PSA: Vivitrol Shot for People Switching from Subs (Bup)/Methadone

[ExInMil]

Ill preface this by saying that I was doing well sober, 6 months clean, got a job that put me in the hood and ended up meeting someone and started dabbling with hair-on again. For about 2 weeks I snorted it, although not quite daily. I was enjoying my sober self, so using again scared the shit out of me. I did the due diligence and scheduled myself for a Vivatrol shot. Stayed clean 5 days, just minor WDs, slept no problem, etc. Got the shot. Tried to get high on it so many times with no effect. None. Cant even drink on the damn thing. (except bup, but mums the word).

Annnnnnywho,
People, if you are switching from methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone) , do NOT get the shot right away. Both methadone and buprenorphine are long acting opiates. When a medical professional tells you that you need to stay clean for 5-7 days, they are speaking of short acting opiates. Heroin, OC, OP, OHC, and I'm sure the other codeine derivatives have a much shorter half-life (a measure of how long they stay in your body) than do methadone and buprenorphine. If you are trying to switch from one of the long acting opiates to the naltrexone shot, personally I would switch to a shorter acting opiate for two weeks, then stay clean off that for 4-5 days, and then get the shot. I understand this may not sit well with some people.

I posted this originally on drugs.com Vivitrol review page after seeing how many medical professionals were administering the shot to patients who were on long-acting opiates. I would not want to be the person who got precipitated withdrawals from either methadone or bupronophine, and frankly I think that there could be cause for legal action, but I'm no layer.[FONT=-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Segoe UI Symbol, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

PSA from me, ExInMil[/FONT]

 

[Erikmen]

In fact methadone's half-life time is much greater than regular opiate medications, or heroin. You will have to wait at least 4 to 10 days to get it out from your system. If I would want to switch methadone to Suboxone, for instance I would probably have to go through withdrawal for a couple of days before starting the treatment.

I have quit methadone and this was one of the reasons it was so hard. But I wouldn't feel like switching from one to the other as both do have long half life in my blood system.

But you are talking about Vivitrol that apparently works well for alcoholics, I have never used it but I have heard that it can help when it comes to quit drinking. And from what you're saying this medication can also induce people to go on precipitated withdrawals. And of course it can't be done if you taking methadone, for instance. So, from what you are saying if one wishes to stop drinking but are being treated by Methadone, it can't be done unless he or she stops using the medication, and that could be complicated. Right?

 

[ExInMil]

Well I didint think about that, but yes that is an issue as well. If you are trying to get it for alcohol dependence and are on a substitution regiment of methadone (or bupronophine), then yes, one would need to discontinue the opiates first.

Naltrexone suspended injection works by having a higher affinity to opiate receptors than most opiates (synthetic and otherwise), my original point was that if a medical professional tells you that you only need 5-7 days clean off of methadone or buprnorphine, they are wrong. If you stop taking your methadone or subs for lets say 7 days, and then get the shot, it will put you immediately into precipitated withdrawals. I stopped using heroin for 5 days and got the shot and was fine, it would have been the same for any other short acting opiates such as OC, Opana, etc. but since the half-life of methadone and bupernorphine is much much longer than the aforementioned opiates the time needed between discontinuing and administration of the naltrexone shot is much longer. Hence I recommend switching to a shorter acting opiate first since the likely hood of someone going through the drawn-out withdrawals from methadone or bupronophine, just to get the naltrexone shot is low.

So although this may not sit well with some people, if I wanted to get the Vivitrol (naltrexone) shot, but was currently on methadone or suboxone, I would first switch to something like OC or even heroin for 2-3 weeks, then stay clean for even 4 days, and then get the shot. In my opinion the means justify the ends here. Once you have the shot, you are in the clear. Couldint use if you wanted to.

Have I gotten anything wrong?

Thanks and best of luck,
ExInMil

 

[Erikmen]

No, I don't think so. Thank you so much for sharing. Quite informative, indeed.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Im a little confused. What substance did you transition from into Viv?

Edit: sorry now I think I get it, from heroin to naltrexone. How have you managing cravings and such since getting in Viv?

 

[ExInMil]

Im a little confused. What substance did you transition from into Viv?

Edit: sorry now I think I get it, from heroin to naltrexone. How have you managing cravings and such since getting in Viv?

Not going to lie, still crave when I get bored, but its manageable, and I have taken Sub strips on top of the naltrexone since the bup has a higher affinity, but any other opiates simply do not work.
I do highly recommend the shot since it really takes the decision out of your hands.

Love Drugs, Hate the Consequences
ExInMil

 

[simco]

I agree--extreme caution is in order when starting naltrexone. Regardless of why you're beginning naltrexone, it is crucial to make sure that your body is opioid free before inducing. And ExInMil is very correct: long-acting opioids like buprenorphine, but especially methadone require a longer waiting period than shorter lived opioids need.

