Does Vivitrol work? This is a legitimate question

Discussion in 'Cephalon' started by Anonymous, Aug 7, 2008 at 7:39 AM.

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  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Why are you sharing this on Cafepharma?
     

  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    These posts don't seem to be coming from real Cephalon employees or patients. What is up with that?
     
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    OK kids... It's dose of reality time. I sold Vivitrol and felt it was the best drug I ever sold. But this must be noted. If the patient does not do AA or counseling or something... They will eventually fail. Sorry, it's the truth.

    Alcoholism is both an unconscious addiction and a habit. After you do something for 23 days it becomes a habit that the brain recognizes and expects. The brain likes normalcy. It likes repetition. For example, if you play a softball game with your friends in a league and then go to the bar for a few drinks... and each week you do the same thing... Eventually after softball you expect and look forward to going to the bar. That is habit, not addiction.

    If it becomes that you HAVE to go to the bar and start making excuses why you have to play this week instead of going to your kid's parent teacher meeting... That's addiction.

    So, if you decide to take a shot and still play softball... The brain is going to expect to go to the bar to hang with your boys. Which is where the alcohol is. You will go... And eventually fail. In other words, you need to make life changes... New hobbies, friends, etc.

    A diabetic does not just take insulin... They have to learn to avoid sugar, carbs, etc. Those are the necessary changes in life that need to be made for that patient to succeed.
    It is the same for Vivitrol. I loved selling it, and feel it was a great product... But only when coupled with realistic expectations. You have to work to get better. Sorry, I know all Americans want a quick fix. But, you can't quick fix genetics.

    That said, I know you can beat it. But, do not be fooled by these phony posts of people running in fields of daisies after one shot. It is a greuling and terrible road. But, it's also life and none of us can hide from that. We all have to deal with it and move on.

    Sorry for the dose of reality. But, I'd rather be the bad guy on here and be the one person who said if you really need the true story... If you really are someone struggling and not some joker playing around. I want you to succeed, cause when it's good. Life is really good.

    Best of luck!
     
  4. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Great post, thanks for sharing.
     
  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    You are welcome. I think that you gotta call a spade a spade. There is no use not being real here. We are all just trying to get through life.

    Best of luck!
     
  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    It works great, but its expensive if your insurance doesnt cover it.
     
  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    "The brain is going to expect to go to the bar to hang with your boys. Which is where the alcohol is. You will go... And eventually fail."

    This is based on the outmoded AA notion that any alcohol is a "fail." The whole point of the Vivitrol revolution is that the drug makes alcoholics' physiology like non-alcoholics'. That means that the patient doesn't need to suffer the social stigma of not attending social events in which alcohol is served. They can do it without so much danger of over doing it because you no longer get the short-term reward.

    How do you people sell this stuff without knowing such basic concepts?
     
  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Cephalon doesn't sell Vivitrol. Alkermes does.

    How do you make such critical posts without knowing such basic information?
     
  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    tough product to sell
     
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    To those who are paying for vivitrol are WASTING your money. I am a former heroin addict and alcoholic. You CAN get high both from alcohol and heroin while on vivitrol. I speak from experience.
     
  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    What side effects happen if you only wait 4 days without drinking, before taking vivitrol?
     
  12. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I dont know what they gave you an injection of but it surely was not Vivitrol!
    While it has a very weak effect on alcohol (barely beats placebo) the heroin absolutely would not work.
    Either you or your doctor are full of it.
     
  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Yes (unfortunately!) it works! I'm an alcoholic and love the effect of beer/wine/any alch. on my brain. That wonderful buzzed euphoric rush that feels so good and that also pushes me to keep on feeding it. With Vivitrol that's ALL GONE! I was not about to commit to this shot/injection without testing it after my first shot. So, on day 4 after my shot I got some beer and drank it and it was disgusting. No rush. No buzz. It took me two days to finish off a 6 pack just to experiment with this. I'd normally polish off a 6 pack in 1 hour or def less than 2 hours. But 2 days!?! Geesh. My alcoholic brain now tells me to not go get the next shot/injection because Vivitrol DOES WORK. You decide whether or not that makes you happy or sad.
     
