VIVTROL TREATMENT

The drug Vivitrol is one of the latest breakthrough in treating alcoholism and addiction to opioid drugs. Also called naltrexone or naltrexone hydrochloride, Vivtrol treatment was approved by FDA in 2006. Basically how this drug works is that it stops the brain from producing a pleasure chemical called dopamine, which is induced by endomorphins. With prolonged use of the drug, the brain stops deriving any pleasure from alcohol or drugs. Vivitrol can be taken as a pill or injected into the blood.

The best part about this drug is that it need not be taken every day. It is taken only once in a month. This is a non-narcotic and non-addictive drug. The usage of Vivitrol in rehabilitation centers have increased in recent times. In fact many drug and alcohol drug rehab centers are advertising themselves as using Vivitrol as part of the treatment. The success rate is also quite high as compared to other drugs and other methods of treating alcoholism.

Vivtrol treatment is to be administered only by a professional. It is found to have adverse on persons suffering from hepatitis or liver related diseases, pregnant women, lactating women, persons prone to depression and diabetics. Vivtrol, though is found to have greater success rates than other drugs, it is not a foolproof method of treating the disease. A person who drinks or takes drugs while undergoing treatment, i.e. during the one month period after taking the drug, is found to be more dependent on the drug than before taking the drug. Also while administering the drug; the body should be completely free of any traces of alcohol or drugs.

The patient has to follow the routine detoxification program before being injected with the drug. Otherwise the traces of alcohol or drugs in the body with react with the drug being administered, and may have severe complications on the body.. Vivtrol treatment in drug rehab centers is to be supplemented by other techniques of treating alcoholism. It should be followed by psychological counseling, plenty of emotional support, physical exercise and meditation like yoga. Thus it should be viewed only as one of the methods for treating the disease and not the answer to alcoholism.

Interestingly, Vivitrol is being studied in the treatment of breast cancer. The possibility of the drug stopping the release of the hormone estrogen, which causes cancer cells to grow, is being studied.

Currently Vivtrol treatment is not easily accessible by many because of the cost factor, but in the near future, as the cost comes down, it will have a profound effect on alcohol and drug dependent people, and on the society as a whole.