Fentanyl Detox at Home Can Be Dangerous

A person who abruptly stops taking fentanyl can become very sick.

There are plenty of options to help people get through a dependence to fentanyl, a potent narcotic painkiller. One of them is home detox. This can mean simply trying to detox at home without supervision from a medical specialist. This is dangerous, especially for people who try to do it “cold turkey.” A person who abruptly stops taking fentanyl can become very sick. This can even cause seizures and coma, especially in those who take fentanyl for long periods of time or at high doses. There are some detox clinics out there that treat patients and send them home to recover during a critical time when they need to be closely monitored. There are also home detox kits that say they will help cleanse the body of the drug. Results and safety can be compromised with any method of home detox and the very nature of opiate addiction requires professional assistance.

Powerful withdrawal symptoms are common among those patients who detox from fentanyl, which comes in the form of a transdermal patch (Duragesic) and an oral lozenge (Actiq). These symptoms are difficult to manage without help and can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomachache, headache, muscle and bone pain, depression, anxiety, irritability, restlessness and hallucinations. The reaction to overdose varies among patients but can be fatal if not treated properly.

Some Detox Options Don’t Treat Fentanyl Addiction Quickly

Detox and rehab facilities offer a variety of programs and treatments with varying degrees of success and safety. In order to be effective, a treatment needs to quickly wipe out the addiction at the source. Opiate replacement therapy is one option that has become quite common. The problem is, it tends to keep people in a lingering state of dependence by trading one addiction for another. Some people end up using opiate substitutes such as methadone or Suboxone for years in their quest to get clean. The Waismann Institute of southern California is a renowned facility specializing in rapid opiate detox. Our total hospital stay is monitored closely by doctors and nurses and lasts just a few days.

Our procedure uses intravenous medication to clean the opiate receptors of the drug. Patients sleep lightly under general deep sedation during this time while harsh withdrawal symptoms pass unnoticed. Our procedure is safe and effective, getting patients back to their lives and careers quickly. They recover in the hospital where our doctors and nurses monitor them around the clock. Once discharged, patients can return home, free of fentanyl addiction. Others may choose to transition in our aftercare facility, Domus Retreat.

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