EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Taking the first step to start addiction treatment is an uphill battle, but what can prove to be harder is keeping a regimen that works.

That’s what Recovery Alliance patient Colette Thompson said is the hardest part of staying on track: maintaining the prescription.

“It’s so hard to take a drug every day and walk around with you and find a clinic and get a prescription,” Thompson said.

That’s why her healthcare providers put her on it vivitrol, an FDA-approved treatment method for opioid and alcohol use disorders.

Alkermes, the drug’s manufacturer, explained that Vivitrol is an extended-release version of naltrexone that works by blocking opioid and alcohol receptors, taking the pleasure out of using these substances.

According to the prescription information, it lasts about 30 days and then needs to be re-injected.

Vivitrol is one of many options for medically assisted addiction treatment.

According to the prescription descriptions of the other two options, Methadone and Suboxone, they are taken daily as pills or liquids. These two options also only partially disrupt opioid receptors and have minor euphoric effects. In addition, it does not treat alcohol addiction, which is why Vivitrol is a more complete option.

However, providers KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with said Vivitrol can be difficult to access for one of three reasons: price, lack of provider knowledge and the patient’s degree of opioid addiction.

Guillermo Valenzuela at Aliviane, one of El Paso’s oldest treatment centers, sees 250 clients on an ongoing basis and over 150 a year in their residential program.

He said Vivitrol is not a popular choice at the center because of the underinsured population it targets.

“I’m talking about in the last two years, I’ve seen maybe four, maybe five people walk this road. And as far as I know, cost played a big part in the decision.” Valenzuela said.

According to the makers of Vivitrol, each shot retails for $1,641.11.

However, Dr. Wayne Thornburg of Emergence Health Network said patients don’t always pay that much, with some patients paying as little as $5 a month through insurance and copay programs.

One of these programs is Vivitrol program togetherthrough the program, manufacturers said patients are assigned a caseworker to navigate getting Vivitrol price down for them.

Dr. Thornburg said many providers don’t know about these options.

“I think a lot of individuals and providers may or may not want to go down those roads, and I think that limits access to resources.” said Dr. Thornburg.

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The makers of Vivitrol also said the Medicare expansion plays a role in states using Vivitrol as an option.

The lack of state funding is something Valenzuela also mentioned.

However, the big thing he wants is accountability from pharmaceutical companies. He said: “There needs to be some middle ground on the part of pharmaceutical companies, especially those that have a lot of responsibility for the opioid crisis, to come to the table that they need to fund the treatment for the problem that they have caused— a”.

Aside from funding, another hurdle Vivitrol’s makers said they’ve faced is that suppliers don’t know how to sign up and be listed as a supplier on their website.

They said that providers must fill out a form to be listed on their website as a Vivitrol provider. In El Paso, the only supplier listed is Albertsons Pharmacy. However, KFOX14/CBS4 encountered at least two providers not listed on the website: Emergence Health Network and Aliviane.

When asked why they weren’t listed on the website as providers, these locations said they didn’t know they had to sign up for the mapping system.

Another reason Dr. Thornburg said he stays away from Vivitrol as a treatment option is that it’s difficult for opioid users who use stronger drugs like fentanyl to detox completely on their own.

Detoxification is a prerequisite for using Vivitrol, as it can intensify dangerous withdrawal symptoms if administered while a patient is still using it.

In addition, the Vivitrol website warns that if patients relapse after discontinuing Vivitrol, their tolerance will be low and the risk of overdose is greater. The manufacturers said that detoxification and the risk of overdose are not issues for patients taking Vivitrol for alcohol addiction.

A bigger problem, according to Dr. Thornburg, is that stronger opiates make it difficult to successfully transition to any medically assisted treatment. Limiting all treatment options for these patients.

However, at Recovery Alliance, medically assisted treatment saves lives.

Mario Mendoza, director of the Alliance for Recovery, or Casa Vida, said participating in the revolving door of recovery gives people jobs and purpose.

He details his experience as an alcoholic living on the streets. He said his brother found him in a homeless shelter and rehabbed at one of the centers in El Paso.

He said many other Recovery Alliance employees have had similar journeys.

Valenzuela de la Aliviane said treating addiction begins with treating the underlying trauma that causes it.

“If you want to live a healthy life, if you want to have a chance to be with your loved ones and enjoy the quality of life you’re meant to have, you’re going to have to work on your part,” Valenzuela said.

To explore addiction treatment options at Aliviane, Emergency Health Networkor Recovery Alliancein El Paso, click on those links.

To be connected to someone to talk to, day or night, call 988 or CLICK HERE.

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