# Vivitrol Shot Near Me: What It Is and Where to Get It

> Searching for a Vivitrol shot near me? Learn how this monthly naltrexone injection works, who it helps, what to expect, and where to start in Richmond, VA.

URL: https://foundationmedicalgroup.org/vivitrol-shot-near-me/
Published: 2026-08-04
Updated: 2026-08-04

A Vivitrol injection is a once-monthly dose of extended-release naltrexone, given into a muscle to treat opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder. It blocks the opioid receptor sites in the brain, so opioids can’t create a high. In Richmond, Virginia, Foundation Medical Group offers physician-led Vivitrol treatment, often within days of your first call.
If you typed Vivitrol shot near me into a search bar today, you’ve already done the hardest part. Addiction is a medical condition, not a personal failing, and it responds to treatment like any other long-term illness. This page keeps things plain. We cover what the drug is, how the injection works, who it helps, what your first visit looks like, and where to go next.
What Is Vivitrol? Vivitrol is a brand name for extended-release naltrexone. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist. In plain words, it sits on the opioid receptor sites in your brain and blocks them. It isn’t an opioid itself. It doesn’t create a high, and it isn’t addictive.
You get it as a monthly injection into a muscle, usually in the buttock. The standard dose is 380 mg, and it releases slowly over about 4 weeks. Unlike a daily tablet, there’s nothing to refill at the pharmacy every 30 days. For a lot of people in early recovery, that’s one less decision to make each morning.
The FDA approved it for both opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder. It’s an FDA approved medication used inside medication assisted treatment, where medicine is paired with counseling and support. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the label carries clear instructions about staying off opioids before the first dose.
How Does the Vivitrol Injection Work? Naltrexone blocks the opioid receptors that prescription opioid analgesics, such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, act on. Opioid street drugs work on those same receptors. When the receptors are blocked, opioids can’t attach, so they can’t cause the usual effect. For a person in recovery, that steady block lowers cravings and helps prevent relapse.
Alcohol acts on the brain in a different way, and naltrexone helps there too. It changes how the brain responds to alcohol, so drinking feels less rewarding. Over time, that can make it easier to cut back or stop for good. Plenty of our patients come to us for alcohol first and are surprised by how much quieter the urge to drink gets.
Here’s the safety point that matters most. Because the drug blocks those receptors, you have to be fully off opioids before the first dose. Most people need 7 to 10 opioid-free days. Per the FDA medication guide, if opioids or opioid containing medicines are still in your body, the injection can set off sudden, strong withdrawal symptoms. Clinicians call that precipitated withdrawal. Your healthcare provider checks that you’re ready first, usually with a short exam and a urine screen.
That waiting period is the part people dread. It’s also the part a good addiction treatment team helps you through, rather than leaving you to white-knuckle it alone at home.
Who Can Get Vivitrol Treatment? This treatment is meant for eligible patients who have opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder and who have already completed opioid detoxification. In plain words, you’ve stopped using and moved through the early withdrawal symptoms before the first injection.
A healthcare provider reviews your health history to see if it’s a good fit. Tell your care team about any liver problems, any allergies, and every drug you take, including anything you buy over the counter. Some people shouldn’t use naltrexone at all, so this honest talk matters more than it might seem. Your healthcare provider also goes over the important safety information with you, including what to do in a medical emergency.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and liver disease all change the picture, so bring those up early. Specifically, tell your healthcare provider if you’re pregnant, planning to be, or nursing. Nobody in that room is judging you. The more your healthcare provider knows, the safer your addiction treatment will be.
What Happens at Your First Appointment? Most people picture something clinical and cold. In practice, the first visit is mostly a conversation.
Your healthcare provider will ask what you’ve been using, how much, and for how long. They’ll ask about past addiction treatment, other health conditions, and what home looks like right now. There’s no trick question in there. Honest answers just let the team plan around your real life instead of a guess.
Then comes the practical part.
A review of everything you take, including opioid analgesics prescribed by another doctor. A check that you’ve been opioid-free long enough for the injection to be safe. Bloodwork in some cases, usually to look at liver function. A urine screen, which is routine and not a test you can fail as a person. A talk about counseling, therapy, and what support you want alongside the medicine. If you’re cleared that day, the shot itself takes about 2 minutes. Some people feel a dull ache in the muscle for 24 to 48 hours afterward, similar to a flu shot. You’ll leave with a medication guide, a follow-up date about 4 weeks out, and a number to call if something feels wrong before then.
Vivitrol Compared With the Naltrexone Pill Naltrexone comes in two forms. One is the monthly injection. The other is a daily pill. Both use the same drug and block opioids the same way. The real difference is how often you take it, and who is responsible for remembering. The table below shows what to expect from each.
What to compare Vivitrol injection Naltrexone pill How you take it One shot into a muscle A tablet you swallow How often Once a month Every day Given by A healthcare provider in a clinic Taken by you at home Typical dose 380 mg every 4 weeks 50 mg daily, as prescribed Best for People who prefer not to dose daily People who prefer a daily routine Off opioids first? Yes, about 7 to 10 days Yes, about 7 to 10 days Compared with the 50 mg tablet, the shot removes the daily choice entirely, which is the whole point for some patients. Neither form is an opioid, and neither is addictive. If you want to weigh these options with a clinician, a naltrexone doctor near you can walk through both. There’s no wrong answer here, and switching later is allowed.
What Are the Vivitrol Side Effects? Like any medicine, this one can cause side effects. Most are mild. The common Vivitrol side effects include a sore spot where you got the injection, nausea, headache, tiredness, and muscle cramps. These symptoms often ease over the first week or two, and they tend to get milder with later doses.
