What is Vivitrol?

Vivitrol, known generically as naltrexone, blocks the effects of opioid medication, including pain relief or feelings of well-being that can lead to opioid abuse. Vivitrol is used as part of a treatment program for drug or alcohol dependence. Vivitrol is used to prevent relapse in people who became dependent on opioid medicine and then stopped using it.

Vivitrol is an extended release formulation of naltrexone, which is an opioid receptor antagonist. This medication was officially approved in 2010 by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence. It works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain for up to a one-month duration. It is currently the only approved medication for opioid dependence that is not a controlled substance.