Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers - Shawnee, KS.

Vivitrol is a drug mainly administered to prevent drug or alcohol dependency and relapse, and is used expressly for alcohol and opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription pain killers. Vivitrol is an extended release version of the drug Naltrexone, that one can get via a monthly injection. It isn't habit forming, and is what is known as an antagonist. When someone is adminstered Vivitrol, it blocks the receptors that would usually be activated by opioids or alcohol, so when someone drinks alcohol or tries to get high on opioids they essentially can't get drunk or high.

There are particular precautions that need to be taken before an individual is administered Vivitrol. Firstly, someone who with the intent to start Vivitrol must have been off of opioids for a minimum of seven to ten days. This includes clients who are involved in opioid maintenance therapy and are taking drugs such as Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin abuser or someone who has been taking Methadone for several years, abrupt cessation can be very difficult, but withdrawal is something they will have to go through for a minimum of 7 days in order to start Vivitrol.

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

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