What is VIVITROL?
VIVITROL is a prescription injectable medicine used:
- To treat alcohol dependence
- To prevent relapse to opioid dependence, after opioid detoxification
- You should stop drinking before starting VIVITROL.
- If you take opioids or opioid-containing medicine, such as prescription pain medicines, you must stop these opioids or medicines before starting VIVITROL.
- To be effective, treatment with VIVITROL must be used with other alcoholism or drug recovery programs such as counseling.
VIVITROL has not been studied in children under the age of 18 years.
What is the most important information I should know about VIVITROL?
- VIVITROL may make you feel dizzy. Do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how VIVITROL affects you. Other side effects, including:
- Severe reactions at the site of injection
- Liver damage or hepatitis
- Risk of opioid overdose
- Severe allergic pneumonia
- Serious allergic reactions
VIVITROL can cause serious side effects. These serious side effects include:
- You or a family member should call your doctor right away if you become depressed or have any of the following symptoms of depression, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:
- You feel sad or have crying spells.
- You are no longer interested in seeing your friends or doing things you used to enjoy.
- You are sleeping a lot more or a lot less than usual.
- You feel hopeless or helpless.
- You are more irritable, angry or aggressive than usual.
- You are more or less hungry than usual or notice a big change in your body weight.
- You have trouble paying attention.
- You feel tired or sleepy all the time.
- You have thoughts about hurting yourself or ending your life.
- Common side effects of VIVITROL include:
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Vomiting
- Painful joints
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Decreased appetite
- Muscle cramps
- Common side effects in people taking VIVITROL for opioid dependence also include:
- Cold symptoms
- Trouble sleeping
- Toothache
How should I take VIVITROL?
- VIVITROL is injected by a healthcare provider, about 1 time each month.
- VIVITROL is given as an injection into a muscle in your buttocks using a special needle that comes with VIVITROL.
- Once VIVITROL is injected, it lasts for a month and it cannot be removed from the body.
- If you miss your appointment for VIVITROL injection, schedule another appointment as soon as possible.
- Whenever you need medical treatment, be sure to tell the treating doctor or nurse that you are receiving VIVITROL injections.
Important Safety Information
You or someone close to you should get emergency medical help right away if you:
- Have trouble breathing
- Become very drowsy with slowed breathing
- Have slow, shallow breathing (little chest movement with breathing)
- Feel faint, very dizzy, confused, or have unusual symptoms
- Feel faint, very dizzy, confused, or have unusual symptoms
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking VIVITROL?
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- Have liver problems
- Use opioid-containing medicines. If you are being treated for alcoholism but also use or are addicted to opioid-containing medicines or opioid street drugs, it is important that you tell your doctor before starting VIVITROL to avoid having withdrawal symptoms when you start treatment
- Use or abuse street (illegal) drugs
- Have hemophilia or other bleeding problems
- Have kidney problems
- Have are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if VIVITROL will harm your unborn baby.kidney problems
- Are breastfeeding. It is not known if VIVITROL passes into your milk, and if it can harm your baby. Naltrexone, the active ingredient in VIVITROL, is the same active ingredient in tablets taken by mouth that contain naltrexone. Naltrexone from tablets passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about whether you will breast feed or take VIVITROL. You should not do both
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take any opioid-containing medicines for pain, cough or colds, or diarrhea.
What are the ingredients in VIVITROL?
Active ingredient: Naltrexone
Inactive ingredients: polylactide-co-glycolide (PLG)