Vivitrol injection naltrexone: Side effects, dosage, and more

In the study, 28% of people in the Vivitrol group dropped out before opioid detoxification. Opioid detoxification involves clearing the drug from your body. The numbers of fatal or nonfatal overdoses or other serious side effects such as infections and psychiatric conditions were similar between the two groups. Other drugs are available that can treat alcohol or opioid dependence. If you’re interested in finding an alternative to Vivitrol, talk with your doctor.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that people who are being treated with naltrexone may have a reduced tolerance to opioids after the dose goes away. You should stop using any opioid medications 7 to 14 days before starting treatment with Vivitrol. This is because if you start taking Vivitrol while you have opioids in your body, you can have severe opioid withdrawal. The withdrawal may be so severe that you need to go to the hospital for treatment.

Naltrexone to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

Naltrexone is available as a tablet that contains 50 mg of the drug. The recommended dose is one tablet, taken once a day by swallowing it. Suboxone and its generic form generally cost less than Vivitrol. The actual price you’ll pay for either drug depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use. You may wonder how Vivitrol compares to other medications that are prescribed for similar uses.

Vivitrol can start working within 2 hours after your first injection. However, after the first 2 weeks, the level of medication in your body slowly decreases. You should take Vivitrol according to your doctor or healthcare professional’s instructions.

What should I avoid while using naltrexone (Vivitrol)?

You will need to stop using opioids (narcotics) for at least 7 to 10 days before you can start receiving naltrexone injection. Your doctor may need to do the naloxone challenge test or a urine test for opioids to make sure you are opioid-free. Of the three drugs approved by the FDA to treat alcoholism, only Antabuse is an abstinence-based medication, meaning its intent is to prevent an individual from drinking.

Table 1 provides a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of depot naltrexone preparations compared with oral naltrexone in alcohol-dependent individuals. Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. Your doctor may start you at a lower dose and monitor you for any side effects or withdrawal symptoms before increasing your dose. Although Vivitrol was generally well tolerated, with the most common side effects being nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, and injection site rejections, high doses of naltrexone have been reported to cause hepatocellular injury.

Drug Interactions

Any medical care provider who treats you should know that you are receiving this medication. If you need surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are receiving naltrexone injections. Naltrexone injection is also used sober house to treat alcoholism by reducing your urge to drink alcohol. Naltrexone will not decrease the effects of alcohol you recently consumed. You should not be drinking at the time you receive your first naltrexone injection.

When you feel good after doing something like exercise or helping others, you get a natural reward of endorphins. When opioid receptors are activated in the brain, you are being “rewarded” by these feel-good chemicals telling you to continue the behavior that caused their release. When you use alcohol or opioids, you become addicted to the “high” and the good feelings created by these substances. Your brain responds to these substances by releasing “feel good” chemicals, like opioids and endorphins. If you use opiates while on Vivitrol, you won’t feel the same effect and are at risk of using varying amounts of the drug that you are not used to.