Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Programs - Charleston, ME.

Vivitrol is a medication mainly administered to help prevent drug or alcohol use 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, that is available via injection once a month. It is not habit forming, and is what is known as an antagonist. When someone is adminstered Vivitrol, it cuts off the receptors that would usually be triggered by opioids or alcohol, so when someone drinks or takes opioids they essentially can't get high or drunk.

There are certain precautions that should be be taken before someone begins treatment with Vivitrol. First off, someone who intends to begin Vivitrol must have abstained from opioids for a minimum of seven to ten days. This includes clients who are participating in opioid maintenance therapy and are being given meds such as Methadone or Buprenorphine. For a heroin abuser or someone who has been on Methadone for several years, abrupt cessation can be brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to go through for a minimum of 7 days if they want to begin taking Vivitrol.

These meds must be used as part of a treatment program in Charleston that also offers medical supervision, individual therapy, and group therapy. Talk with your therapist or doctor about how pharmacological tools can help you maintain and build the drug-free life you want.

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