Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs - St. Ansgar, IA.

Vivitrol is a drug used to prevent drug use and relapse, and is administered expressly for alcohol and opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription medications. Vivitrol is an extended release type of the medication Naltrexone, which is available via injection once a month. It isn't addictive, and is what is known as an antagonist. When someone is adminstered Vivitrol, it blocks the receptors that would usually be activated by alcohol or opioids, so when an individual drinks or tries to get high on opioids they basically cannot get high or drunk.

There are certain precautions that should be be taken before someone is administered Vivitrol. First off, a person who plans to start Vivitrol needs to have abstained from opioids for a minimum of 7-10 days. This is including clients who are participating in opioid maintenance therapy and are being given medications such as Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin addict or someone who has been on Methadone for a long time, abrupt cessation is brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to go through for at least seven days if they want to start Vivitrol.

These medications must be used as part of an addiction treatment program in St. Ansgar which also offers medical supervision, individual therapy, and group therapy. Speak with your therapist or Dr. in regards to how pharmacological tools can help you maintain and build the drug and alcohol free life you want.

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