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Efficacy of oral naltrexone on pruritus in atopic eczema: a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study
Author(s) -
Malekzad F,
Arbabi M,
Mohtasham N,
Toosi P,
Jaberian M,
Mohajer M,
Mohammadi MR,
Roodsari MR,
Nasiri S
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03129.x
Subject(s) - medicine , naltrexone , placebo , visual analogue scale , double blind , placebo controlled study , anesthesia , antagonist , dermatology , alternative medicine , receptor , pathology
Aim The intent of our study was to determine the efficacy of oral naltrexone, an opiod antagonist, in the treatment of pruritus in patients with chronic eczema. Methods This double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study recruited 38 patients with eczema complaining from pruritus. Pruritus scores were evaluated. Patients were given placebo ( n = 20) or naltrexone 50 mg ( n = 18) for 2 weeks period. During the study, pruritus scores based on visual analogue scale system (VAS) were assessed three times: at the start of study, after 1 week, and after 2 weeks. Results In both groups, decreased VAS scores were observed, but naltrexone showed to be significantly more effective than placebo in decreasing VAS score after 1 week ( P < 0.005) and 2 weeks ( P < 0.001). Conclusion Naltrexone is more effective than placebo in the treatment of pruritus in patient with eczema. Naltrexone might be considered as an adjunct treatment in the treatment of pruritus. However, further studies in this aspect are highly fostered. Conflicts of interest This study and the authors were not supported by any company with a vested interest in the product being studied and the project was funded by Skin Research Center.