Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles is thrilled at the news that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vivitrol for use in opioid addiction treatment.  The evidence was clear to us that Vivitrol reduced opiate cravings, but the FDA went one step further in approving it for the “prevention of relapse to opioid dependence.”  This means that we can finally say what we’ve also known for a long time; Vivitrol prevents relapse.

Tarzana Treatment Centers offers Vivitrol for alcohol treatment and opiate treatment as part of our Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program.  It is a Naltrexone injection taken monthly that reduces alcohol cravings and opiate cravings.  This allows individuals in recovery to focus on addiction treatment, and offers a better chance at long-term recovery.  For more information about the FDA approval and Vivitrol, click the link below for the press release by Vivitrol manufacturer, Alkermes.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/alkermes-announces-fda-approval-of-vivitrolr-for-prevention-of-relapse-to-opioid-dependence-2010-10-12?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides a full array of health care services including adult and youth alcohol and drug treatment.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles is pleased to report that the US Food and Drug Administration is one step closer to officially approving Vivitrol for use in opiate addiction treatment.  This Naltrexone injection was originally meant to reduce alcohol cravings, with full knowledge of its potential to reduce opiate cravings.  After opiate detox, individuals with heroin, prescription drug, or other opiate addiction can use Vivitrol to improve their chances at long-term recovery.

For more information on this exciting news, please click on the link below:
http://investor.alkermes.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=92211&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=1472331

Tarzana Treatment Centers provides Vivitrol as part of our Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs for qualified patients.  Our MAT programs include Methadone Maintenance, Suboxone Maintenance, and 21 Day Outpatient Detox.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides a full array of health care services including adult and youth alcohol and drug treatment.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  Our services are also available via telemedicine for those who qualify.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a safe and effective method for alcohol and narcotic withdrawal and maintenance.  There is ample evidence suggesting that harm reduction strategies should be more widely available to those suffering from alcohol dependence and drug addiction.  Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles has taken note of these facts, and offers several medication assisted treatment options.

Traditional alcohol and drug treatment services help many individuals to begin a life in recovery and improve their lives.  MAT is utilized in medical detoxification at the start of treatment to minimize withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and other drugs.  This process is important since patients must be medically stable before beginning the process of recovery.

For some, though, relapse commonly follows traditional treatment.  This is generally due to alcohol cravings and opiate cravings that vary greatly from patient to patient.  Medications like Suboxone, Vivitrol, and Methadone help to minimize cravings so these individuals may begin the process of recovery, medically stable and in a receptive state of mind.

For more information, click the link below:

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles offers many medication assisted treatment options.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

One aspect of the holidays is that people drink.  This can lead to alcohol cravings for those who engage in alcohol abuse, suffer from alcohol dependence, or are in recovery and want to avoid relapse.  So reducing alcohol cravings could be a part of the solution for many individuals during the holidays.

It is our purpose to not only honor the holidays with a message of good spirit, but also to keep our readers informed.  We like to use our web presence to share research that we believe will be helpful to those with whom we work.

An interesting study conducted by Dr. Sandra Lapham found value in using injectable naltrexone to decrease alcohol consumption during the holidays.  Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles has been using Vivitrol in Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), and we have seen results to support this.  Please click the link below for an article about Dr. Lapham’s research.

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/2008/December/Are-Naltrexone-Injections-a-Cure-for-Holiday-Drinking-.html

Tarzana Treatment Centers held a conference on this same subject in November, 2009.  Attendees learned all about Vivitrol and how it is used in alcohol treatment, the use of Suboxone and Methadone in opiate addiction treatment, and how anti-depressants and atypical anti-psychotic medications are best used to treat mood and anxiety disorders.
 
MAT has been proven to improve outcomes for patients in alcohol and drug treatment.  During the holidays it can help those with previously unsuccessful treatment episodes, and encourage others to enter treatment for the first time.  In either case, loved ones would agree that the holidays could be more joyous without the presence of alcohol or drug abuse in the home.

For help with alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles is participating in Recovery Month 2009, in part, with articles about recovery during the month of September.  Most individuals suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction begin their recovery with alcohol and drug treatment.  So it is our pleasure to help bring awareness to the general public about the benefits of recovery to individuals, their families, and everyone with whom they interact.

