Does adding low doses of oral naltrexone to morphine alter the subsequent opioid requirements and side effects in trauma patients?

ObjectiveThe present study aims to assess the influence of ultra-low doses of opioid antagonists on the analgesic properties of opioids and their side effects.MethodsIn the present randomized, double-blind controlled trial, the influence of the combination of ultra-low-dose naltrexone and morphine on the total opioid requirement and the frequency of the subsequent side effects was compared with that of morphine alone (added with placebo) in patients with trauma in the upper or lower extremities.ResultsAlthough the morphine and naltrexone group required 0.04 mg more opioids during the study period, there was no significant difference between the opioid requirements of the 2 groups. Nausea was less frequently reported in patients receiving morphine and naltrexone.ConclusionThe combination of ultra-low-dose naltrexone and morphine in extremity trauma does not affect the opioid requirements; it, however, lowers the risk of nausea.