Vivitrol Treatment for Alcoholism

Vivitrol Treatment for Alcoholism

This study, however, was not controlled, as noted by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Dr. Nora Volkow. Being opioid-free will significantly reduce the risk of adverse effects while pregnant. Abstaining from drug or alcohol use while on Vivitrol will reduce the risk of overdose and other complications. 5 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Sober Living House Vivitrol can be a costly way of treating alcohol and opioid use disorders. It would be best to have a comprehensive treatment plan involving support, therapy, and other activities. Opioids and opioid receptors occur naturally as part of the central nervous system’s response to external stimuli.

People receiving this type of treatment should not be drinking when they start taking the drug, as it may cause adverse effects. Vivitrol combined with counseling and therapy has a 90% success rate in helping people achieve sobriety. The report included 135 studies and was reviewed by health care professionals, researchers, experts, and the public. Side effects can include risk of opioid overdose, reactions at the injection site, sudden opioid withdrawal, and liver damage or hepatitis.

FDA Approves Monthly Injection for Alcohol Dependence

Additionally, your tolerance might be lower after detox, meaning you are at a higher risk of overdose if you relapse. Naltrexone injection is used to prevent relapse in people who became dependent on opioid medicine and then stopped using it. Naltrexone can help keep you from feeling a “need” to use the opioid.

For this indication, the pill is not ideal because of poor treatment adherence. Because of this, there is poor evidence supporting its benefits in reducing opioid use. Vivitrol is an opioid antagonist that works by stopping cravings for opioids or alcohol in the brain. Vivitrol has the highest affinity for the mu opioid receptor and has little to no activity as an opioid agonist. However, Xanax, much like alcohol and opioids, is an addicting medication. If you’re prone to dependence, your doctor may want you to take a different medication so that you don’t risk becoming dependent on Xanax.

VIVITROL and counseling has been proven to reduce the number of heavy drinking days* in patients with alcohol dependence1,2

Taking Suboxone and Vivitrol together is not recommended for the treatment of opioid use disorder and other substance abuse issues. Alkermes produces the brand name of the injectable version of naltrexone known as Vivitrol. While naltrexone is available in pill form as a generic drug, the injections are only available as the brand name Vivitrol. Since Vivitrol is approved by the FDA, you are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act when you take Vivitrol as prescribed for opioid or alcohol use disorder. The effects of Vivitrol are at their height during the first few weeks following injection.

Each week, participants also received counseling on how to reduce their alcohol use. Naltrexone will block the effects of any narcotic medicines you take (such as prescription medicine for pain, cough, or diarrhea). If you or a loved one have come to terms with the fact that you need help with a drinking problem, our Vivitrol treatment program in Memphis may be right for you. Each person’s unique requirements and conditions determine if Vivitrol is the best treatment for their alcohol use disorder. If your doctor has prescribed this medication, they believe it will help you recover more quickly.

Recovery Centers of America Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) clinic locations:

Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you will breastfeed or take Vivitrol. Carry written information with you at all times to alert healthcare providers that you are taking this medication, so that they can treat you properly in an emergency. Ask your healthcare provider how you can get a wallet card to carry with you.

Glenn-Milo Santos, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco and the study’s lead author, said patients could discuss the treatment option with their clinicians, even if it was not suitable for all. “Increasing awareness that there are effective medicines that can help people with their alcohol use is important in and of itself,” he said. Naltrexone injections are only part of a complete treatment program that may also include additional forms of counseling and/or monitoring. Our mission at Eleanor Health is to help people affected by addiction live amazing lives.

Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth while you are using this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have dark urine, general tiredness and weakness, light-colored stools, nausea and vomiting, upper right stomach pain, and yellow eyes and skin. Read the information carefully and make sure you understand it before receiving this medicine. Here are three things to know if you’re considering medication-assisted treatment for alcoholism for yourself or someone you love. Some people have contracted a type of pneumonia caused by an allergic reaction to Vivitrol. The same result was not seen in patients who were still drinking at the start of the study.

All three formulations require further study of their efficacy. The first published study on the initial efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Vivitrex® for treating alcohol dependence was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-site, 16 week clinical trial (Johnson et al 2004). Twenty-five alcohol-dependent individuals were assigned to receive intramuscular injections of Vivitrex® (400 mg) every 4 weeks, while five participants received placebo via the same route of administration every 4 weeks. Vivitrex® appeared to be relatively safe and well tolerated; the most common adverse events were non-specific abdominal pain, nausea, pain at the injection site, and headaches. Two Vivitrex® recipients and zero placebo recipients discontinued treatment because of side effects. In the exercise of scientific caution, no inferential statistical testing was conducted on these descriptive values.

Vivitrol and Suboxone have different FDA-approved uses, but they’re both used to treat opioid dependence. In clinical trials, one person who received Vivitrol had a severe injection site reaction. The swelling at the site continued to get worse over a 4-week period.