Does Vivitrol work? This is a legitimate question

[Anonymous]

Day 1, went to a ball game, drank a half bottle beer, tossed it, I can normally do 6 and a half bottle Jameson's. Get this, day 2, I am sitting in a bar writing this comment...a little sleepy today but there are people around me drinking and I don't crave it at all, it's god sent.

 

[Anonymous]

And let me ask you where I said that. I said we have lost the right to chemically alter emotional problems. I wasn't speaking about addiction. It's clear by reading the entire paragraph what I was speaking about I was speaking about feelings of sadness or anxiety. These worries (emotional problems) can lead to insomnia. So, we go to a physician who believes

But, when you really have no reasonable counterpoints, it's easy to take something out of context in order to deflect and put someone on the defensive. The fact is this, you have never shown me that Vivitrol works. Where is the evidence? You have never addressed the issues with an addicted mind, or the issues of going to a physician who believes in chemical managment of addiction and emotional difficulties. You never addressed the issues with true legit pain. What happens with these people. I can tell you what happens to them here.

And here is a new point for you to ignore, something you won't find in your studies. What happens 5-6 months out...3 weeks into Vivitrol shot? It loses it's efficacy. Opiate addicts begin pushing on those receptors and challenging the drug. Addicts are able to get high on Vivitrol. Do you see a potential problem with that? I can see several.

So, if you ever want to get back to an actual debate on the medication rather than twist my sentences in order to invalidate my statements...let me know.

At least Vivitrol is worth a try given the alternatives available; jail, institutions and death. That does not sound better to me than a monthly injection.

 

[Anonymous]

I LOVE THIS THREAD. IT IS EVERYTHING I LOVED AND HATED ABOUT SELLING VIVITROL WHEN I WORKED FOR CEPHALON. WHAT I LOVE MOST IS THIS THREAD SHOWS THE PSYCHIATRIST THAT IS ANTI VIVITROL, OR SHOULD I SAY SO CALLED PSYCHIATRIST, AS THE ASS THAT HE OR SHE IS....

 

[Anonymous]

Ive been an opiate addict for 16yrs and started suboxone 3yrs ago. it works good if u take it. i recently relapsed and heard about this drug. I have no insurance so would have to pay out of pocket. would it b worth it? I will pretty much do anything to get away from opiates I just dont want to pay 1000 dollars and it not work. thx

 

[Anonymous]

I've been on it for five months now for alcoholism that's been raging for over twenty years (most recently half a liter of vodka a day - no joke - for well over a decade). I haven't had a single drink since rehab (my first time) nor do I have a desire to go back to drinking. I'm the type of person that once I make up my mind about something, I'm usually quite settled on the matter. That said, I plan on taking one more shot to get me through the first six months - my insurance pays 100%. I have a fantastic psychiatrist I've been seeing for almost seven years now to treat bi-polar disorder, and I'm doing great for the most part. Actually, I haven't felt this good since college some twenty years ago. Once off, if I find myself having difficulty, I will absolutely go back on it. Since I've been taking it since rehab, I'm a bit nervous about going off - how will the real world feel without the crutch? I'll find out soon enough. One thing's for sure, if I find it difficult to maintain my sobriety, I will absolutely go back on it. Highly recommended.

 

[Anonymous]

Ive been on vivitrol for 4-5 months now. I'm using vivitrol for opiates however, not alcohol. But ive heard stories that it does work well for alcohol cravings. I've drank alcohol on it. I have drank alcohol on it, and I got drunk, but it helps with the initial cravings quite a bit I've heard.

 

[Anonymous]

That hurt. I was wanting an honest answer.

