Persistence with oral naltrexone for alcohol treatment: implications for health‐care utilization

Abstract

Over a 6-month period, 85.8% of patients who filled an initial prescription for naltrexone did not persist in obtaining the medication. Non-persistence was associated with significantly greater use of costly health-care services. Because the study was correlational, it is not possible to conclude that persistence reduced health-care costs, as patients with a better prognosis may have been more persistent. Research is needed to determine whether interventions that enhance persistence with naltrexone therapy improve treatment outcomes and reduce health-care costs.