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Why Should I Take Care of Myself if My Child is the One with the Addiction?
Self-care is important for a parent helping their child struggling with drugs. As one parent put it, “We became as sick as he was just trying to save him.”
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Charlene Eckert
I’m not sure if my question went through…it’s asking me to leave a comment.
Charlene Eckert
Would this text/help center be able to help a family that is in the emergency room with their loved one that is on the Vivitrol shot–to tell the family what kind of pain medication is safe for the person that has been in an accident, when the medical staff doesn’t seem to know anything about the Vivitrol shots.
Pat
Hi Charlene,
Thanks for your question. For the most part, this resource is to provide day-to-day support and is not meant to be used in crisis/emergency situations.
That said, there is an article on the website at this link about Vivitrol: https://drugfree.org/parent-blog/considering-medication-assisted-treatment-make-sure-you-know-the-fine-print/
The article suggests that any person using Vivitrol should carry a wallet card or wear a bracelet identifying the use of the medication.
This is information from the Vivitrol website:
“In the event that you need medical treatment, be sure to tell your healthcare provider that you are receiving VIVITROL treatment and the date of your last injection. This is important because VIVITROL can also block the effects of opioid-containing medicines that might be necessary to block pain in an emergency.
While on VIVITROL, suggestions for pain management include regional analgesia or use of non-opioid analgesics. If opioid therapy is required, it should be administered by specially trained healthcare providers and the patient should be monitored closely.”
You can also download a wallet card here: https://www.vivitrol.com/opioid-dependence/pain-management
I hope this helps.
Pat