Addiction Medicine Blog

Facts about Vivitrol it's Role in Addiction Treatment

What is Vivitrol?



We get calls here at the office with this question everyday. Whether you are the patient or loved one I'm sure you have been over loaded with different treatment options from all different sources. You hear one thing from a friend, or website and another from a Doctor. We can agree that it is always helpful to hear a point of view from someone that has personally experienced these medications before. We are working on testimonials for all of you that would like to hear from your fellow peers and how their treatment is going. We hope to have those up soon, so subscribe to our Blog and I will let you know when that happens.

What it really comes down to though, is that you are looking to make sure you or your loved one get the best treatment. Obviously I am not going to tell you which treatment is the best route for you. That is something the Doctor will decide with the patient. However, I do hope we can share some facts with you to help you get a clear idea of what to expect and what benefits Vivitrol can have.

Lets talk about treatment. Vivitrol and Suboxone can be prescribed for the treatment of opiate dependence. I will be addressing Suboxone in our next blog. However, Vivitrol is fairly new to treatment for opiate dependence (used for alcohol dependence for many years) and we want to get the word out there so people are more familiar with this form of treatment.

First, lets picture the state of the brain when addicted to opiates. We are going to use the character Pac Man as an example and representation of opiate brain receptors. We all have receptors or Pac Men, in our brain that are activated once opiates are used. Once the Opiates feed these Pac Men they feel reward and want more. The more Pac Men that are fed and satisfied with the opiates it creates more hungry Pac Men. Our brain starts telling us to keep feeding them. Here you now have an addiction.  Once these Pac Men have been desensitized because of prolonged use, users can build up a tolerance and require a higher dose to achieve the same effect.These Pac Men multiply, more mouths to feed make them harder to satisfy.  

This is were Vivitrol helps. It helps silence those Pac Men, or blocks them from being able to be satisfied with the use of opiates. It blocks the effects of drugs like Oxycontin, heroin, and other opiates. It is administered into muscle and since it is long lasting this injection only happens once a month. That fact alone has made Vivitrol a huge success and helped many grab a hold of life without addiction.

Things to Remember:

• You must be off opiates before taking Vivitrol.   In other words, an opiate-dependent person must detox from opiates before starting Vivitrol. (we have a gentle detox program offered here at Creekside also)
• Never try to overcome the effects of the medication by using large doses of narcotic drugs or alcohol. Doing so could result in dangerous effects, including coma and death.
• Vivitrol is very effective, however very costly. There is a copay assistance program to help with co-pays for the medication. Checking with your insurance first is always wise.