Vivitrol is a drug mainly administered to help prevent drug abuse and relapse, and is used expressly for alcohol and opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription medications. Vivitrol is an extended-release type of the medication Naltrexone, that one can get via a monthly injection. It is not addictive, and is what is known as an antagonist. When an individual is adminstered Vivitrol, it blocks the receptors that would usually be activated by alcohol or opioids, so when an individual drinks alcohol or takes opioids they basically can't get high or drunk.
There are particular precautions that need to be taken before an individual is administered Vivitrol. First off, a client who with the intent to begin Vivitrol needs to have been off of opioids for a minimum of seven to ten days. This is including clients who are participating in opioid maintenance therapy and are taking medications like Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin addict or a person who has been on Methadone for a long time, quitting quickly is brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to go through for at least a week in order to begin taking Vivitrol.
These meds must be used as part of an addiction treatment program in East Middlebury that also offers medical supervision, individual therapy, and group therapy. Speak to your therapist or Dr. in regards to how pharmacological aids can help you maintain the drug-free life you want.
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