What is drug detox?
“How to Detoxify Drugs from the Body” Drug detoxification is a medical process by which the body is safely and successfully cleansed of drugs. The goal of opiate detox is to minimize the effect of drug withdrawal to best enable patients to successfully progress to the next stage of the treatment process.
Although many (but not all) opioids can be prescribed legally, these are some of the most addictive substances known to man. All opioids interact with and stimulate opioid receptors within the brain to block pain and produce feelings of calm and euphoria. However, they also quickly rewire the brain, forcing the body to adapt to their presence. Eventually, the patient becomes unable to function normally without his presence.
If someone develops a dependence on opioids, stopping opioids can cause many symptoms to appear in as little as 6-12 hours after stopping the medication. This process is known as withdrawal. Symptoms of opioid withdrawal can be dangerous and very uncomfortable, but they vary depending on how chemotherapy the patient is.
Some of the withdrawal symptoms include:
Worried
muscle tension
insomnia
sweating
colic
Diarrhea
nausea
vomiting
Opioid detox is designed to reduce these symptoms, as well as keep patients safe from more serious symptoms such as hallucinations and seizures. Opioid withdrawal increases the likelihood that patients will successfully complete detox without relapse, and also helps them be in a better psychological state before starting other forms of treatment, thus increasing the potential for long-term sobriety.
00The process of drug detoxification (how to withdraw drug toxins from the body)
Opioids can be detoxified in several ways. Depending on the situation and level of dependence, one way to detox is to stop taking opioids and take medications to relieve withdrawal symptoms. There is also medication-assisted therapy (MAT), which is the use of medications along with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat opioid use disorders. Medications used for opioids include methadone and buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolve). After detoxing, individuals can take naltrexone to reduce cravings.
Many doctors also induce rapid withdrawal, known as rapid opioid detoxification or ROD. During the ROD procedure, the patient is placed under intravenous sedation with individual medical monitoring. This is usually done in a hospital setting. Intravenous sedation is general anesthesia and allows them to sleep during periods of withdrawal. As a result, they do not experience any severe pain usually associated with most withdrawals. After this process is completed, the patient is placed on either Naltrexone or Vivitrol to help reduce cravings. The patient can only use Naltrexone or Vivitrol after the detox process or it will lead to withdrawal symptoms. Using anesthesia to help deal with severe symptoms of rapid detoxification is called rapid anesthesia-assisted detox.
Follow the drug detox process
There is considerable debate as to whether or not this is an effective or safe treatment method for opiate detox. Many individuals will go home after this treatment and experience persistent withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, food cravings, and other symptoms. Others are at risk for potentially severe adverse reactions, such as heart attack, high body temperature, infection, nausea, vomiting, aspiration, suffocation, coma, or possibly death. In particular, the use of anesthesia during detoxification is dangerous.
Naltrexone is used to prevent relapse. However, several other medications can be given to reduce cravings and symptoms such as methadone. These drugs mimic the effects of opioids in an effort to adjust the body to lower doses of the drug and eliminate toxins more easily. In addition, Clonidine is used to reduce symptoms of acute withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal.
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How long does drug detox take?
Drug detoxification can be a repetitive and ongoing process due to the high rates of relapse. However, the length of an individual detox will depend on several factors such as…
chemical accreditation level
How long has the user been abusing opioids
How much opioids they took?
genetics and age
Public Health
The type of opioid used
The process by which toxins are eliminated
Other substances addicted by the patient
With all of these factors in mind, the detox can last from a few hours to an entire month before the body begins to function normally again.
Stages of drug detoxification (How to withdraw drug toxins from the body)
Withdrawal symptoms depend on the tolerance of the drug and the user’s body. Although you can infer a typical pattern of symptoms once the drug is not in the system:
6-24 hours after stopping drug use:
Cravings for drug use begin to increase
Anxiety and depression begin to develop
Vomiting and nausea
Medications are usually prescribed and intensified during this stage. At this point, ROD and rapid detoxification with the help of anesthesia usually begin.
36-48 hours after stopping drug use:
colic
Sweating and runny nose
Vomiting and nausea
watery eyes
The medication is usually increased during this phase to its maximum. Many patients find this to be the most difficult and challenging stage to overcome. This often leads to relapse, which means that supervision and security are of particular importance.
48-72 hours after stopping the drug:
Diarrhea
insomnia
Muscle aches and shivering can occur
During this phase, the drug is often at its maximum use, although in many cases its use decreases gradually during or immediately after this time. For many, symptoms feel worst at around 72 hours but decrease in severity after 3 or 4 days. This stage requires extensive supervision to ensure that patients remain comfortable and do not relapse.
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Are all drug detoxifiers the same?
Although there are many opiates like heroin, morphine, and oxycodone, the process of detoxing is very similar to all of them. You may feel similar symptoms from withdrawing each drug, and each of the above detox methods is an option to override each opioid. In many cases, the severity of the addiction determines the detox process further.
What are my options for drug detoxification? (How to detoxify drugs from the body)
There are many options for drug detoxification.
Inpatient drug detoxification
An inpatient detox within a hospital or treatment facility provides medical supervision, appropriate pain medication, and daily monitoring. In almost all cases, inpatient opioid detox is highly recommended because it is the safest and most likely to succeed in the short and long term.
Opioid Detox for Outpatients
During an outpatient detox, the patient comes to a facility or center during the day (and sometimes at night) for treatment and returns home afterwards. Check-ins are frequent because clinicians cannot respond with caution as quickly as an inpatient program. The outpatient option is more suitable for a new or less severe addiction or for patients with responsibilities they cannot leave behind for long periods.
Rapid detoxification of drugs (How to withdraw drug toxins from the body)
A quick detox is another option. However, many avoid this option because it may lead to pulmonary edema or arrhythmias.
Look for drug poisons
If you or someone you love is addicted to drugs, help is just a phone call away. Continuing with addiction is more painful than continuing with withdrawals that can be reduced with the right medication. Call a dedicated treatment provider from Future Hospital 00201029275503 to receive free assistance in finding the right type of detox for you.