Studies on alcoholism regarding the urge to drink alcohol are plentiful.  But no consensus has been achieved due to widely conflicting variables during testing, therefore in the results.  While it would be helpful in a clinical sense to know what drives these urges, alcoholics in recovery need to focus on the solution rather than the problem.

An urge can be defined as a strong, restless desire.  Anyone in recovery from alcohol dependence understands this feeling.  Urges can last for a moment or longer, can recur, and, more important, can lead to obsessions and relapse if they are left alone.

Urges occur over the lifetime of all alcoholics.  The good news is that the intensity and frequency of urges decrease significantly over the first few months of recovery.  Building a strong foundation in recovery is important during this time so that decreasing trend continues.  

Urges, in this context, are a function of alcohol cravings.  Alcohol Cravings decrease to a tolerable level within the first few months in recovery as do urges.  Medications, like Vivitrol, are being used to reduce these cravings so they don’t interfere with the critical foundational days in recovery.  And if cravings can be reduced, then the urges tend to go with them.

A free program by Alkermes, the makers of Vivitrol, called Touchpoints Recovery Support can be helpful to even those not taking Vivitrol.  The website at http://www.touchpointsrecoverysupport.com not only offers some tracking tools like the Urge to Drink Monitor and Recovery Status Monitor, but also offers useful activities like the Drink Refusal Exercise.

As sober days add up to 1 year, 2 years, 5, 10, and beyond, the urge to drink decreases at a slower pace, which is almost unnoticeable.  It gradually loses power over alcoholics with each passing year in recovery, although alcohol never completely loses its grip on alcoholics.  Instead of being a threatening experience, urges can be a reminder of what once was and how life can again be after “just one drink”.

When an urge hits an individual whose life has improved significantly in recovery, it tends to be for only a fleeting moment that may even bring laughter.  Keeping a fresh memory of how bad life was with alcohol makes the thought of drinking absurd.  These are especially good times to talk to others in recovery as they will benefit as much as you will.

Building a strong foundation in early recovery is the best overall defense against urges during the sober life of an alcoholic.  Medication assisted treatment with Vivitrol in early recovery can help reduce cravings and urges so the focus can be on laying that foundation.  Setting this stage for your future recovery will decrease the power of urges, and allows for meaningful and laughter-filled conversations.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides Vivitrol in alcohol treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare.  If you or a loved one needs alcohol detox or alcohol and drug treatment, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles is participating in Recovery Month 2009, in part, with articles about recovery during the month of September.  Most individuals suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction begin their recovery with alcohol and drug treatment.  So it is our pleasure to help bring awareness to the general public about the benefits of recovery to individuals, their families, and everyone with whom they interact.

Early recovery brings many challenges for those suffering from alcohol dependence.  Relapse, the biggest challenge, has the power to reverse and possibly erase all progress during this time.  Since alcohol cravings are a major relapse trigger, it is a good thing that advances are being made in medication assisted treatment.

For those who do not suffer from alcoholism, these cravings may be difficult to understand.  An easy way to get the picture is to think of a favorite food.  Did your mouth begin to water? The difference, of course, is that alcohol is deadly to the alcoholic.  But even after many years of abstinence, the sight of James Bond with a martini can bring similar reactions to an alcoholic in recovery.

Although these cravings subside in frequency over time, they can be downright overwhelming in early recovery.  Motivation for recovery can help carry individuals past cravings as they occur.  But most of the time, a relapse is the result.  When questioned as to why they drank, they answer with an indication that they were only trying to satisfy an intense craving.

Researchers understand craving for alcohol in different ways depending on their disciplinary backgrounds.  Psychologists may use concepts of reinforcement, social learning or cognitive processing to explain why we crave alcohol.

-- Begin external content –

Many theoretical models attempt to explain the phenomena associated with craving. Although no single model accounts for all aspects of craving, each has elements that may eventually contribute to an overall, comprehensive model. Key characteristics of selected models are described below.

