The half-life of the main metabolite, 6-beta-naltrexol, is also 5 to 10 days. Vivitrol should be used along with psychosocial support as part of a comprehensive treatment program. The actual price you’ll pay depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use. If you’re breastfeeding, talk with your doctor before using Vivitrol.
VIVITROL2GETHER® PATIENT SUPPORT SERVICES
It works to reduce the pleasurable effects of drinking alcohol and decrease alcohol cravings. This allows for more brain space and energy for making other lifestyle changes that support sobriety or moderation. In this article, we will explore how naltrexone works, how long its effects last, and provide insights into its benefits and considerations for use. Whether you are considering naltrexone for the first time or looking for more information, this guide has you covered.
Serious side effects
Carry written information with you at all times to alert healthcare providers that you are taking this medication, so that they can treat you properly in an emergency. Ask your healthcare provider how you can get a wallet card to carry with you. Naloxone (Narcan), on the other hand, is a medication that’s used to treat opioid overdoses. This medication stops the “high” feeling you may get from opioids. Naloxone works for only a short period of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ time to reverse an overdose that already occurred. Naloxone acts very quickly (within minutes) to help reverse an overdose.
- In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
- Here is some information about what happens after you are prescribed VIVITROL leading up to your injection appointment.
- Ask your healthcare provider how you can get a wallet card to carry with you.
Vivitrol side effects
The drug is present in breast milk, so a breastfeeding child may consume the medication. However, it’s not known what effects Vivitrol may have on breast milk or on a breastfed child. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Vivitrol.
Patients must also be able to abstain from alcohol in an outpatient setting. For opioid dependence, Vivitrol should be used after detoxification. Patients should be opioid-free for 7 to 14 days prior to starting treatment with Vivitrol. Vivitrol (naltrexone) can help reduce opioid or alcohol cravings in people with an opioid or alcohol use disorder.
With dependence, your body needs a certain substance for you to feel comfortable. Vivitrol’s mechanism of action (how it works) is to block the sites in your body where alcohol or opioids attach. This helps you have fewer cravings, which can help keep you from drinking alcohol or taking opioids again.
Questions about Vivitrol’s dosage
- It is just as effective but you need to follow the directions of your doctor.
- This is also aligned with the FDA’s prescribing information.
- Your current relationship with alcohol can also have an impact.
- It has been discovered to be very beneficial in lowering relapse rates and the number of days with heavy drinking.
- It was also the pill form of naltrexone that was initially approved for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
Remaining in the study meant that people continued to take the medication for 12 weeks, as opposed to dropping out of the study. Keep in mind that people how to stop alcohol cravings taking Vivitrol for alcohol dependence shouldn’t drink alcohol even though they may have a lower desire to drink. Vivitrol reduces cravings for alcohol, so you may drink less alcohol while taking Vivitrol.
This can help individuals cut back on drinking because it makes drinking less pleasurable. When drinking on naltrexone, it’s less likely that dopamine levels will ramp up and that you’ll continue drinking to excess once you’ve started. As you take naltrexone over time, the brain’s association between alcohol and pleasure weakens, which allows alcohol cravings to subside.
ASK YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF
If opioid pain medications are needed, doctors may first give you another type of drug that reverses the effects of Vivitrol. They’ll also carefully monitor your breathing and other vital signs such as heart rate while you’re getting opioid pain medications. This is because taking opioids with Vivitrol can increase the risk of serious side effects. These include sudden opioid withdrawal or opioid intoxication (overdose).