I am an alcoholic for close to 30 yrs now. I started Vivitrol a month ago. In fact I am due for my second infection tomorrow. I can hardly wait! I noticed a change with my first injection within a week. my cravings/urges were almost NONE.... I haven't had any side effects except for some discomfort at the injections site which lasted a few days. I have noticed that this past week has been a little harder... cravings coming back. I will say that it has definitely deterred me from drinking... I have been tempted to try drinking just to see if it is true that it won't have an affect but I haven't! I decided what is the point.... the point for me is to NOT drink.... this drug has made such a change in my life. I would highly encourage you to give it a try. most insurances cover it I believe. I do not have insurance at this time but I have been fortunate to receive my first dose and now my second does for free. My third month I will have to pay... not looking forward to it but hoping to have insurance to help with it by then. For me this feels like a life changing thing.... I have not had a drink in 3 months and really I am at a point now where I do NOT want to drink and this drug is helping me to hold fast to that determination. good luck to you all!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I LOVE THIS THREAD. IT IS EVERYTHING I LOVED AND HATED ABOUT SELLING VIVITROL WHEN I WORKED FOR CEPHALON. WHAT I LOVE MOST IS THIS THREAD SHOWS THE PSYCHIATRIST THAT IS ANTI VIVITROL, OR SHOULD I SAY SO CALLED PSYCHIATRIST, AS THE ASS THAT HE OR SHE IS....

First, I'm not a psychiatrist. I am a family physician who works full time in an inpatient treatment center. I oversee medical and clinical treatment of addicts. Second, in all caps you decide to call names and curse. This is supposed to validate your position?

 

[Anonymous]

My 20 yo son is an addict, he started with vicoden, percocet moved to oxys and opanas when those became hard to find he went to heroin. As a parent I exhaused all avenues of treatment, inpatient, outpatient, AA meeting and counselling. With each treatment he did well sometimes for up to 3 months at a time he would stay clean, but then he would relapse. The rule in my house was if you use, dont let the door hit you in the butt. (After every thing our family had been thru with my son I was determined I would not be an enabler) After being clean for three months one day my son came into the living room with a packed bag, I new immediately he had made the decision to go and use. I begged him to not do this, and he said to me (Mom, you don't understand I think about it when I am awake, I think about it when I am asleep, it is all I think about and I am tired and can't fight this anymore) Needless to say he left and went straight to the dope boys house. I was determined to find a solution and looked on-line for hours, what I came across has changed our lives dramatically. I came across vivitrol injection, trying to find a provider in our area took another 4-5 days and hundreds of phone calls, but I finally found one about 90 miles from our home. I spoke with my son and convinced my son to at least go and talk to physician, which he did. The doctor gave my son 4 prescriptions to help him get off heroin (phenergan, restoril, ativan, and neurontin) just enough pills for four days. I took my son to a friends house in the country (about 20 minutes from our house at my sons request) He managed to stay off heroin for the four days and we headed back to doctors to get injection. I remember him telling me on the long drive there Mom what am I going to do if the cravings don't go away and I get the shot then what am I suppose to do?? We got to the doctors, my son was giving the shot and out the door we went. With in 15 minutes of being in the car he said Mom your not going to believe this but the craving are gone. (My son describes the cravings as a thought you get stuck on and can't get it out of your head no matter what, and now with the shot he says it is a fleeting thought). My son has received the shot for a year, he has a new group of friends, is in school, is working and back to being an active part of our family. His last shot had been over two months ago he felt he was ready to come off the shot(he lost weight approx 40 pounds (was thin to begin with), complainted of joints hurting and the injection hurting for days after you get it). He recently moved out into house on his own and 5 days after moving out called and asked me to set up appointment to see doctor for injections. We just went last week and started them back up (the doctor said moving was probably a trigger). I cant say how proud of him that he choose the injection opposed to using. My point is If you truly want to get clean and get your life back I think anyone could be successful with the injection. It is a miracle drug and I think they should be handing it out. I do not know what the future will bring, but I no longer feel as helpless as I once did. Yes there are side affects but what are the side affects of heroin. There is a heroin epidemic with young adults in our area, and we have referred several other families to vivitrol and there young adults are all starting to put their lives back together again as well. I would also like to add my son had to get his wisdom teeth surgically removed while getting the injections ( vivitrol is an opiate blocker) so they put him to sleep for the procedure but afterwards the only pain medication he could take was motrin and he did fine. He fully understands he is an addict and understands that for the rest of his life he will have to deal with pain by taking motrin and sucking it up. My son to my knowledge has not even attempted to use during the last year with the cravings gone he has no reason. Where there is a will there is now a way. If you want to get clean and stay clean this is the shot for you, but as with anything if you try to get high I am sure a person could find a way if they don't kill themselves in the process

 

[Anonymous]

First, I'm not a psychiatrist. I am a family physician who works full time in an inpatient treatment center. I oversee medical and clinical treatment of addicts. Second, in all caps you decide to call names and curse. This is supposed to validate your position?

