Does Opiate Usage After The First Vivitrol Injection Lead To Dangerous Health Problems?
Consultation
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question.
First, let me congratulate you on undertaking to overcome your addiction. This is a major accomplishment in itself.
As you note, opiates should be avoided prior to the first shot to avoid withdrawal. Opiate use after the first shot can be dangerous, because you are using more opiates to overcome the effect of the shot to produce a high, which can lead to overdose and death. I strongly advise against this.
When was your most recent use of opiates, and how much did you use? The medication is likely at steady state and the second injection will PROBABLY not cause withdrawal, but this is something you need to mention to your prescribing doctor as he or she may have variable levels of comfort with ongoing treatment, and while unlikely, if you were using heavily withdrawal is possible. If it were me, I would probably continue the shots, but I would step up other treatment modalities such as therapy and/or AA/NA and/or consider switching to suboxone or methadone as it appears Vivitrol is not enough for you by itself.
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Follow up
Detailed Answer:
I'm a big believer in the harm reduction approach, and I'm glad it's working for you. I believe the continued use of Vivitrol for you far outweighs the risk of minor (if at all) withdrawal. The pharmacokinetics are such that the drug should still be at adequate levels in your system at this point. However, as you say, I recommend being up front with your doctor so you can decide together if your treatment approach needs any alterations. I'm personally interested in why you decided to use opiates again after abstaining for 26 days. I think examining that would be useful. But from a medical standpoint I think you should be okay.