Vivitrol – Help Treat Alcohol Abuse & Addiction

Vivitrol is the intramuscular injection form of Naltrexone, which has been shown to be an effective treatment for patients suffering from alcohol and opioid addictions.  It is one of several FDA approved medications for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders, and was initially approved in October 2010. The medication works in the brain, by decreasing the desire to drink or use opioids (such as heroine). This medication is usually injected into the buttocks by a clinician, and lasts for 30 days.

Benefits of this medication are that the patient does not need to take the oral Naltrexone every day, and it is therefore helpful with compliance, and the levels of the medication in the body are also maintained at a steady level, instead of the cyclical highs and lows of blood levels of the medication during a 24 hour period, which usually occur with taking the oral Naltrexone pill.

Additionally, for patients that take the oral Naltrexone, if they forget to take their doses as prescribed, they are at higher risk  of relapse of using alcohol and opioids. It is important that patients who are given this form of treatment are not on any opioid medications (usually used for pain control or opioid addictions), as this medication will block the effects of any opioids.

Additionally, patients should carry a card indicating that they are using this medication, as emergency providers will need to know that opioid medications (such as Percocet, or Morphine) are unlikely to be effective, and therefore non-opioid medications (like Toradol, Tylenol, Motrin) will need to be used. 

5 Things to Know About Vivitrol:

1. It requires full detoxification to use: 

You have to fully taper off opiates to get on Vivitrol. Every day has to be opiate-free for between five to 10 days. If you can’t tolerate that, Vivitrol is not a good option for you. Buprenorphine, (also called Suboxone), can be initiated without going through detoxification. It only requires that you wait until withdrawal symptoms begin, and then it can be given as a rescue medication.

2. Accessibility is a problem: 

Many doctors are not equipped to administer it. Usually, you need to look for an addiction psychiatrist or internist. It’s an injection, and not all physicians are comfortable administering it. You have to seek out someone who is able to administer it.

3. It’s different from Narcan:

Vivitrol is a long-lasting medication. Narcan is short acting. They’re in the same category in that they are both opioid antagonists, they both block opioid receptors, but Narcan only lasts for an hour or two and Vivitrol lasts a month. Narcan is a rescue medication that is frequently used for people who overdose.

4. The research is clear: 

The FDA approved Vivitrol to treat opioid-dependent patients in 2010. Studies show that people addicted to opioids more than halve their risk of dying due to their use of opioids if they stay on maintenance medication. The most recent study showing that Vivitrol is effective was through the Clinical Trials Network at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

5. It’s not just replacing one drug with another:

 If you’re taking it as prescribed by a doctor, it’s medicine. It’s part of your recovery. My personal opinion is that people should try to take it for six months to a year. But it really depends on how stable they are in their recovery, what their support network looks like and if they are still having cravings. It’s a decision the patient and their medical providers need to make collaboratively.

The Next Step:

If you think that Vivitrol is a good fit for you and your recovery, talk to your provider at your next appointment. 

Request an appointment here: https://americanpsychiatricgroup.com/contact/ or call American Psychiatric Group at +(410) 600-3500 for an appointment in our Baltimore or Columbia, MD office.