- travenous use: administration of 0.2 mg naloxone i.v. If no side effect occurs after 30 seconds, a further 0.6 mg naloxone i.v. may be given. The patient should then be monitored continuously for the next 20 minutes for signs of withdrawal symptoms.
- bcutaneous use: administration of 0.8 mg naloxone s.c. The patient should then be monitored continuously for the next 20 minutes for signs of withdrawal symptoms.
Confirmation of test result: If there is any doubt as to whether the patient is opioid-free, treatment with naltrexone should be withheld for 24 hours. In this case, the test should be repeated with 1.6 mg naloxone.
Treatment with naltrexone should be considered only in patients who have been heroin-free for at least 7-10 days and methadone-free for at least 10 days.
Prior to initiation of treatment with naltrexone, the test result must be confirmed by urinalysis. The naloxone provocation test should not be performed in patients with clinical withdrawal symptoms or in patients with a positive urine test for opioids.