Naltrexone Injection?

I've been on the shot two separate times. Once for 90 days and this time for nearly two years. The first couple months I noticed some depression after the shot. Still get it for a day or two but not as severe. It definitely works but to varying degrees for different people. I think it's a great option if you just can't stay clean. My insurance covered most of it and Vivtrol covered the rest.

There are already a lot of posts about vivitrol if you search the sub. It's been around for several years.

You absolutely cannot have any opiates in your system when you receive the injection or you will go through terrible precipitous withdrawal. My insurance covers it, I end up paying about $20 / a month for it. It can be very expensive without insurance through.

It must be treated as a component of a larger recovery plan. The shot itself will keep you clean but if you don't do the work necessary in recovery, you can very easily slip back into addiction after the shot wears off. Learned that the hard way.

The shot itself IMO is a bit painful (the needle is massive, avoid looking at it if you can - and that's coming from someone without any phobia of needles) and your glute muscle will be sore for a few days but otherwise never experienced any side effects. absolutely worth it. A great first step and failsafe in recovery.

I have it. The needle was big and it bruised my ass. No side effects. Insurance covered it. Nothing to do to prepare... generally you take naltrexone for a week to make sure your body doesn't react poorly to it. Works for most people. I haven't tried to get loaded since taking it, so I don't know about its capacity to block opiates and/or booze. Haven't really had any cravings.

I just got my 7th shot a couple weeks ago. Got on it immediately getting out of jail back in November. It seems that different states and/or counties or even facilities run their programs differently. I go through an AODA outpatient center that is 100% covered by my insurance. To get the shot however, you need to participate in group meetings once a week and meet individually with a case manager (counselor) there. When you first start it, you meet with the manager once a week. I'm currently once a month but also almost a year clean now. My program does the shot every 28 days. Holes but can go longer if needed. They also recommend only being on it for no more than 18 months. I have heard of other places that doit every 21 days though.

Only specific doctors can prescribe it and then a nurse certified with Vivitrol can inject it. Not all nurses and/or doctors can administer it. If your primary physician already knows about your addiction issues (which they should anyways) that could be a good place to start and they would get you started in the right direction. My insurance doesn't typically cover the shot however if the prescribing Doctor writes them stating the benefits to the shot over any other alternative, they will usually allow it. This was really easy for me at least.

My experiences with the shot are some what mixed. I got on it coming out of jail at a point in my life where I felt completely done with opiates to begin with. I even turned myself into my PO just to go to jail and get clean because I tried doing it alone on the street and failed miserably. When I was released from jail, I still decided to get the shot mainly to show the people around me that I was serious about my recovery this time around. This has actually helped me a ton in that regard actually. I feel like simply being on the shot has helped rebuild a lot of trust with the ones I love. However, the shot alone is not the cure all. I have also put tons of work myself into rebuilding those relationships. You still need a solid program of recovery to keep you clean. I know several people that still have tried to use while on Vivitrol when they stopped attending groups and/or community 12 step meetings. One of which ended up dead from an OD because he could simply not do enough dope to get high while on Vivitrol, yet it was plenty enough to kill him... It won't be the miracle drug to keep you clean unless you really want to be. It will help greAtly though to at least get you through that first year or so of life while you struggle to rebuild everything around you. It's a long journey but there is a better life to be had. Personally I think I would be comfortable getting off the shot at any point now but I still wAnt to stay on it until I can get my restitution paid off and started into my next semester at college. Be sure to build a solid plan for yourself when you want to stop. Set specific goals and make sure they are met before quitting.

The side effects.... These can range quite drastically depending on the person. For me personally though everything is pretty mild. I typically get my shot on a Friday morning and wake up Sunday morning with a headache. This is usually remedied with a couple of ibuprofen though and the headache is gone just as quick as it came. Sleep issues... The first few days after every shot, I tend to not get the greatest sleep unless I am completely burnt out from other things. This also makes me a bit drowsy through the weekend due to lack of sleep. I am also prescribed Gabapentin for anxiety and sleep issues though which helps greatly when I'm having trouble sleeping. I only tend to take it the first few nights after getting my shot. The good ok' sore ass... Yes, as others have mentioned, it is a pretty large needle with a good 3cc of milky looking fluid. It's a bit of a shock on your first couple injections and you can definitely feel the fluid entering your butt cheek. The next couple of days you may have a little soreness or stiffness in that side of your butt but it isn't intolerable. The weirdest thing that I have come across so far is that my second to last shot, so about 6 weeks ago now. It was done by the backup nurse that doesn't typically administer it. I still have some sort of odd lump under the skin at the injection site. The normal nurse tells me it's nothing to worry about and that it can happen sometimes when the fluid is injected too quickly. It will supposedly go away on its own eventually.

I know this is a lot to read, and I'm sorry for that but I just wanted to make sure that I was thorough with everything you asked. I hope this helps you or anyone else thinking about getting on Vivitrol. I for one would for sure recommend it to anyone just getting into recovery. Good luck to you all and I hope to see you all on the other side successfully.

I enjoy vivitrol, it makes getting/staying clean way easier. I honestly don't feel comfortable talking about most side effects because I have no idea if my depression or anxiety was from vivitrol or PAWS. The shot hurts really bad sometimes though. My insurance covers it. My vivitrol is accompanied by group treatment.

I would only consider it is you think you may use again. It's main function is to block opiates-opioids, this will include your natural endorphins. If you go to the gym while the shot is active instead of a nice runners high you feel shitty and cold. It's good to have if you don't trust yourself mind. All it does is totally saturate your receptors with a non active chemcal, doctors like to sing its praises but it won't help you recover any quicker and will draw things out if anything as you will still need to give your brain 100% periods of chemical freedom to return to its natural equilibrium.