Detoxification of these substances from the body undertaken too rapidly or without medical assistance can result in severe mental and physical forms of opiate withdrawal symptoms lasting over a time period of a few days to a few weeks. These include anxiety and depression, vomiting and nausea, sweating, inability to concentrate and an intense craving for the drug which originally caused the addiction. Damage to the central nervous system, as well as the heart and lungs can be fatal for some addicts who detox in an unmonitored environment with some form of medical assistance.
Opiates are a particularly dangerous form of addiction requiring the addict to detox from opiates because they damage the central nervous system and stop the production of endorphins in the body, ultimately causing a physical dependency on the opiates to take their place.
Opiate Detox Requires Medical Guidance, Determination
Most withdrawal programs offering addicts detox treatment allow for a graduate withdrawal from the original opiate of choice through administering medications known as opiate agonist drugs. Methodone, Clonidine, LAAM (levo-alpha-acethylmethadol) and Buprenorphine are among the drugs administered during the detox process, either via skin patch or orally, in increasingly smaller doses. This allows the addict to gradually withdraw from their addition to the opiates, while alleviating or eliminating most or all of the withdrawal symptoms that accompany opiate detoxification.
Rapid opiate detox
Rapid detox or rdd programs, in which the patient is administered drugs while under anesthesia during a two hour procedure, is another detox option producer faster results. Rapid detox, however, has had mixed reviews from addiction professionals and may not be safe for every patient, depending upon the degree and type of opiate addiction.
Because the detoxification process is just as much a mental one as a physical one, emotional support in the form of group counseling and individual psychological counseling is essential to the success of any detox program. Counseling is particularly important for any addict dealing with the withdrawal symptoms that include weight loss, paranoia, and severe preoccupation with receiving another dose of the original opiate of choice, no matter if that involves, stealing, lying , danger or some form of risk.
Detoxification from any opiate addiction has a much higher success rate if the patient admits there is a problem, seeks medical as well as psychological help and continues in some form of treatment program after the initial 3 to 4 week formal opiate detox process to prevent relapsing into old behaviors. Keep in mind that all of this requires action and a lot of it..
