40 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • OCTOBER 2018
VIVITROL THERAPY:
A SHOT AT LIFE
BY EDEN LAIKIN
A young man from an affluent Long
Island community who was injured
in a crash while away at college was
prescribed Vicodin for the pain — a
story that epitomizes the national
opioid epidemic.
“Right away I knew I was in trouble,”
the now-30-year-old man, whom
we’ll call Chris to protect his identity,
said during his first substance abuse
support group meeting. “I like this
way too much.”
His injuries persisted, and Vicodin
no longer eased the pain, so
he was then prescribed Percoset.
When the doctor thought he
shouldn’t need painkillers anymore,
he was already hooked. He resorted
to buying oxycodone on the street at
$30 per pill.
Before long, a dealer told Chris
he had something cheaper that
would deliver the same high, and
he didn’t have to use a needle: heroin.
Several ERs, drug rehabs and
an arrest later, Chris lost his job,
savings, and girlfriend. He moved
back in with his parents and hit
rock bottom.
An addiction doctor suggested
Vivitrol™, a once-a-month slow-release
injection of naltrexone. After
he got the shot, he found his way to
a 12-step recovery meeting, where
he met others who had been prescribed
the same relapse prevention
medication.
The doctor told Chris about the
one-of-a-kind Tuesday night Shot at
Life support group at St. Bernard’s
Parish School in Levittown. Members
of the group either are, were, or
are considering getting on Vivitrol™.
That was three weeks ago, and Chris
said he now feels great.
Vivitrol™ took away his cravings
and stopped the destructive voices in
his head, he says. And he’s far from
alone. Dr. Russell Surasky of Great
Neck, who is double board-certified
in neurology and addiction
medicine, calls Vivitrol™ one of the
most effective treatments for opioid
addiction.
“With the patient’s firm commitment
to recovery, along with
counseling and a strong support
system, Vivitrol™ is a powerful tool
in treating addiction to opioids and
alcohol,” Surasky says. “Treatment
with medication along with ongoing
substance-abuse therapy and support
offers patients a lifeline. Our
patients have had remarkable success
with Vivitrol™. They tell us that they
no longer crave or even think about
opiates and they feel they have finally
broken the chains of addiction.”
Vivitrol™ was FDA-approved in
2006 for alcohol and in 2010 for opiates.
It costs up to $1,300 per shot and
is covered by Medicaid and most private
health insurance. See vivitrol.
com for a list of providers.
About 1,500 patients on LI were
treated with Vivitrol™ between August
2017 and July 2018, according to
the drug’s manufacturer, Alkermes.
Some members of the support group
at St. Bernard’s visit regularly to share
their experience with Vivitrol™ with
those who come to learn about it.
THE
OPIOID
CRISIS
“Vivitrol saved my life,” Danny M.,
who was on the medicine for a year,
tells the group. “I’ve struggled for
years to get clean off opiates and heroin,
and nothing else worked for me.
I’ve now been clean from opiates for
19 months and feel better than I ever
have. I also attend self-help meetings,
which have played a big part in my
recovery ... this group is filled with
such loving and caring people, who I
consider family. I am forever grateful
for it.”
For Grace C., Vivitrol™ and 12-step
meetings are the only combination
that stopped her from sticking a
needle in her arm. Today, she’s off
the shot, eight months clean, and is
expecting a baby in December.
“I continue to receive support at
the group and am able to share my
experience with compassion,” she
says. “Sometimes I hear the solution
there.”
They all say they found testimonials,
understanding, and belonging in
the group. The ability to give away
what they have gotten is a big part
of their recovery. The group was
started by Linda Mangano and her
husband, former Nassau County Executive
Ed Mangano, in July 2015. She
continues to volunteer to facilitate
the group with boundless passion
and dedication, even though neither
she nor any of her family suffers
from addiction.
“There is nothing more important
than keeping families whole,”
Linda says. “When someone has a
substance use disorder, not only
are they suffering but so is their
family ... we all need to join forces
to try and keep people alive. No one
is immune. No community is exempt
... our meetings are a chance to
make a difference, educate parents
and friends, and help people get
treatment.”
PRESS HEALTH
Members of one drug rehabilitation support group say shots of Vivitrol™ help keep them from relapsing.
(Photo by Alessandro Guerriero/Shutterstock)
VIVITROL EDUCATION &
SUPPORT GROUP
7-9 p.m. Tuesdays
St Bernard’s Parish School
3100 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown
2nd floor room #209