hummingbird358

My cousins husband was telling me that there is a vaccine that is in the experimental stage that is supposed to help with alcoholism. I was researching it and they mentioned it is given every 6 months and that if the patient drinks they get violently sick. I guess it is not approved yet by the FDA he said. Just was wondering if anyone else heard about it. His son has been in rehab for drugs and now prescription drugs. He has been through hell as well. Just don't understand. They were excellent parents.

Anna

I haven't heard of a vaccine, but it sounds the same as Antabuse which is an oral medication to make someone sick if they drink alcohol. At best, I think it would be a tool and no more. There is so much more to recovery than stopping drinking.

I hope your cousin's family finds some peace.

Sunflowerlife

Yes, when I was in treatment 9 years ago one of the doctors suggested a 10k shot that was supposed to "erase all memories" of alcohol from my brain. That doesn't sound quite the same but I am sure if you do some google searching you can find out more about the vaccine you have heard about. I know Antabuse can make you sick if you drink.

biminiblue

Naltrexone (Vivitrol) is often given by injection, too...and the injections used to be given once a month...maybe they've come up with a longer acting one. Just guessing. I don't anything more about it other than what I've read online.

MyJoey

The vaccine for herion hasn't made it to the trial on addicts stage because no drug company will back it..... There's no money to be made on a vaccine. Very sad!!!

Nina Kay

MyJoey, that is very, very sad that it ALL has to be about money and not about the well-being of human beings. So many precious people have suffered so, so much for so long.
Hummingbird, It would be a dream come true if there were some vaccine that would remove the addictive draw to illegal drugs and alcohol.
Anna, Then they could work on the rest of their recovery with a clear mind.

We can dream, can't we?!!!

JimC60

"Naltrexone (Vivitrol) is often given by injection, too...and the injections used to be given once a month."

Vivitrol is still a once a month injection, pricey at about $800. There is also a daily, oral form. The nice thing about the injection is that the addict can't change their mind and stop taking it .......at least for a month. Oral they can stop any time.

Jim

MIRecovery

I get injected with AA 3 to 4 times a week and the prescription has worked for 6.5 years

Twofish

Dear Hummingbird,
That Vivitrol injection, was offered to one of my ADs, for opiate cravings.
Unlike Suboxone, which is like an oral sublingual form, once the injection
is put into the affected person, it can't be "taken out". Suboxone is taken
daily, it can be sold and abused, Vivitrol is injected monthly.
And Jim...here in WI...the injection costs $1800/month, very pricy and
insurance wouldn't pay for it, yet. Might be moving to DE!
TF

JimC60

Twofish,

My AD had a Vivitrol injection before she left her residential rehab (opiate pills & heroin).

She managed to get a "Manufacturer's Coupon" supplied by her rehab which dropped the price to $ 800. She never had another injection, so we never found out the real price.

But as in WI, insurance did not pay a dime!

One day at a time,

Jim

blindsblinds57

I've tried many different pills and narcotics to try and escape from recovering from alcoholism and in the process acquired increasingly worse untreated alcoholism and drug addiction. I believe in my early recovery from Alcohol that anti-depressants and anti-psychotics were instrumental. I also believe Psilocybin to be a contributing factor to quitting Seroquel and an Opiate addiction, looking back on it now I would not advocate this approach; I do believe medicine is far more advanced in the addictions field then the public currently has access to and I believe in the future we will be able to cure addiction before it starts and end it before it becomes the life threatening illness that it is today. I remain optimistic but from personal experience have found that complete abstinence has proven to be my only saving grace although a harm-reduction method may prove otherwise for some, it was almost a complete life ending disaster for myself.

For those interested in the Big Book of A.A the authors speak of the importance of Medicine in Alcoholism recovery in-fact, the first pages of the book itself stress the importance of medical supervision and detox, please give it a read and when you're done you may notice the usage of those in the medical professions to have been important resources to the early pioneers.

AnonWife

Id recommend Vivitrol, but dont know if its exactly a vaccine.

Ive also read they have something like a vaccine in the works for cocaine addiction.

I hope they get more of these medications thru trials and into patients who need them.

blindsblinds57

I know as well in my field of work there are many who are put on numerous psychiatric medications, methadone and suboxone and even medical marijuana to treat their more evil addictions. Some later come in to stabilize from the initial withdrawals from these other drugs, trying completely to get off of everything, addiction medicine is still unfortunately in it's infancy almost as bad as psychiatry is. Any thoughts on this?