For what it's worth, when I started naltrexone to get off heroin, I couldn't string together the 5-6 days clean that my doc insisted on. So in the end I just went ahead and started about 20 hrs after my last shot. It was truly awful.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Not going to lie, still crave when I get bored, but its manageable, and I have taken Sub strips on top of the naltrexone since the bup has a higher affinity, but any other opiates simply do not work.
I do highly recommend the shot since it really takes the decision out of your hands.

Love Drugs, Hate the Consequences
ExInMil

I think that is pretty cool how you've figured this out for yourself, very creative and I'd feel more comfortable knowing you also have something more substantial than just naltrexone to deal with cravings and such while still benefiting from your Viv treatment. Anyways nice work!

 

[ExInMil]

I agree--extreme caution is in order when starting naltrexone. Regardless of why you're beginning naltrexone, it is crucial to make sure that your body is opioid free before inducing. And ExInMil is very correct: long-acting opioids like buprenorphine, but especially methadone require a longer waiting period than shorter lived opioids need.

For what it's worth, when I started naltrexone to get off heroin, I couldn't string together the 5-6 days clean that my doc insisted on. So in the end I just went ahead and started about 20 hrs after my last shot. It was truly awful.

Im surprised the doc let you do it, when I got my shot, I had to drop clean first.

I think that is pretty cool how you've figured this out for yourself, very creative and I'd feel more comfortable knowing you also have something more substantial than just naltrexone to deal with cravings and such while still benefiting from your Viv treatment. Anyways nice work!

Ehh, I would have rather not known about the higher affinity of bupronophinen, but ofcourse I did some research anyway.... my own worst enemy indeed.

 

[simco]

^^
so have you found that you can shoot through the naltrexone with bupe? Interesting.

In my case, the doc was weirdly laid back about the whole thing. It was probably because they were starting me on oral naltrexone...I only got onto vivitrol after a few months of the pills. I just assured them I'd be sure to be cleaned out before starting it.

I'll never forget that day. I was beside myself b/c I couldn't clean up, but I wanted to badly to get on the naltrexone. As I said before, I finally just dropped a pill and hoped for the best. It went down like so: about fifteen minutes after swallowing the pill, I was out walking my dog. Suddenly the light seemed to change--everything seemed grey and flat. It was the first cool day of fall, and suddenly I was all chills and goose flesh. That's when I thought "this is bad." My mind started racing. My guts started churning. I hustled home (only about a 5 minute walk from there). By the time I was home, I just lay on the floor, cramping and freaking the fuck out. I knew what was going on (precipated WDs), but my mind kept going to acpocalypse and death. I was in that state for about 4 days before things started to even out. Ugh.

But nevertheless, I don't regret doing that. I definitely don't recommend it. But for me, it seemed to be the only way forward. I'd been trying for over a month to get onto the naltrexone, and was completely stuck. In the end, those precipated WDs were a real turning point for me. That was October 21, 2016. I had one small slip a few weeks after that. But basically I've been clean since then. And I'm now off the naltrexone (stopped it about a month ago). I still crave, and I still worry about going back. But the ~9 months on naltrexone forced me to learn how to cope with life without heroin. Again, definitely not the mode of intervention I'd recommend to people first. But I think for certain cases it can be a lifesaver.

 

[ExInMil]

Hell yeah, good for you.
I just dont understand how you could justify going into PWD, instead of just slowly slipping into dope withdrawal for 4 days.... but hey, what ever works, right.... Im happy for you though.....

Oh and yeah, you can feel the bup through the naltrexone, I would just eat a strip and it calmed my cravings.... did it for about 5 days, today is my first day not taking a strip, obviously still feel the bup from the day before, lets see how tomorrow goes!

Wish me luck.

 

[simco]

Hell yeah, good for you.
I just dont understand how you could justify going into PWD, instead of just slowly slipping into dope withdrawal for 4 days.... but hey, what ever works, right.... Im happy for you though.....

Oh and yeah, you can feel the bup through the naltrexone, I would just eat a strip and it calmed my cravings.... did it for about 5 days, today is my first day not taking a strip, obviously still feel the bup from the day before, lets see how tomorrow goes!

Wish me luck.

Well, I wasn't thinking all that clearly then. The way I saw it, I was going to be sick either way. But I knew that if I didn't jump onto the naltrexone, I'd just keep using as I waited for the magic 4-5 days. I was just on a horrible fucking run. Totally out of hand.

Also, I didn't know just how bad the precipitated WDs would be

 

[InfoWhenever]

This is interesting to read. When I went from oxy to sub in 2011 the plan my doctor had was to take sub for 6 mons rapper 2mg then wait 4 days and take naltoxone. I went into PWD extremely bad went into the ghetto to find anything that I was robbed at gunpoint. You are both lucky to be clean. I went back on sub and 6.5 years later I still take it. Back them it was a miracle drug...now I am soo scared.

 

[simco]

I spent some time on subs, but they never seemed to help me. Everyone's different...I got lucky finding naltrexone, but it's no magic bullet either.