Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office helping inmates kick opioid addiction before release

(TULSA, Okla.) The Tulsa County Jail is the first correctional facility in the state of Oklahoma to offer inmates a prescription medication that will curb the craving for opioids for a month. Beginning in August of 2019, inmates who have completed detox, became eligible to receive an injection of Vivitrol a few days prior to their release from jail. The intent of the Vivitrol program is to bridge the gap between the time when the inmate is released from the jail and when they begin receiving counseling and aftercare services from TCSO’s various community partners. The goal of the program is to increase the chances of an inmate’s recovery, while reducing the chances they will be arrested again. FACTS ABOUT VIVITROL: VIVITROL is an FDA-approved prescription medicine, used with behavioral therapy, for the treatment of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification. It is non-addictive and administered by injection once per month. VIVITROL is an extended-release form of naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist. Antagonists create a barrier that blocks opioid molecules from attaching to opioid receptors. Antagonists attach to opioid receptors, but do not cause the release of dopamine. They are non-addictive and do not lead to physical dependence. VIVITROL blocks opioid receptors in the brain for one month at a time, helping patients to prevent relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detox, while they focus on counseling. Patients must be opioid-free before starting.