Vivitrol Used in Treatment - Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers - Athens, NY.

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 drug Naltrexone, that is available through injection once a month. It is not habit forming, and is what is called an antagonist. When an individual injects Vivitrol, it blocks the receptors that would usually be activated by alcohol or opioids, so when an individual drinks or takes opioids they essentially cannot get high or drunk.

There are particular safety measures that need to be taken before an individual is administered Vivitrol. Firstly, a client who plans to start Vivitrol must have abstained from opioids for a minimum of seven to ten days. This is including clients who are participating in opioid maintenance therapy and are being given drugs like Buprenorphine or Methadone. For a heroin abuser or a person who has been on Methadone for several years, abrupt cessation can be brutal, but withdrawal is something they will have to endure for a minimum of seven days in order to start Vivitrol.

These meds must be used as part of an addiction treatment program in Athens that also includes individual therapy, group therapy and medical supervision. Speak to your doctor or therapist in regards to how pharmacological aids can help you maintain and build the sober life you want.

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