• The reinforcement model is based on alcohol's ability to produce an elevated mood or to help relieve an unpleasant mental state such as stress or anger. An unconscious learning process called reinforcement leads to repetition of the behavior (i.e., drinking) that produces the positive experience. Eventually, objects, environments, or emotions consistently associated with alcohol consumption can produce a similar response as powerfully as can alcohol itself. Such stimuli (i.e., cues) may include the sight of a bar, liquor store, or beverage advertisement; the company of friends who drink; or exposure to alcohol itself. An abstinent alcoholic exposed to appropriate cues will experience a conscious urge, or craving, for alcohol.
• According to the social learning model, cue-elicited craving during or after treatment can trigger conscious coping strategies aimed at maintaining abstinence. The success of coping depends on the drinker's confidence in his or her ability to resist the urge to drink. This model acknowledges craving as only one of several factors necessary to induce relapse.
• The cognitive processing model postulates that alcohol use becomes a habit which requires little conscious effort or attention, just as driving down a familiar road can become automatic. In this model, craving represents the effort involved in mobilizing conscious problem-solving skills needed to block the automatic drinking behavior. Such a situation may occur when a drinker finds that his favorite bar is unexpectedly closed. Similarly, following treatment, an alcoholic who is motivated to remain abstinent might experience craving while consciously attempting to avoid cue-induced relapse.

-- Source: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa54.htm  --

Neuroscience explains craving based on brain chemistry, specifically on the regulation of the neurotransmitters endogenous opioids and dopamine.  So medications have been developed with a purpose to reduce alcohol cravings for those in recovery.  Simply put, when the spigot of chemicals is turned down or off, cravings are less likely to manifest.

-- Begin external content --

Medications to interrupt the process of reinforcement are being investigated. The key neurotransmitters involved in reinforcement include the endogenous opioids and dopamine. The endogenous opioids are a group of brain chemicals similar in action to morphine. They appear to amplify the pleasurable effects of rewarding activities and have been shown to help maintain drinking behavior. Naltrexone helps prevent relapse and reduce craving by blocking certain opioid receptors, presumably reducing the pleasurable effect of alcohol.

-- Source: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa33.htm --


Tarzana Treatment Centers Los Angeles has been using Vivitrol with patients for over a year beginning in September 2008.  We’ve provided the medication to over 120 patients in the past year.  Vivitrol is Naltrexone in the form of a monthly injection which blocks the euphoria associated with alcohol use.   Patients report that cravings for alcohol and other drugs are reduced.

Tarzana’s experience with Vivitrol began with participation in a pilot project sponsored by Los Angeles County Alcohol and Drug Program Administration and Alkermes, the manufacturer of Vivitrol.  Use of Vivitrol at Tarzana has been greatly expanded through the Alkermes Touchpoints program.   Touchpoints provides the initial Vivitrol injection to any patient free of charge.   

Follow-up interviews with Vivitrol patients in treatment indicate positive results overall.  Patients who have relapsed on several prior occasions, with little recovery time, reported greater motivation and hope after being injected with Vivitrol.  So Vivitrol does indeed appear to aid those in alcohol treatment toward long term recovery.

At Tarzana Treatment Centers we use the Urge to Drink Scale to assess patients for medication assisted treatment with Vivitrol.  During the admission process they are informed about the use of Vivitrol and given literature explaining details about the medication.  We are also finding that our Vivitrol patients are privately recommending it to other patients who are approved for use.

While Vivitrol is not a miracle drug, it has proven to be effective for many patients as a helpful tool on the road to long term recovery.  This medication assisted treatment may not stop relapse from occurring, but it offers a solution to alcohol cravings which tend to lead to relapse in early recovery.  This is not just about reducing an annoyance.  With reduced alcohol cravings patients can focus more on other issues that may trigger a relapse, thus giving them an even greater chance at long term recovery.

If you would like more information about medication assisted treatment with Vivitrol at Tarzana Treatment Centers, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

By James Heller

Tarzana Treatment Centers has been offering Vivitrol injections to patients in alcohol treatment for some time now.  In an effort to raise awareness of medication assisted treatment, and as a professional courtesy, we would like to share some patient experiences.

