Vivitrol

VIVITROL is indicated for the treatment of alcohol dependence in patients who are able to abstain from alcohol in an outpatient setting prior to treatment initiation. Patients should not be actively drinking at the time of initial VIVITROL administration.
VIVITROL should be part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support.

VIVITROL is a long-acting from of naltrexone and has been shown to be generally well tolerated and effective for the treatment of Alcohol dependence as part of a comprehensive management program.

Unlike other medications that need to be taken every day, VIVITROL is taken just once a month.

Many people find it extremely hard to take a medicine for Alcoholism every single day. There can be several  reasons for this. They might not remember to take it, they might not like taking it because of the side effects, or they just might not be ready to take medicine everyday to help them manage for drinking.

What to expect from VIVITROL treatment
VIVITROL is a new medicine for the treatment of alcohol dependence to be used a part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support such as counseling.
Rather than take a pill every day, people who take VIVITROL will receive an injection once a month.  Because it is a long-acting medication, a single injection slowly releases enough of the medicine to be effective all month long.

How VIVITROL works
VIVITROL works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain.  Although the mechanism responsible for reduction in alcohol consumption is not entirely understood, preclinical data suggest that occupation of the opioid receptors by VIVITROL may result in the blockade of the neurotransmitters in the brain believed to be involved with alcohol dependence.  This blockade may result in the reduction in alcohol consumption observed in patients treated with VIVITROL.

VIVITROL is administered only once a month. The medicine in VIVITROL is encased in microscopic biodegradable shells called microspheres. Throughout the month, these shells slowly dissolve, releasing medicine every day.       

The role of counseling
In the US, counseling has historically been the main focus of alcohol treatment.  Depending on personal preferences and available resources, counseling may take several forms.

Individual or Group Sessions
Some patients have achieved success with counseling, commonly conducted by psychologists, social workers, or other professionals trained to help people with alcohol addiction.  Therapeutic approaches include the process of teaching people who struggle with alcohol to identify situations and feelings that trigger the urge to drink, and helping them find new ways to cope that do not include alcohol use.  Often, programs for family members are also available, as well as referrals to local services such as legal assistance, job training, childcare and parenting classes.

Self-help groups
Most treatment programs encourage their participants to attend self-help programs on a regular basis.  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a well-established self-help group with resources available around the world.  Most self-h4elp treatment approaches include AA or a similar 12-step program in addition to other types of activities. .

Combined approaches
While counseling and self-help can be effective on their own for many people, medicine is an emerging avenue of treatment used in conjunction with them.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is part of the US Government National Institute of Health (NIH) The NIAA sponsors about 90% of the research on alcoholism in the US.

According to the NIAA; “All approved drugs have been shown to be effective adjuncts to the treatment of alcohol dependence.  Thus, consider adding medication whenever you are treating someone with active alcohol dependence….”

Scientist supported by NIAAA, agree that medicine for the treatment of alcoholism works best in conjunction with counseling.  One of the major directions of NIAAA-funded research concerns how results can be improved through combining medicine and counseling.

How VIVITROL Helps
Patients who were able to abstain from alcohol prior to starting treatment with VIVITROL in combination with psychosocial support were able  to reduce their number of any drinking days and number of heavy drinking days.  In addition, these patients were able to increase their total number of days abstinent and were more likely to maintain complete abstinence throughout the study.