebo-controlled

These factors make the outcomes very reliable, which is part of the reason why the study is getting attention. It also involves 150 study participants with alcohol use disorder, making it fairly broad in the scope while also being targeted to a specific group.

The goal is to examine whether CBD could enhance the effects of naltrexone in curbing alcohol cravings compared to naltrexone alone and a placebo. Here is what the research is providing, its significance for medication-assisted treatments and how things are moving forward.

Cannabidiol (CBD): What It is and How It’s Used Therapeutically

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been well-researched in recent years as more states have legalized the use of marijuana, both medically and recreationally. CBD is one of the 100+ cannabinoids found in cannabis sativa. However, it’s one of the cannabinoids that doesn’t produce a high effect.

CBD is known to affect the endocannabinoid system in other ways. The endocannabinoid system regulates:

• Sleep

• Mood

• Stress

• Pain

• Immunity

As you can see, there is a lot of related crossover between the endocannabinoid system and alcohol use given that stress, mood disorders, pain and sleep quality can all be contributing factors with alcohol use disorder.

How cannabidiol works also plays a role in why CBD is being researched for various addictions along with anxiety and neurological conditions.

Why Researchers Believe CBD Could Help With Alcohol Cravings

Researchers aren’t studying CBD because it’s seen as a broadly therapeutic compound. CBD has been shown to do a few things that could potentially support the reduction of alcohol cravings. It has the potential to:

• Modulate brain circuits linked to addiction

• Positively impact stress and anxiety pathways

• Influence serotonin signaling

• Reduce stress responses

Currently, CBD has already received FDA approval to treat epilepsy. However, advocates believe it’s just the beginning of what cannabidiol can be approved to treat.

Paired with naltrexone’s effect on opioid receptors to block the release of dopamine while drinking, the hope is that combining it with CBD will enhance naltrexone’s effects to curb alcohol cravings. The researchers will also be examining whether combining naltrexone with CBD can reduce stress-triggered relapse and improve anxiety as well as other mood disorders that often coexist with alcohol use disorder.

How the Research is Being Conducted to Measure the Efficacy of Combining CBD and Naltrexone

The novel examination of CBD/naltrexone therapy is in the infancy stages. What we do know is how the research is being conducted. The study splits the 150 participants between the ages of 18 and 70 into three groups:

• Naltrexone (50 mg) + CBD 800 mg

• Naltrexone (50 mg) + CBD 1200 mg

• Naltrexone (50 mg) + placebo

The treatment part of the study lasted 14 days with six months of follow up monitoring. This allowed the researchers to gauge both the short-term and long-term effects.

The primary purpose of the study was to measure alcohol cravings at 14 days compared to the baseline before using the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Anyone who is familiar with prescription naltrexone medication for alcohol treatment knows that 14 days is really a minimum for gauging the effects.

But the researchers made the most of their opportunity and measured several other significant factors as well as determining safety of the combined treatment protocol. The additional metrics included:

• Amount of alcohol consumed

• Time to relapse

• Number of heavy drinking days

• Level of depression and/or anxiety

• Quality of life

• Stress level

• Mood

• Confidence in abstinence

• Brain functioning (through fMRI)

• CBD levels

• Tolerability level

• Adverse events

The researchers took novel approaches in gauging the results on various levels. They used behavioral data along with brain imaging for more robust findings. It also helps explain how the combination therapy works rather than just determining if it works.

While the initial data suggests there could be positive outcomes, we’ll have to wait a few more years to know the outcome of this study since it is still underway. The data analysis isn’t expected to be finalized until Q4 2028.

It’s becoming clear with the use of GLP-1 semagultides, that combination therapies are the next generation of pharmacology for alcohol use treatments. Naltrexone remains at the center of the research because its efficacy has been proven over more than two decades. The hope now is to find complimentary medications that can enhance naltrexone’s effects so that even more people can take control of their drinking.

The research of combining CBD with naltrexone is ongoing, but right now it’s possible for people to start using GLP-1 medications and naltrexone on its own to address their alcohol use. You can find out if it’s a recommended therapy for your situation by taking our Online Alcohol Assessment. Though it only takes a few minutes to complete, you’ll receive your Audit-C score as well as recommendations for reaching your defined goals.