Case Study Report: 10


Patient Background Information: 44-year-old white, single, man employed as a systems analyst with medical complications of AIDS. Ss describes a 6-year history of drinking in response to several deaths of friends with AIDS. He began to drink to calm down after work as he felt “stressed and overwhelmed" Previous alcohol treatment includes (one) 4-day detoxification program and one inpatient 3-week program 2 years ago. Family history is positive for alcoholism (one sibling).

Naltrexone Treatment and Results: Ss was started on 50mg dose of naltrexone and has remained on that dose for 32 weeks. initially, he reported multiple side effects to include dry mouth, fatigue, joint stiffness, and headaches. Concurrently, he has been on several medications for AIDS related symptoms and has continued to see his medical doctor quite frequently. He reported decreased craving and has been abstinent throughout the study except for a 4-day detoxification program, which occurred in Amendment #2. This case was most interesting because of the acuity of the medical complications, minimal exposure to standard alcohol treatment, apparent safety and tolerance of naltrexone while receiving many other medications, and his additional motivation. This came in the form of an announcement sent to him from the National AIDS hotline network suggesting that naltrexone acted as an "immune-cell helper".



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