There are serious risks worth knowing. A few people get a strong reaction at the injection site, with pain, swelling, or a lump that doesn’t settle. Rarely, naltrexone can affect the liver. An allergic reaction is possible with any drug. Your care team reviews the warning signs so you know when to call rather than wait it out.
Get help right away if you have trouble breathing, severe pain at the injection site, or signs of an allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat. Call your healthcare provider about yellowing skin, dark urine, or stomach pain that won’t quit, since those symptoms can point to the liver.
Your healthcare provider keeps watch at each monthly visit. In particular, they’ll check the injection site and ask how the last 4 weeks went. That steady follow-up is part of why this is given in a clinic instead of simply handed over at a pharmacy counter.
Why Does Overdose Risk Go Up After a Missed Dose? This is the part we make sure every patient hears twice, because it saves lives.
While you’re in treatment, your body loses much of its tolerance to opioids. If someone returns to opioid street drugs during a gap in care, or after stopping altogether, the same amount they used before can now be far too much. That’s why the risk of opioid overdose goes up after a missed dose. It isn’t a reason to avoid the medicine. It’s a reason to keep appointments and to plan ahead.
Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that staying on treatment is what protects people, and that gaps in care are the dangerous stretch. Your care team will talk with you about keeping naloxone at home. Naloxone is a rescue medication that can reverse an opioid overdose while help is on the way. For example, a nasal naloxone kit sits in a drawer, is often free through Virginia’s REVIVE! program, and needs no medical training to use.
Ask for a kit, keep it somewhere obvious, and show the people you live with how to use it. Never try to override the block with more opioids or street drugs. Large amounts don’t get through, and the attempt itself can cause a fatal opioid overdose. If you’ve missed your appointment, call us before you do anything else. Rescheduling is easy, and a relapse is treated as a medical event, not a moral one.
How Does Vivitrol Fit With Counseling and Therapy? Medication quiets the physical pull. It doesn’t answer the question of what you do on a hard Tuesday. That’s where therapy comes in, and it’s why the shot works best as one part of a bigger plan.
Some people do well with one counseling session a week. Others need more structure, at least at the start. An intensive outpatient program offers 9 to 12 hours of sessions a week while you keep living at home and working, which suits people who can’t step away for residential care. Group therapy adds something a drug can’t: a room full of people who already know what withdrawal feels like at 3 a.m.
Peer support, family sessions, and help with housing or work all matter too. Recovery isn’t only about opioids or alcohol leaving your system. It’s about building a life that doesn’t need them, and about catching the early signs of relapse before they turn into a return to use. Combining the injection with counseling is what turns a good month into lasting recovery, and it’s the approach healthcare professionals across addiction medicine now treat as standard care.
Where Can I Get a Vivitrol Shot Near Me? Start by looking for Vivitrol clinics or Vivitrol doctors who treat substance use disorder, or ask your primary care doctor for a referral. You can also search the government directory at FindTreatment.gov to find providers in your area. Many outpatient programs that offer addiction treatment near you give the injection on site.
When you call, a few simple questions help you compare:
Do you give Vivitrol shots on site, or do you refer out? Is a doctor on staff who prescribes it? Do you help me get fully off opioids first, or can you refer me for that? Do you include counseling and therapy alongside the medicine? Do you accept my insurance or Medicaid? How soon can a new patient be seen? In Richmond, Virginia, Foundation Medical Group provides physician-led Vivitrol treatment as part of our addiction and mental health care. Our Vivitrol provider team reviews your health, confirms you’re ready for the first dose, and pairs the medication with counseling. We see patients from across the Richmond area, including Henrico, Chesterfield, and Midlothian, VA, and we also serve the Dallas, Texas area. Most new patients reach a first visit within 1 to 3 days of that call.
In our experience, the first month is the one that feels biggest. Patients often tell us they were nervous walking in and relieved walking out. One patient said the monthly dose took a daily worry off his plate, because he no longer had to make a choice about pills each morning. That kind of small, steady relief adds up across a year of treatment.
Key Takeaways Vivitrol is a brand of extended-release naltrexone, given as a 380 mg injection into a muscle about every 4 weeks. It treats opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder by blocking the effects of opioids. It isn’t an opioid, and it isn’t addictive. You must be fully off opioids for about 7 to 10 days before the first dose to avoid sudden withdrawal. Common Vivitrol side effects include soreness at the injection site, nausea, and muscle cramps. Serious reactions are less common. Tolerance drops during treatment, so opioid overdose risk rises after a missed dose. Keep naloxone at home. The medicine works best alongside counseling, therapy, or an intensive outpatient program. In Richmond, Virginia, Foundation Medical Group offers physician-led Vivitrol treatment and can help you start. Start Vivitrol Treatment in Richmond Reaching out for help takes courage, and you don’t have to sort it out alone. This treatment gives you a physician-led path that fits into a busy life, with real support at every monthly visit. Cravings can be managed. Recovery is possible, and plenty of people have built a lasting recovery starting from a search exactly like the one that brought you here.
If you’re looking for care in the Richmond, Virginia area, we’d be glad to help. Reach out to Foundation Medical Group to ask about openings, insurance, and whether this is right for you. Our care team is here, ready to walk this recovery journey with you.
Sources U.S. Food and Drug Administration - VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) prescribing information and Medication Guide. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - Medications for Substance Use Disorders. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) - Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder Research Report. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) - National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.