How We Obtained Information
Four informal interviews were conducted with patients who had received an injection of Vivitrol during treatment at Tarzana Treatment Centers.  No effort was made to collect statistics in this case.  FDA guidelines were followed with each of these patients, but not addressed in interview questions.  Each was reminded of the FDA approved use of Vivitrol if the patient mentioned other perceived benefits.  The point was to collect candid feedback that may be helpful to those considering Vivitrol as a tool in their own recovery, and those treating them.  

It appears that patients see Vivitrol as a good tool in recovery for more than just alcohol craving reduction.  They report a common sense of hope that they will remain sober, as well as a stronger motivation for recovery compared to non-Vivitrol patients.  This was consistent in a range from first-timers in treatment to chronic relapsers.

Vivitrol Gives Hope to Patients
A 50 year old patient who had been drinking since age 10, in treatment for the first time, stated that he will continue with Vivitrol injections even though he did not know if it was working.  Vivitrol brought him hope that he will remain sober using any tool available.  Another patient who suffers chronic relapses said that treatment is more effective on her after taking Vivitrol, and that she feels a sense of hope for the first time.

Vivitrol Improves Motivation for Recovery
The degree of patient motivation for recovery is a major factor in successful treatment.  With each new treatment episode, motivation tends to diminish for an individual.  So it is interesting that patients with more than one treatment episode at Tarzana Treatment Centers reported higher motivation for recovery after taking Vivitrol.

Vivitrol Reduces Alcohol Cravings
Tempting situations are everywhere for alcoholics early in recovery.  The cravings that result at these times are a major factor in causing relapse.  So if cravings don’t manifest completely, it can mean the difference between relapse and continued sobriety.

On cravings, those in treatment for the first time credited fellowship and commitment to a program for reducing them, and acknowledged that they had no experience with which to compare.  Others with several treatment attempts fervently attributed the reduction in cravings to Vivitrol.

Two patients admitted to relapse on day 34 after receiving the first injection.  Both were scheduled for a second injection, but chose instead to attend an event out of town.  Interviews were conducted with these patients on day 37.

When asked if a second injection would have prevented relapse, both quickly answered in the affirmative.  Each relayed that they had been in more tempting situations during the first 30 days than when they drank on day 34.  This is an indicator of Vivitrol’s success in reducing cravings in the 30 day period.

Reported Side Effects are Mild
One of the patients who relapsed on day 34 reported getting sick after drinking only 3 beers, which is inconsistent with the other who relapsed the same day.  Another reported injection site pain and mild shakes for the entire 30 day period.  These are considered to be due to factors not shared in the interviews, as opposed to being side effects of Vivitrol use.

Unexpected Benefits Reported
Some patients reported benefits outside of those expected from Vivitrol.  A patient stated that she did not feel an urge to use methamphetamines as well.  And each patient used terminology at times that referred to relief of the mental obsession rather than the physical craving.

Another surprising report comes from a staff member who helps patients to quit smoking.  At least one patient has refused nicotine replacement patches, stating that she does not feel like smoking since receiving the Vivitrol injection.

Conclusions
From these interviews, it can be concluded that patients do indeed experience a reduction in cravings for alcohol with Vivitrol whether or not they credit the drug.  Motivation for recovery appears to be bolstered if it is not already strong.  And side effects were consistent with those expected, minus two that were unlikely to be a result of Vivitrol use.  

It is also plausible that the reduction in cravings has a positive side effect on a patient’s mental state in treatment.  Just the belief that their obsession has been lifted will improve motivation and hope for patients using Vivitrol.

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Since alcohol cravings are a major trigger for relapse, leading patients out of alcohol treatment prior to completion, Tarzana Treatment Centers offers Vivitrol to patients as a part of their treatment.  It is an effort to not only keep alcohol dependent patients in treatment, but also to improve the effectiveness of that treatment.

Vivitrol is Naltrexone in the form of a monthly injection which blocks the euphoria associated with alcohol use.  How many injections a person receives varies depending upon how long cravings continue.  

Vivitrol was approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol dependence in April, 2006.  While there is no need for further clinical trials, Tarzana Treatment Centers conducts studies with other entities to help standardize treatment modalities.  As seen below, Vivitrol is helping patients succeed in alcohol treatment so our goal is to make it available to any patient that is eligible.