I can understand the emotional responses on this thread. I sold Vivitrol as well and one of the most frustrating things was the apathy from clinicians. I can count on two hands the number of PCP's that told me, "Vivitrol works great! Just don't tell anyone I am using it cause I don't want all the addicts to show up on my doorstep."

You can imagine how frustrating that would be, right? I do believe that part of the addiction is the chemical dependence. I think we can all agree to that. However, when opiates are concerned, Vivitrol is very effective. Its binding capacity supercedes that of opiates and thus cannot be reversed by using. Also, if the patient uses and gets the shot... Almost instant withdrawal. It is in many ways a check to keep the patient accountable.

Patients need to develop coping skills, like it or not. It is that simple. But, you can't do that when you are high. To the doc who said we don't know the safety / efficacy of Vivitrol for long term use. I am assuming that you are siding with the long term benefits of heroin or percocet?

You comparison to oncology is idiotic. Just as no one would side with cancer, I find it moronic for you to side with addiction because you fear the long term use of Vivitrol. Naltrexone and disolvable sutures have been used in millions of patients. I have not heard of any carcinogenic properties, have you? I have however heard of many people dying from opiate overdoses and families being destroyed.

 

[Anonymous]

Great post, thanks for sharing.

i have to ask now... my son is going for his 5th shot next week.. he is addicted to H. he is smiling and lovable again.,.. nothing missing or stolen since rehab and on the shot!!! going to work, paying his bills, unlike before...BUT likes to hang out with his "new" friends that don't use till (I think) a little too late to get up at 5 am and works with his father and his father says he noods out going to work. i check his pupils and they are not pin points and always reacting to light.. I am scared now reading all this he will relapse and starting using again... someone please help a mom that is scared to death... But everything seems like normal finally after 12 rehabs and 3 years of using H.

 

[Anonymous]

I can understand the emotional responses on this thread. I sold Vivitrol as well and one of the most frustrating things was the apathy from clinicians. I can count on two hands the number of PCP's that told me, "Vivitrol works great! Just don't tell anyone I am using it cause I don't want all the addicts to show up on my doorstep."

You can imagine how frustrating that would be, right? I do believe that part of the addiction is the chemical dependence. I think we can all agree to that. However, when opiates are concerned, Vivitrol is very effective. Its binding capacity supercedes that of opiates and thus cannot be reversed by using. Also, if the patient uses and gets the shot... Almost instant withdrawal. It is in many ways a check to keep the patient accountable.

Patients need to develop coping skills, like it or not. It is that simple. But, you can't do that when you are high. To the doc who said we don't know the safety / efficacy of Vivitrol for long term use. I am assuming that you are siding with the long term benefits of heroin or percocet?

You comparison to oncology is idiotic. Just as no one would side with cancer, I find it moronic for you to side with addiction because you fear the long term use of Vivitrol. Naltrexone and disolvable sutures have been used in millions of patients. I have not heard of any carcinogenic properties, have you? I have however heard of many people dying from opiate overdoses and families being destroyed.

Setting up strawman arguments show me how truly weak your position is. I have given many opportunities to rebut my statements about the addicted mind, cross addiction and have invited discussion on studies. What I have gotten is attacks on my character, motives and people dodging my points. Now I'm siding with cancer and addiction? I'm siding with heroin and percocet Where do you all get this stuff? Not even worth debating that nonsense. Go back re-read my posts and come up with a legit rebuttal.

If you can't understand why I would compare the need to have firm evidence just like an oncologist would then I don't know what to say. ANY specialist in any specialty except addiction would laugh you out of the office if you came up with 3 month end points to your studies.

