Vivitrol | Vivitrol For Alcoholism Treatment
Vivitrol is the newest medication available to help decrease cravings for alcohol. It is the injectable form of naltrexone. It's advantage is
that it can be given once every few weeks by an injection in the muscle. The naltrexone is active the entire time, helping to decrease cravings
for alcohol.
This long acting injectable form was made available because many people taking the oral form of naltrexone, called Revia, would stop taking
the pills as soon as they started to drink again. Thus, no naltrexone would be available to help curb their cravings. The injection has helped
get over this problem of medication non-compliance.
Since the medication was just FDA approved in mid 2006, there aren't too many addiction professionals with experience using it.
Generally, someone who is a candidate for this medication would first be placed on the oral naltrexone (Revia) to make sure they tolerate it
before they would be switched to the injectable Vivitrol.
Here is some information from a six month scientific study:
In a six-month study, participants receiving monthly shots of Vivitrol along with counseling for alcohol dependence had fewer heavy drinking
days than did participants who received counseling alone.
Vivitrol is not habit-forming. To date, about 400 people have been treated with Vivitrol for six months or longer. Another 230 have been
receiving monthly shots for one year or longer. Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness and fatigue, as well as reactions
at the injection site.
Vivitrol (Injectable Naltrexone) Is Only A Small Part Of True Alcoholism Recovery Mastery - You Must Add In The Other Important
Piece
Keep in mind that this medication is only one piece of a comprehensive addiction treament program. To truly master your addiction recovery,
you must add this important piece. It is the use of proven, focused addiction psychotherapy and counseling.
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