Call Today for More Information
888-266-6127

Request a Free Online Assessment

My First Name
*
My Last Name
*
Email Address
*
Phone
*
Family Member's First Name
Family Member's Last Name
Friend First Name
Friend Last Name
Coworker First Name
Coworker Last Name
Other First Name
Other Last Name
Administrative Use Only. (Please leave blank) x
Comments:
 

Vivitrol for Alcoholism: Is Vivitrol Right for You?

By John Lee

Vivitrol is a medication that can help reduce both alcohol cravings and the euphoria associated with drinking. It's delivered through a monthly injection and it's clinically proven to help people avoid relapse and drink less.

Vivitrol can help you stay sober during the tough first months of abstinence, but it's not right for everyone. Learning about Vivitrol can help you determine if it's right for you.

What Is Vivitrol?

Vivitrol is an injectable and long-lasting form of naltrexone. Naltrexone affects dopamine in the brain. When you take naltrexone, drinking alcohol won't cause the same type of dopamine reaction -- and since dopamine creates pleasure, drinking alcohol while taking naltrexone won't be as enjoyable.

Naltrexone helps to take the pleasure out of drinking and it also helps people to better manage cravings to drink.

Who Can't Take Vivitrol?

Some people should not use Vivitrol, including the following:

  • People who are on opiate medications for pain control. Naltrexone will interfere with these medications and interrupt analgesia.
  • People who abuse opiates recreationally.
  • People who have kidney or liver damage. Vivitrol can be very dangerous for people with alcoholic liver disease or other forms of hepatic injury.
  • People who are allergic to naltrexone.

Vivitrol Works as Part of a Complete Treatment Program

  • Vivitrol is clinically proven to help people who are participating in a formal alcohol addiction treatment program reduce consumption or abstain from drinking. It's a helpful additional tool in a battle against temptation and relapse.
  • Vivitrol is not proven to offer any assistance to people who do not also participate in a program of alcohol addiction treatment.

Once you learn how and why you drink, and learn effective strategies to minimize cravings and manage cravings that do arise, you have an excellent chance of quitting drinking for good. Vivitrol can help you by reducing the frequency and intensity of the cravings that you experience.

To learn more about Vivitrol and to find an alcohol addiction treatment program near you that combines psychosocial therapies with this and other FDA-approved addiction treatment medications, call the treatment specialists at the National Resource Center at (888) 266-6127.