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It’s not common, but you may experience sleep disruptions soon after you start taking naltrexone. The issue usually works itself out within a week or two, however there are ways to get better sleep immediately.
What You’ll Learn:
• What type of sleep disturbances might occur when you first start taking naltrexone.
• Why sleep disturbances might happen with naltrexone medication.
• What you can do to sleep better while your body adjusts.
When you start taking naltrexone for alcohol use treatment, there may be an adjustment phase at first. During this time a small percentage of people report issues related to their sleep. It’s a side effect that is usually short-lived and can be improved with some slight modifications.
Ultimately, with a few changes and getting used to the naltrexone medication, you may end up sleeping better than you ever did before.
What Type of Sleep Disturbances May Occur
Your sleep can be disturbed in a number of ways. It may not be difficulty falling asleep that’s the problem. The silver lining is that no matter what type of disruption you’re experiencing it shouldn’t last too long.
That’s why it’s important to not discontinue using naltrexone if you experience any of the following:
• Insomnia
• Restlessness
• Vivid Dreams
• Nightmares
• Fatigue
The last point might be a bit of a surprise, but there have been instances where a person is feeling fatigued but unable to sleep. It can be frustrating, but it’s often short-lived and there are ways to minimize the effect.
Why Sleep Disruptions Can Occur When You First Start Taking Naltrexone
There are a few reasons why you might experience sleep disruptions when you first start taking naltrexone. The most common reasons include:
It’s the Reduced Alcohol Intake, Not the Naltrexone
The change in your sleep may actually be the result of drinking less alcohol or a combination of that paired with the introduction of naltrexone. The effects of both are generally short-term.
If you were a chronic drinker, your body may have gotten used to alcohol being in your system. Once that changes it can throw things off, with your sleep being one of them. That’s why it’s sometimes recommended for people to abstain from drinking for several days before starting naltrexone. It gives you time to clear the alcohol out of your system and get past any side effects of it.
Your Body is Adjusting to the Medication
One of the primary reasons people experience sleep disturbances is because their body is going through an adjustment phase, which can be the case with virtually any medication. It can take a week or two for you to get used to the medication being in your system and for things to balance out.
Sleeplessness is the Result of Naltrexone Nausea
Sleep problems may actually be the result of another naltrexone side effect - nausea. Although it only happens to a small percent of people, nausea is the most common side effect. If your stomach is feeling upset it can make sleeping very difficult.
What You Can Do to Sleep Better While Taking Naltrexone
Sleep is vital for your physical and mental health so you don’t want it to be disturbed for too long. Luckily, there are things you can do to improve sleep while taking naltrexone.
Wait It Out
Seriously. Many people find that the sleep changes level out within several days of starting naltrexone. So if you’ve only been taking it for a few days, tonight you may find that you have no issues. There are even people who claim they sleep better than ever after the first week once things settle down.
Discuss Dosage With Your Prescribing Clinician
As with other side effects, lowering the dosage of naltrexone can help correct sleep disturbances. However, this has to be balanced with ensuring that the dose is high enough to blunt the dopamine effects of alcohol so that the naltrexone is effective at curbing cravings.
Take Your Daily Dose in the Morning
Many patients note that the time of day they were taking naltrexone was the issue. If you are taking your daily dose of naltrexone at night, switching to the morning could make a difference.
Take Naltrexone With a Meal
If sleep problems are the result of naltrexone nausea, making adjustments for that can be beneficial. Something that proves to be helpful in a lot of cases is taking naltrexone with a meal if you aren’t already. We have other advice on managing naltrexone nausea, but this too should be a short-term side effect that subsides in a week or two.
Consider Using a Sleep Aide
If the other solutions don’t make a difference, you may want to consider using a sleep medication if naltrexone is causing insomnia. However, this should be considered after trying other solutions to avoid adding another medication to the mix. This is especially true with sleep medications because it’s easy to develop a dependence on them.
One of the many benefits of getting a naltrexone prescription online from Choose Your Horizon is your clinician is available to help you dial in the dosage and avoid side effects. We have plenty of resources to help you out so that sleepless nights don’t prevent you from gaining control over your alcohol consumption.