On September 11, 2008, Tarzana Treatment Centers began participation in the Los Angeles County Alcohol and Drug Program Administration’s (ADPA) Vivitrol Demonstration Project.  The ADPA has concluded that “The medication seemed to effectively support clients to relieve their cravings for alcohol, thereby allowing them to focus on their recovery efforts and averting premature departure from their treatment programs.”

In a six month period Tarzana Treatment Centers administered the first injection to 32 patients.  23 of them began treatment in alcohol detox and, on average, had been in treatment 1 or 2 times previously.  Out of the 23 a total of 21 completed detox with 17 transferring to residential treatment.

Overall, 23 of the 32 remained in residential alcohol treatment or have successfully completed during the 6 months.  One patient completed outpatient alcohol treatment.  Only 4 patients left treatment prior to completion against medical advice.

Based on the success of the demonstration project, ADPA stated that it is “…considering ways to support provider purchases and other costs related to Vivitrol use on a continuing basis and to expand its use Countywide.”  

The ADPA research article and data can be found at:
http://www.lapublichealth.org/adpa/bulletins/ADPABulletin2.pdf

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles makes a daily effort to find treatment news articles that we can share with our readers in the alcohol and drug treatment community.  The external content was found among other articles of equal informational and educational quality.

April, 2009 marks the 22nd year of Alcohol Awareness Month.  

Tarzana Treatment Centers is participating with a series of articles meant to inform and educate the general public about alcohol abuse, dependence and treatment.  Considering that over 21 million Americans meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and over 53 million admit to past-month binge drinking, not to mention the many loved ones affected by each, our efforts are worthwhile.

Recovery from alcohol dependence is not easy.  In fact, very few of those in alcohol treatment will get sober and stay sober on their first attempt.  In most cases there will be at least one relapse into drinking before long-term recovery is achieved.  But for the “chronic relapser”, those who can’t seem to maintain any long-term sobriety, there is an answer called Medication Assisted Treatment.

Alcoholism is a body and mind disease, and cravings for alcohol are a major reason for relapse.  These cravings are strong throughout the early days of recovery from alcohol and tend to diminish in time, but they are a lifelong burden for an alcoholic.  

Naltrexone is one medication used to fight alcohol cravings by blocking the pleasure centers stimulated by alcohol use.  With no euphoric effect from alcohol use, there is no craving associated for the alcohol dependent brain and body.  In an alcohol treatment setting, this removes a major distraction so patients can concentrate on recovery once alcohol detox has cleansed the body.  

Vivitrol, the injectable form of Naltrexone, is offered as part of the treatment program at Tarzana Treatment Centers.  With each injection lasting 30 days on timed release, patients can focus on treatment of the mind instead of the body, and are less likely to leave treatment early and drink.

CNN.com posted a story about Medication Assisted Treatment on 4/15/09.  Some excerpts are below.  

-- Begin external content –

"It's like a little kid wanting a piece of candy. You see it, you want the taste of it." He closes his eyes and sniffs the air, remembering the feeling. "You can be by yourself, and all of a sudden get even a hint of alcohol, just the smell of it, and say, 'Oh, I need a drink.' That sensation is not something you can get rid of."

But today, Kent isn't tempted in the least. He says the credit goes to a prescription medication -- a pill called naltrexone.  It's part of a new generation of anti-addiction drugs that may turn the world of rehab on its head.
…
Among the findings that are causing excitement:
…

• A federally funded study known as COMBINE compared cognitive-behavioral therapy alone with therapy along with naltrexone. Patients receiving both were more likely to stay abstinent and drank less if they did relapse.

These findings highlight what's become increasingly clear: Addiction is a brain disease, not just a failure of willpower. Naltrexone and topiramate have slightly different mechanisms, but both seem to block the release of brain chemicals that are linked to pleasure and excitement. Unlike earlier drugs used to treat alcoholics, neither is addictive or carries significant side effects.

-- Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/15/addiction.cold.turkey.pill/index.html --

For more information on Vivitrol, contact us via email at vivitrol@tarzanatc.org.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles makes a daily effort to find treatment news articles that we can share with our readers in the alcohol and drug treatment community.  The external content was found among other articles of equal informational and educational quality.