Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers - Smithshire, IL.

Vivitrol is a drug used to prevent drug or alcohol use and relapse, and is administered expressly for alcohol and opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription pain killers. Vivitrol is an extended release version of the medication Naltrexone, which one can get via injection once a month. It is not habit forming, and is what is called an antagonist. When someone is adminstered Vivitrol, it blocks the receptors that would normally be triggered by opioids or alcohol, so when someone takes a drink of alcohol or takes opioids they basically cannot get high or drunk.

There are certain precautions that need to be taken before an individual is administered Vivitrol. Firstly, a person who plans to begin Vivitrol needs to have been off of opioids for at least 7-10 days. This includes clients who are involved in opioid maintenance therapy and are taking meds like Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin addict or a person who has been taking Methadone for several years, abrupt cessation can be brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to endure for at least a week in order to begin taking Vivitrol.

These medications must be used as part of a treatment program in Smithshire which also offers individual therapy, group therapy and medical supervision. Talk with your doctor or therapist in regards to how pharmacological aids can help you build and maintain the sober life you want.

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