Observations placeholder
Vivitrol, Naltrexone and Revia
Identifier
005127
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Naltrexone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioids and is used primarily in the management of alcohol dependence and opioid dependence.
Nalmefene is a very similar drug that is used for the same purposes as naltrexone. "Naltrexone should not be confused with naloxone nor nalorphine, which are used in emergency cases of opioid overdose."
Naltrexone is marketed as its hydrochloride salt, naltrexone hydrochloride, under the trade names Revia among others. A once-monthly extended-release injectable formulation is marketed under the trade name Vivitrol.
On Jan, 13, 2017 544 people reported to have side effects when taking Naltrexone Hydrochloride. Among them, 3 people (0.55%) have Hallucination
On Jan, 29, 2017 544 people reported to have side effects when taking Naltrexone Hydrochloride. Among them, 1 person (0.18%) has Hallucination, Auditory
On Jan, 09, 20172,977 people reported to have side effects when taking Vivitrol.
Among them, 27 people (0.91%) have Hallucination
On Jan, 19, 2017 2,977 people reported to have side effects when taking Vivitrol. Among them, 6 people (0.2%) have Hallucination, Auditory
On Jan, 20, 2017 369 people reported to have side effects when taking Revia. Among them, 5 people (1.36%) have Hallucination
Wikipedia
“Naltrexone should not be confused with naloxone (which is used in emergency cases of overdose rather than for longer-term dependence control) nor nalorphine. Both nalorphine and naloxone are full antagonists and will treat an opioid overdose, but nalorphine is longer-acting than naloxone (although neither is an irreversible antagonist like naloxazone), making naloxone a better emergency antidote”.
Naltrexone is competitive antagonist at mu- and kappa-opioid receptors, and to a lesser extent at delta-opioid receptors. Its use in alcohol (ethanol) dependence has been shown to be effective, but its mechanism of action is not understood by scientists. They believe it may be due to the alteration in the ‘dopaminergic mesolimbic pathway’ which is hypothesized to be a major center of the reward associated with addiction. So they believe it cuts out the pleasure of drinking
Side effects include gastrointestinal complaints such as diarrhea and abdominal cramping and serious liver damage. For the ordinary alcohol, it ends there, BUT acute opioid withdrawal effects can occur if any opioids have been used for other treatments by the person or they are opioid ‘users’. Just like the Nalmefene user they can plunge into delirium and worse
Drug.com Depression, suicide, attempted suicide and suicidal ideation have been reported in the post-marketing experience with Naltrexone hydrochloride ..in the .. opioid dependent
Furthermore, all individuals taking naltrexone are encouraged to keep a card or a note in their wallet in case of an injury or another medical emergency. This is to let medical personnel know that special procedures are required if opiate-based painkillers are to be used – because if the person needs them – they won’t work .
Finally, once the implants are taken away or the drug is stopped, any pain can be intense. There is a high rate of suicide – at least I think it is high
Adverse events in the removal of naltrexone implants - Sadleir PH, Gardner AI, Hennessy B. Department of Anaesthesia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
Naltrexone implants are used as an abstinence therapy for patients with opioid, amphetamine and alcohol abuse. This study was designed to assess the implications of this therapy in patients presenting for anaesthesia for removal of these implants. We conducted a retrospective case-note review of 37 patients undergoing removal of naltrexone implants in the period 2001 to 2008 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
Indications for removal included infection at the insertion site, naltrexone intolerance or the requirement for effective opioid analgesia. Thirty-two patients had surgery under general anaesthesia, four under local anaesthesia and one under spinal anaesthesia.
The perioperative opioid requirement varied from 0 to 100 mg of intravenous morphine equivalents (median 11.7 mg, mean 20.7 mg). The only factor that was associated with a higher perioperative opioid requirement was whether the implant was infected or not.
Forty-four percent of patients having a general anaesthetic complained of moderate to severe pain postoperatively, and 64% of these patients had a prolonged stay in the post-anaesthesia care unit.
Anaesthesia for the removal of naltrexone implants was associated with a wide range of opioid analgesia requirements and a high incidence of pain postoperatively. Concern regarding increasing opioid sensitivity after removal of implants does not seem to preclude use of generous opioid analgesia in this group of patients.