 

[ChelBerg]

I normally don't post things on here but after reading everyone's comments I felt it was necessary to share my story. I've been on Vivitrol for about a year now for opiate addiction. I did a 35 day inpatient program then before I left treatment decided to get the shot. I'm active in NA and even with 13 months sober, I'm still in sober living. I've never tried to use opiates on the shot because the whole point of getting it in the first place is so I don't get high. I have tried drinking maybe 3 times while on Vivitrol and although I felt somewhat "buzzed" I just had no desire to keep drinking; Vivitrol really takes the fun out of that one. For anyone who is on Vivitrol and serious about getting sober, this drug has saved my life and made it possible for me to wake up every morning feeling like a "normal" human being. Of course, I actually had to put in time and work in order to have a successful Vivitrol story.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been on the Vivitrol shot for about half a year and yes it works! I remember my first shot; my cravings were practically lifted from me. Not only the physical but I didn't even think about it as much (if at all). After years of being a severe alcoholic and near death over-dose experience, this shot practically has saved my life. Any questions you'd like to ask a real human being and recovering alcoholic feel free to email me at candibrianne@gmail.com

 

[Anonymous]

im 20 yrs old and ive been useing heroin for almost a yr, i get awful craving, and have tried quting twice already recently. i want to be sober& clean but it seems so hard, with all the stress. ive been clean for a week an just used again for the first time. ughh i just couldnt resiste the temptation. i just set up an appt. to meet with a dr. about getting the vivtrol shot, but i am veryyyy nervous . i hear good and bad things about it. i feel it can help. i read up on it alot. i m not sure if husky a will cover the cost of the monthly shot?? i would not be able to afford it on my own though if it does not. i read u need to wait up to a week after useing to get the shot ..is that true , or else ou could get very sick an even be hospitalised?? i havnt been to rehab or jail or treatment of anykind beside a does of subs so i wouldnt be sick after quitibg heroin. i just want some honest advice, about my next steps to getting the vivitrl shot. does it hurt? do they put you t sleep when getting it? what should my dosage be?? i would shoot heroin, but not to much. only about 5 at most a day. i just want anormal life back..will this shot give me that. please someone with any experiance similar to mine reply as soon as possible. i want to know what im getting myself into...i want to be prepared.

 

[Anonymous]

My heart breaks for the 20 year old on heroin for almost a year. Run don't walk to detox and getting the injection. It can save your life. I want to share what little bit I know about Vivitrol. My daughter is 25 and had used heroin daily for past three years until 11-16-2013. She was arrested for heroin possession and accepted to drug court. She had been working and attending college and appeared to be doing so well, while the whole time she was using heroin and lying to everyone. Drug court put her in jail to detox for 5 days. Once detoxed, they gave her a Vivitrol injection and sent her to a 21 day 12 step inpatient rehab. She has been to 3 or 4 rehabs before. Her problems go back 10 years and involve any and all drugs available. My daughter did not have any problems from the injection. Vivitrol is almost always 380mg standard dosage and injected into upper arm muscle once a month. It is just a shot and not a big deal. Very quickly she felt no cravings. She plans to continue monthly injections, attending court ordered out patient therapy, and attending 12 step meetings. I am holding my breath that she survives her addictions and achieves sobriety. Right now Vivitrol is making it a possibility. I can't say enough good. I beg you to detox immediately. Although miserable, detoxing off heroin will not kill you. Then find a program that can provide you the Vivitrol injections. They can be expensive but my daughter is being given then at the taxpayers' expense. God bless. Sobriety=Life.

 

[Anonymous]

It does.

 

[Anonymous]

you

 

[Anonymous]

For torture purposes you best believe it.This particular criminal group does fiduary fraud.They go to states with lax laws and attempt to force an individual into treatment.They will claim they are drug addicts boozers[if that doesn't work they will claim they have a devastating deadly illness and need help now.Every false illness will allow them access to the patients crotch just as a vivitrol shot will.If you have ever been raped you will re-experience it over and over because of what these monsters have done.They will attempt to stop you from finding the court order including switching states.The goal of all this falsity is to torture you into suicide so that they collect on life insurance and every thing else you or your family own.They have the power of god and the brain cells of an amoeba.They will attempt to suck your family into helping them by claiming you are facing criminal charges,when you in fact aren't.You have never lived in the state that they claim the charges are from.If you complain you will be told the problem is with you.They have your family parrot the same shit.They love to claim you are noncompliant violent it allows them to knock you out to administer the drug.You aren't noncompliant you don't suffer from the problem to begin with.You are only violent because someone is molesting raping you with a drug without the benefit of even talking to you.Not to mention it reminds you of your rape which they also enjoy as they are sadists.If Vivitrol weren't on the market it would remove another of their torture weapons.Sadly they would just turn to another.
Its the only reason I don't try and have this drug removed from the market.

 

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