Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

[reneesmiles]

I'm new here, but I have been on Vivitrol for 2 months and it is amazing. Basically it is Naltrexone in injection form and you get it once a month.

It has decreased my alcohol cravings considerably.... I just wanted to suggest anyone who is interested to look it up. It has gotten very positive results.

My Best,
Renee

[colbe]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

I got the shot 3 days ago...

for me it is not working. I cried last night over the craving which was so strong I gave in...and I am fresh out of detox. I am so dissapointed in myself. I guess I hoped it would work a miracle for me, however I am back to "it's up to me". Not only did it not prevent the cravings, I was able to get my normal buzz. I know it does work for many people so don't let my experience sway you. Thank you for posting about this relativly new drug!

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Vivitrol is naltrexone in a time release formula. Naltrexone doesn't work unless you DRINK while taking it, then it is very effective. Check out these resources:


This is a 4 part interview with Dr. David Sinclair, which explains how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAnpJ-6HOJo[/video]]YouTube - IntIce:Little Known Cure 1 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZqJt87Wtl4&feature=related[/video]]YouTube - IntIce:Little Known Cure 2 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obXlEbvegg8&feature=related[/video]]YouTube - IntIce:Little Known Cure 3 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoFX7sYH1pU&feature=related[/video]]YouTube - IntIce:Little Known Cure 4 of 4

This is a wiki on it:
Sinclair Method - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The book:
The Cure For Alcoholism

A community:
thesinclairmethod.com • Index page

An annotated bibliography of over 70 studies and clinical trials that prove it's efficacy:
Annotated Bibliography Sinclair Method Naltrexone Alcohol (Naltrexone Cures)

[Elpis]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

I must disagree with Lo0P. While it is true that using the Sinclair method you must drink while taking nal, it is not true that you must drink to benefit from nal. All of the studies done (so far as I know) demonstrating the effectiveness of nal in fighting alcoholic cravings were done on abstinent alcoholics.

I, for one, have been very successful taking nal and NOT drinking.

E-

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

ALL of the studies (over 70 of them, 30 years worth) are actually right there in annotated bibliography form in the link above. Naltrexone is less effective than placebo at preventing relapse when given with instructions to abstain.

[reneesmiles]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Wow.... Naltrexone is less effective than placebo??? The Naltrexone pill form did nothing for me. The Vivitrol is helping decrease the amount and frequency of my drinking, however I realize this is process and it is ultimately up to me to quit altogether. Vivitrol and the other medications are tools and I suppose they work differently for different people.

colbe, I am sorry it is not working for you. Don't give up. There are other medications out there that may help you.

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Renee, pleeeeeeease look into the links I've provided. The use of Naltrexone (Vivitrol) via The Sinclair Method has an EXTREMELY well documented proven efficacy of CURING alcoholism in 80% of patients (90% if the patients actually comply and take the Naltrexone).

It has also been proven, however, that it has no efficacy if patients abstain while taking it.

I am not using the words "cure" and "proven" lightly or flippantly. There is a cure for alcoholism now. The research has been done, it has been proven scientifically over and over again. One third of the alcoholic population of Finland is now CURED. Over 100,000 people have been cured worldwide. It is called The Sinclair Method. Read those links.

[Elpis]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Once again I have to sort of disagree with Lo0p. First off let me say that I have no problem with the Sinclair method. I only know what I've read and what I have read has been interesting. The theory behind the Sinclair method is also interesting. That said, the FDA approved the use of naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism based on randomized controlled clinical trails. The FDA does not approve medications without some science to support their decisions. You don't have to take my word for it. Google "ReVia package insert" and you can read the documentation that every physician reads (or should read) about the medication.

Now as for the long term efficacy of naltrexone in the treatment of alcoholism, that is a different issue. One could make the argument the naltrexone is unproven in the long run and I would not agree or disagree. To me it doesn?t matter. Naltrexone is helping me now. I will deal with later when it gets here.

E-

[paula]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

I have been taking naltrexone for 8 weeks and have not had any craving's, I have been drinking for many years, and have tried various methods without sucess. Naltrexone is working for me.

