Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers - St. Michael, MN.

Vivitrol is a drug used to prevent drug or alcohol abuse and relapse, and is used expressly for alcohol and opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription pain killers. Vivitrol is an extended release type of the drug Naltrexone, which one can get via a monthly injection. It isn't habit forming, and is what is called an antagonist. When an individual takes Vivitrol, it cuts off the receptors that would normally be activated by opioids or alcohol, so when an individual takes a drink of alcohol or takes opioids they essentially can't get high or drunk.

There are certain precautions that should be be taken before an individual begins treatment with Vivitrol. First off, a client who plans to begin Vivitrol must have abstained from opioids for at least seven to ten days. This includes clients who are participating in opioid maintenance therapy and are taking meds such as Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin abuser or someone who has been taking Methadone for several years, abrupt cessation is brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to go through for at least seven days in order to start Vivitrol.

These medications must be used in conjunction with an addiction treatment program in St. Michael which also offers individual therapy, group therapy and medical supervision. Talk with your doctor or therapist about how pharmacological tools can help you maintain the drug-free life you want.

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