Naltrexone injection

• Vivitrol^®

Naltrexone blocks the effects of opioid medication, including pain relief or feelings of well-being that can lead to opioid abuse. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic. Naltrexone is used as part of a treatment program for drug or alcohol dependence.

Naltrexone injection is used to prevent relapse in people who became dependent on opioid medicine and then stopped using it. Naltrexone can help keep you from feeling a "need" to use the opioid.

Naltrexone injection is also used to treat alcoholism by reducing your urge to drink alcohol. This may help you drink less or stop drinking altogether. Naltrexone will not decrease the effects of alcohol you recently consumed. You should not be drinking at the time you receive your first naltrexone injection.

Naltrexone is not a cure for drug addiction or alcoholism.

Naltrexone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

You should not receive a naltrexone injection if you still use opioid medicine, or you could have sudden and severe withdrawal symptoms.

You should not receive naltrexone if you are allergic to it, or if:

• you are having withdrawal symptoms from drug or alcohol addiction;

• you have used any opioid medicine within the past 10 days (including fentanyl, Vicodin, OxyContin, and many others); or

• you have used methadone or buprenorphine (Subutex, Butrans, Suboxone, Zubsolv) in the past 14 days.

To make sure naltrexone is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

• liver disease;

• kidney disease; or

• a bleeding or blood-clotting disorder such as hemophilia.

It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Naltrexone can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment to receive your naltrexone injection.

Use this medicine as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.

• It is given as a shot into a muscle.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• Call your doctor to find out what to do.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of liver problems like dark urine, feeling tired, not hungry, upset stomach or stomach pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes.
• Signs of low mood (depression), thoughts of killing yourself, nervousness, emotional ups and downs, thinking that is not normal, anxiety, or lack of interest in life.
• Very bad dizziness or passing out.
• Blurred eyesight.
• A fast heartbeat.
• A heartbeat that does not feel normal.
• Feeling confused.
• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there).
• Signs of lung or breathing problems like shortness of breath or other trouble breathing, cough, or fever.
• Area that feels hard, blisters, dark scab, lumps, open wound, pain, swelling, or other very bad skin irritation where the shot was given.

• If you need to store naltrexone injection at home, talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about how to store it.
• Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets.
• Check with your pharmacist about how to throw out unused drugs.

• If your symptoms or health problems do not get better or if they become worse, call your doctor.
• Do not share your drugs with others and do not take anyone else's drugs.
• Keep a list of all your drugs (prescription, natural products, vitamins, OTC) with you. Give this list to your doctor.
• Talk with the doctor before starting any new drug, including prescription or OTC, natural products, or vitamins.
• This medicine comes with an extra patient fact sheet called a Medication Guide. Read it with care. Read it again each time this medicine is refilled. If you have any questions about naltrexone injection, please talk with the doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.
• If you think there has been an overdose, call your poison control center or get medical care right away. Be ready to tell or show what was taken, how much, and when it happened.

This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take this medicine or any other medicine. Only the healthcare provider has the knowledge and training to decide which medicines are right for a specific patient. This information does not endorse any medicine as safe, effective, or approved for treating any patient or health condition. This is only a brief summary of general information about naltrexone injection. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse effects, or risks that may apply to this medicine. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from the healthcare provider. You must talk with the healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using naltrexone injection.

Review Date: October 4, 2017