Vivitrol Treatment — Monthly Injectable Naltrexone

Vivitrol is the brand name for extended-release injectable naltrexone — the same receptor-blocking medicine described on our naltrexone treatment page, delivered as a single shot that lasts about a month instead of a daily tablet. For many patients, removing the daily decision is the difference that makes the medication work. Rezolv Health manages Vivitrol prescriptions and monitoring by telehealth, coordinating the injection itself with an in-person site.

What Vivitrol is

Vivitrol is a 380 mg dose of naltrexone suspended in tiny dissolvable microspheres. Administered as an intramuscular injection into the gluteal muscle, those microspheres release the medication slowly and steadily over roughly four weeks. One injection therefore does the work of about a month of daily pills, holding the opioid receptors blocked the entire time without any action required from the patient in between.

Like oral naltrexone, it is FDA-approved for both alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder, contains no opioid, and is not a controlled substance. What is different is not the chemistry but the delivery — and for adherence, the delivery is the whole point.

Why some patients choose the injection over the pill

A daily medication only works on the days it is actually taken, and addiction is a condition that specifically erodes day-to-day follow-through. A once-monthly injection sidesteps that vulnerability in three ways.

First, adherence becomes a monthly event, not a daily test of resolve — there is no pill to forget, skip, or decide against on a hard morning. Second, because there is no daily dosing, there is no daily internal negotiation about whether to take it, which removes a recurring opening for relapse. Third, the slow release produces steady blood levels rather than the peaks and troughs of daily oral dosing, so the receptor blockade stays consistent across the whole month.

For people whose drinking or use tends to break through precisely on the days they would have skipped a pill, that consistency can be decisive.

How Vivitrol is administered and managed

Vivitrol must be given by a healthcare professional as an injection — it is not something a patient self-administers at home, and it cannot be shipped as a pill. What telehealth handles is everything around the shot: the evaluation, the prescription, confirming you are an appropriate candidate, ordering the medication, and the monthly monitoring of how you are responding.

The injection itself is performed in person. In Washington and Nevada, Rezolv Health coordinates this at our University Place and Reno locations or with a local site. The same opioid-free requirement that applies to oral naltrexone applies here, and it matters even more: because the dose cannot be removed once injected, your physician will confirm you have been fully off opioids for the appropriate window before the first injection.

Cost and insurance

Vivitrol is a brand-name biologic injection and is more expensive per dose than oral naltrexone. In Washington and Nevada, where Rezolv Health bills insurance, most commercial and Medicaid plans cover Vivitrol for its approved indications, though some require prior authorization — which your physician's office can help pursue. The manufacturer also runs a copay assistance program that many privately insured patients qualify for. Because pricing and coverage vary, your physician will review the realistic out-of-pocket picture with you before you commit.

Availability by state

State	Insurance	Availability
California	Private pay — see California pricing	Telehealth management; injection requires coordination with a local pharmacy or clinic
Washington	All insurance accepted, including Medicare and TRICARE	Injection at University Place or a coordinated local site
Nevada	All insurance including Medicaid	Injection at Reno or a coordinated local site

Frequently asked questions

Is Vivitrol the same medication as naltrexone? Yes. Vivitrol is extended-release injectable naltrexone. The active medicine is identical to the oral tablet; only the delivery differs — one monthly injection instead of a daily pill.

How long does one Vivitrol injection last? About four weeks. The medication is released gradually from microspheres over roughly a month, which is why it is dosed on a monthly schedule.

Can I get Vivitrol entirely through telehealth? The prescription, evaluation, and monthly monitoring are handled by telehealth, but the injection must be administered in person by a healthcare professional. Rezolv Health coordinates the in-person injection while managing everything else by secure video.

Is Vivitrol available in California? Vivitrol is not unavailable in California, but because California is a telehealth private-pay program and the injection must be given in person, it requires coordinating the shot with a local pharmacy or clinic. Your physician will discuss whether this is workable for your situation. Oral naltrexone is the simpler option for many California patients.

Do I need to stop opioids before a Vivitrol injection? Yes, and strictly so. You must be fully off all opioids — generally 7 to 14 days depending on the opioid — before the first injection, because a once-injected dose cannot be removed if it triggers precipitated withdrawal. Your physician will confirm you are ready beforehand.

What does Vivitrol cost and is it covered? As a brand-name injectable it costs more than the oral pill. In Washington and Nevada most commercial and Medicaid plans cover it for approved uses, sometimes with prior authorization, and a manufacturer copay program may further reduce cost. Your physician will go over your expected costs in advance.

Is Vivitrol better than the daily pill? Not inherently — it is the same medication. It is better for patients who struggle with daily adherence or who want to remove the daily decision entirely. Patients who reliably take a daily tablet may do equally well on oral naltrexone at lower cost. The choice depends on you.