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Elpis;703571 wrote: Google "ReVia package insert" and you can read the documentation that every physician reads (or should read) about the medication.

The link I have provided above is a link to a summary of every study of naltrexone that has EVER been done.

The very first study, done in 1978, showed that it only worked in the patients that disobeyed instructions and used opiates while taking it. It had absolutely no effectiveness in the patients that received it and abstained.

This was the basis for the FDA's approval of the drug for use in addictions. At this point a very egregious mistake was made. The people who first crafted the "ReVia package insert" did so and worded it according to their own ideaology and IGNORED medical science and the very study that they were examining.

The "ReVia package insert" is the deadliest piece of misinformation that exists in the treatment of addictions.

Please read more.

[reneesmiles]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Integrated NeuroScience

Lo0p;703167 wrote: Renee, pleeeeeeease look into the links I've provided. The use of Naltrexone (Vivitrol) via The Sinclair Method has an EXTREMELY well documented proven efficacy of CURING alcoholism in 80% of patients (90% if the patients actually comply and take the Naltrexone).

It has also been proven, however, that it has no efficacy if patients abstain while taking it.

I am not using the words "cure" and "proven" lightly or flippantly. There is a cure for alcoholism now. The research has been done, it has been proven scientifically over and over again. One third of the alcoholic population of Finland is now CURED. Over 100,000 people have been cured worldwide. It is called The Sinclair Method. Read those links.

I am going through a program called Integrated NeuroScience which sounds very similar to what is described in The Sinclair Method. Success rates over 1 year are close to 90%. It includes med management and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is costing me a fortune so it damn well better work. :H

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Elpis;702509 wrote: All of the studies done (so far as I know) demonstrating the effectiveness of nal in fighting alcoholic cravings were done on abstinent alcoholics.

I'd like to refute this specifically. Out of the all of the studies that have ever been done, only one found naltrexone to be effective in delaying the time to the first relapse. The rest of them show otherwise.

I'm very happy for your success Elpis, :goodjob: VERY happy. But your experience is anecdotal and completely contrary to the overwhelming body of evidence.

[Elpis]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Lets define...

Lo0p;703672 wrote: I'd like to refute this specifically. Out of the all of the studies that have ever been done, only one found naltrexone to be effective in delaying the time to the first relapse. The rest of them show otherwise.

I'm very happy for your success Elpis, :goodjob: VERY happy. But your experience is anecdotal and completely contrary to the overwhelming body of evidence.

Thank you for the good wishes. I totally agree with you that anecdotal information is not "evidence?. So let's define "evidence" and then we can have a conversation. Would you accept an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to be "evidence?. Extended a bit, will you accept articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals to be "evidence"? Or how about this: how do you define ?evidence??

E-

[Krazy1]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

The Sinclair Method WORKS!

Hi All,

I am doing The Sinclair Method (TSM), and it has changed my life. For those of you who are happy with the results of whatever program/approach you are using, then that's great - I wish all alcoholics the best in tackling this nasty disease. But for those of you who are still struggling with cravings, PLEASE check out TSM! It has been proven to be 80% effective - with no reported relapses even after 3 years!

Please take a look at the links posted by Lo0P, paticularly the Sinclair method community thesinclairmethod.com - several chapters from the book "The Cure for Alcoholism" are there online, and you'll find true stories with REAL people who have been CURED!

You owe it to yourself, even if just for your own education, to become familiar with TSM. Thanks for listening, and I wish you alll the best!

[Lo0p]

Has anyone tried Vivitrol?

Excellent question! I'm not even sure I have an adequate answer for you off the top of my head. I'm an incredibly skeptical person by nature, I love statistics and studied "studies" and am very aware of how studies can be influenced by personal opinion of those conducting them. As a result I would call into question the conclusions of any single study even if on the outside it appears as though it were conducted properly. I would call the results of a single study "evidence" but I would doubt it's infallibility.

In this case, however, the body of evidence (all of the studies, done by many different scientists, in many different countries, over many years) is so overwhelming, that it crosses the barrier in my mind from "evidence" to "proof." However I define it. :H Good conversation!