Is Vivitrol Addictive?

What is MAT?

Medicines like Vivitrol are part of a recovery approach called MAT, or medication-assisted treatment. MAT plans include a combination of medications and behavioral therapy and counseling to treat addiction disorders. MAT plans aim to utilize a holistic treatment approach that improves patient’s chances of maintaining sobriety. MAT plans are mostly used to address the symptoms of opioid and alcohol dependency. There are several FDA-approved medications on the market specifically designed to help with these two addiction disorders. Medications can help alleviate cravings and withdrawal symptoms while addicts transition to sober living. But despite these benefits, people may be concerned about Vivitrol being addictive. This is a reasonable concern since some MAT medications can be abused.

How does Vivitrol work?

Vivitrol and its sibling Naltrexone are opioid antagonist medications that directly impact the brain. In opiate addiction, natural opioid receptors in the brain are activated when someone uses drugs. The brain releases dopamine and other neurochemicals that produce an addictive high. What opioid antagonists like Vivitrol do is they bind to these opioid receptors, blocking them, without compelling the brain to release pleasurable dopamine and other addictive neurochemicals. Taking a medicine like Vivitrol won’t produce a euphoric high. Vivitrol also blocks the brain’s pleasure centers that are activated when someone consumes alcohol. The medication can prevent the pleasurable effects of alcohol while also reducing cravings for alcohol.

Since Vivitrol blocks the brain’s opioid receptors, it can help prevent someone from relapsing. If a patient relapses on opioid drugs while on Vivitrol, they won’t feel the effects and won’t be able to get high. However, they are still at risk of overdosing while on Vivitrol. Vivitrol does not block the physical effects of opioids, like respiratory distress.

How is Vivitrol used?

Before using Vivitrol, a person who is addicted to opioids or alcohol must first fully detox from these substances. Taking Vivitrol before detox is complete will trigger intense withdrawal symptoms when they use the medication.

The medicine comes in an injectable suspension and is given intramuscularly. It is available in one dose only, at 380 milligrams. A licensed healthcare professional must administer Vivitrol once per month, or every four weeks. The medicine is slowly released into the body throughout that time. Before someone gets an injection of Vivitrol, they must be completely free of opioids for at least seven to ten days.

Is Vivitrol addictive, and can it be abused?

Addiction is a chronic, severe, and complicated disease. While MAT options might be a newer and practical approach to alleviating and managing addiction disorders, they are also controversial, and for a good reason. Some of the medicines that are used to treat opioid dependence can be addictive and prone to abuse.

For example, the drug Suboxone is sometimes used as part of a MAT plan for opioid dependence. Suboxone uses Buprenorphine as part of its chemical makeup, and Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. What this means is that the drug partially activates the opioid receptors. Powerful opioid drugs, like heroin, are full opioid agonists. A partial opioid agonist like Suboxone can produce slight euphoric feelings in people who have not built a tolerance to full opioid agonist drugs.

Methadone is another medication that is sometimes used to treat severe opioid addiction and help users transition to sober living. But again, it activates the opioid receptors in the brain, producing a euphoria, which can be addictive. Both Suboxone and Methadone, common MAT drugs, come with a risk of abuse and addiction. Methadone is less of a risk factor for addiction because these drugs are administered in a controlled clinical setting, so they are more difficult for people to access and abuse. However, Suboxone and Buprenorphine can be obtained in regular physician settings, which increases their access, and raises their risk for abuse.

Treating addiction disorders require strict supervision from clinicians and doctors to avoid replacing one addiction with another. This is one of the many reasons why it is critical for patients to attend counseling and therapy while in recovery, which are useful for addressing and preventing triggers and rationales for drug use.

Fortunately, Vivitrol is a non-addictive substance and has a low risk of abuse. The drug does not induce euphoria and won’t get someone high. Also, Vivitrol is only administered by a licensed professional in a clinical setting. This makes it less accessible. Even if Vivitrol could cause someone to get high, it would be less likely to be abused because access to it is strictly monitored.

While MAT plans are controversial, Vivitrol does not come with the same risks as other medications used to treat opioid and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. It is not possible to get high on Vivitrol or abuse it to the same degree as Suboxone or Methadone. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol or opioid addiction, Mission Harbor Behavioral Health can help. Please contact Mission Harbor today to explore your options for addiction treatment.

Why Vivitrol is Not Addictive

It is an opioid antagonist, which means it creates a barrier, blocking opioid molecules from attaching to opioid receptors. Although they may attach to the opioid receptors, they do not cause a release of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. An antagonist does not lead to physical dependence and is not addictive. However, a patient must be free of opioids in their system before beginning treatment with Vivitrol. When used for alcohol addiction treatment, you must completely stop drinking before starting treatment with Vivitrol.