This blog post contains information about opiate addiction and the drug Vivitrol. This blog post represents the opinion of the author and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your physician before taking any medication.Heroin and opiate addiction is by far the most common reason client’s seek out the services of NorthStar Transition’s Boulder sober living drug rehab program. Heroin and opiate addiction is a growing epidemic among today’s youth. Heroin and opiate addicts are far more likely to be successful after primary addiction treatment if they then enroll in a 3-6 month addiction treatment aftercare sober living program like NorthStar Transitions.However, along with sober living comes freedom and inherent in freedom is the increased possibility of relapse. Enter the drug Vivitrol. Vivitrol is an injection that can only be administered by a physician. Vivitrol is a long acting opioid receptor antagonist that prevents a user from feeling the euphoric effects of opiates. If a person has had a Vivitrol injection and then uses opiates, they will not feel "high" at all. The point of this is that the addict will not use because they know they will not be able to get high. Vivitrol also has a similar effect with alcohol. The Vivitrol injection is better than oral Naltrexone tablets because with oral Naltraxone tablets the addict must take the pills in order for them to work. If the addict is sneaky, as most are, they can simply “cheek” the pills and spit them out or if they are not being monitored they can simply stop taking the pills and then resume using heroin or other opiates.The Vivitrol injection is fairly pricey ranging in the neighborhood of $1,000.00 per injection. Vivitrol has to be administered every month and it is recommended that a patient remain on Vivitrol for a period of 4-6 months until they are farily established in their recovery. Although Vivitrol is expensive, it is an excellent tool in helping to keep an opiate addict sober and get over the initial few months of cravings inherent in the first months of recovery. Vivitrol is much preferable for most young adult clients than Suboxone or Methadone because Vivitrol is not addictive and does not give clients a “high” as methadone and Suboxone do. Unlike Methadone or Suboxone where the withdrawal can be as bad or worse than Heroin, Vivitrol users do not experience withdrawal when they stop receiving shots.If you or a loved one are struggling with heroin or opiate addiction and need a Denver drug rehab or Boulder drug rehab consultation or are in need of more information about Vivitrol or our Boulder sober living program, please call us at 1-866-407-2240 today. We are here to help!
