Vivitrol
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Options for helping alcoholics reach recovery continue to grow, including injectible medications that can help curb cravings and sustain a period of abstinence. Vivitrol is an injectible medication for alcoholism that is used once per month and in some cases, has even been recommended by judges to help people with alcohol-related offenses.
Like other prescribed medications for alcoholics, Vivitrol reduces the positive effects of alcohol so that drinking is no longer desirable and recovering alcoholics can help avoid sliding into relapse. Approved in 1994 for alcoholism, the active ingredient in Vivitrol is naltrexone, an opiate-receptor blocker.
Consuming alcohol causes opiates to be released and prompts a feeling of pleasure, but Vivitrol blocks the opiate receptors and prevents the patient from getting a pleasurable feeling from drinking. Some studies have shown that in comparison to recovering alcoholics without medication, those using Vivitrol have consumed lower levels of drinks and have used alcohol fewer times.
When combined with other treatment options, like counseling, Vivitrol is believed to work even more successfully, according to studies that looked at people’s rates of remaining abstinent for a timeframe of six months.
Vivitrol may also be an easier recovery route for some alcoholics, because the treatment is given by injection once a month instead of taking a daily dose of another medical treatment. This once-a-month approach may encourage some recovering alcoholics, who can lose their desire to continue taking daily dosages of their prescription.
Vivitrol has not been shown to be addictive and patients have not reported withdrawal symptoms if the medication is stopped. Side effects of Vivitrol can include nausea that may lessen for some patients as they continue using the medication. Additional side effects have been reported, like fatigue, joint aches, vomiting or muscle cramping.
Other medications, like buprenorphine or methadone, have been marketed to help curb people’s cravings for addictive substances ranging from heroin to prescription pain medications. For alcoholics, Antabuse (disulfiram) has been prescribed to help curb the addiction, but makes the drinker violently ill if any alcohol is consumed.
Scientists and addiction specialists as a whole continue to take a closer look at the brain activity of people with addictions to drugs, alcohol or certain behaviors. While most do not agree on an end-all treatment, many believe that a person’s brain functions related to making decisions, looking for pleasure, controlling inhibitions and even the ways they process information are different for people who suffer with addictions than for those who do not.
The view that alcoholism is a disease that involves specific brain functionality problems is prompting new pharmaceutical developments to help curb addictions that are rooted in neuroscience. Several hundred medications to treat addiction are in review, but experts still suggest a comprehensive approach involving counseling, lifestyle changes and family or group support are necessary to help people reach and maintain full recovery.
See also naltrexone
