Naltrexone, a non-narcotic medication, was created to treat people struggling with drug abuse, specifically those struggling with an alcohol or opioid addiction, such as someone going through heroin drug treatment. Broward county drug rehab facilities commonly offer medicinally based treatments like naltrexone. The drug is meant assist the person struggling with chemical dependence to reach sobriety so they can enter the maintenance stage of their disease.
It does this by blocking the opioid receptors located in the brain. These are the receptors that opioids cover, lessening and blocking pain, causing euphoric and content moods. They also slow the respiratory and cardiac rates of the user. Naltrexone is revolutionary because if a user is taking it, if they then take heroin or any different type of opioid, the pain, pleasure, and addiction controlling centers of the brain will not feel the effects of the opioid.
The reason this is so important during the rehabilitation stage of recovery is because the drug helps to stave off the cravings of heroin withdrawal by making the patient uninterested in the drug via the capping of the opioid receptors after their heroin detox. After detox, having the drug naltrexone in a patient’s system allows the person struggling with addiction to focus more on the psychological work necessary to further their recovery.
Naltrexone is the generic version of the opioid treatment that also goes by the following brand names:
- Vivitrol
- Depade
- Revia
Medication Assisted Treatment Program
Medication assisted treatment programs like those offered by at 1st Step Behavioral Health residential drug detox facilities are centered around using medications like naltrexone, and behavioral therapy to treat drug or alcohol chemical dependence and psychological addiction. While other medications like do indeed allow for a possibility that the patient may become dependent on them, Naltrexone is not an addictive medication. There is no potential to abuse Naltrexone. Because the drug is not addictive it is becoming one of the most recommended courses of treatment for addicts seeking treatment for an opioid addiction.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient Medication Assisted Treatment Program
Outpatient care is a good option for someone who is unable to get away from their normal everyday lives.But opioid addiction is one of the more dangerous substance addictions. It quickly builds tolerance and catches people in the claws of substance abuse and an intense chemical dependence. The tragic part is that four out of five opioid addicts start taking a prescription medication in an effort to lessen some form of pain. And yet from there they make it to drugs such as heroin and fentanyl which almost inevitably end in fatal overdose without proper treatment. That’s why the majority of addicts will find that an inpatient stay in a detox and rehabilitation facility is the most useful combination with naltrexone treatment. If you have questions about naltrexone treatment, contact 1st Step. We can answer your questions and help you find a treatment program that fits your unique needs.