  14. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Vivitrol definitely works, and NOTE what was in a post earlier. It is an Alkermes drug and is sold by Alkermes, NOT Cephalon. Alkermes terminated the co-marketing deal as Cephalon was not putting the proper investment in to marketing.
    So contact Alkermes for more information- their CMO Elliot Erich is a good guy. They may be also able to help with cost if you can't afford it.
     
  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    My MD put me on this after tragically my husband died and had heavy legal matters to attend to. I have been abusive of alcohol in the past as a coping mechanism. My MD prescribed this to me after I was Baker Acted for overdosing on dead husband's morphine meds. I thought I threw them all out with a MD friend. Afraid if I find anymore, it could be possible that I might take them. I did find more and tested to see if it works for opiates.....YES...YES! As far as the alcohol for me, don't notice much help but then I am drinking less and less. Been on shot for three months....my lovely MD gave it to me no charge because it is a sample. Love my MD...PS...counseling is the key whether is is AA or something else
     
  16. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    made my hemroids flare up
     
  17. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I just took my first shot last week. I am taking for alcohol addiction. There are 2 things Vivitrol is supposed to do for alcohol. The first is prevent cravings. For me it has definitely failed there. I got to 30 days sober then relapsed twice since the shot. The second thing is to prevent you from enjoying alcohol. This it actually does, it really sucks if u are determined to get drunk. The analogy I can make is trying to get high off resin if you ran out of weed.
     
  18. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Really?
     
  19. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Does anyone know how Alkermes is to work for?
    Great info but I'm curious about this drug. I am an active member of AA and this drug has never been discussed at meetings. AA definitely works and it cost a dollar but is this a good company or not?
     
  20. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I am not real sure why everyone seems to be hating on one another in this post. The QUESTION was DOES VIVITROL WORK? Well I just got my first vivitrol shot today to help me stop abusing narcotic drugs after a serious car accident. Ive been using legal and non-legal drugs to deal with the pain for over a year now. All I can say is I have not felt this optimistic about being sober in a very long time. I am only 24 years old and I am sure with 8 broken vertebrae in my back that I have a long road ahead of me but I truly feel that Vivitrol works and will continue to help me on my road to sobriety. I have many friends who have been on Vivitrol for 3 or more months and all have stayed clean and highly recommended I go get the shot. If you are in the Southern California area I recommend you see Dr. Paul Cassidy, he is honestly one of the nicest but upfront Dr I have ever dealt with. The Average Doctor looks at all my Xrays and MRIs etc and just prescribes me more pain meds then I know what to do with.... which is LAME and gets me nowhere on improving my back!! SEE I originally went in to get the shot about 2 weeks ago but the Dr said I needed more "clean time" before I could get the shot, so I did just that. And although the road was definitely hard to get through I am SO HAPPY I got the shot TODAY, literally 12 hours ago, I cannot even express in words how happy I am for the future. Its weird its not just the shot that has affected me, its the fact that now I have NO choice but to be clean and deal with my pain in an adult manner, rather than getting f"up and forgetting my back is broken. See no matter what my 8 vertebrae will continue to bother me with or without painkillers, etc. Its the fact that I now have no choice but to deal with it and work on improving my overall health. See things in life happen for a reason and whether we like it or not its LIFE not DRUGS that are worth living for. Hope this answers some questions. Ill post again in a month or so and let everyone know how things went with my first month on the shot. AND NO I DO NOT WORK FOR OR INDORSE VIVITROL! SO JUST READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY CAUSE IT COMES FROM THE HEART!!!!! I AM 24 YEARS YOUNG, TRUST ME I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH MY TIME THEN POST ABOUT SOME SHOT I JUST GOT IN MY BEHIND!