Care of the Implant Site

A Naltrexone Implant is quick and easy for the patient to manage, though a few simple details should be noted :

The area of the implant site may be bruised and sore for a few days.  This is a normal reaction to having had minor surgery.  It is quite acceptable for you to take either paracetamol or ibuprofen for any discomfort you may experience in the first couple of days.  If you notice that the pain is persistent and accompanied by redness and swelling, or a yellow discharge coming from the suture line, this could indicate the beginning of an infection developing.  This may need a course of antibiotics, or a change of antibiotics, and we advise you to contact us for further advice.

We prefer you to avoid having a bath for the first few days; this will protect the wound site whilst it is healing.  After that we prefer that you take showers until after the sutures have been removed at seven days.

An allergy is extremely rare but if this occurs it will present as a “bumpy” feeling around the implant which will become increasingly itchy and painful.  This can be rectified by a short course of steroids.  We advise you to contact us for further advice.

The sutures should be removed after the seventh day.  It is preferable that this is done by a medical person, as leaving them in could cause a localised infection.  The sutures may be removed by our clinic or your own General Practitioner.