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Medical Opiate Detox – Withdrawal and Treatment Options

Dependence and Withdrawal Symptoms

Opiate addiction has been a public health crisis in the USA for over a decade. Since 2017, more than two million people in this country were abusing some form of opioids. Some people presently suffer from addiction to prescription opiates for pain management. Meanwhile, others seek illegal drugs like heroin. Because of this drug’s dangerous nature, physicians are encouraged to find other pain management options or decrease opiates prescribed to patients. The issue with limiting these prescriptions is that patients don’t often have access to medical detoxification treatments.

Due to the comfort of knowing that prescription drugs – such as hydrocodone and oxycodone – were being managed by pain doctors, many patients had no awareness of the risks. Most developed a dependency on the medication very quickly and weren’t even aware of it. The feelings of shame and fear of an unfamiliar situation led many patients to illegal drugs or even suicide. For this and many other reasons, medical opiate detox should be available to those who need it.

Addiction to opiates is hardly a manageable condition to alleviate on your own. Opiate drugs bind to the receptors within the brain and spinal cord, resulting in a lack of pain sensation and an increase in euphoria. The sudden opioid intake disruption means physical pain from the original injury is likely to return in addition to withdrawal syndrome. The first few days of the withdrawal are the most severe, and many people cannot endure that suffering level. Receiving specialized care by a medical professional can significantly reduce the discomfort and improve the chances of success.

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Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Opiate drugs provide a pleasurable, rushing, and numbing sensation, which causes people to continue using this drug, medically or recreationally. Unfortunately, once a habit forms, many people lose control and can’t regain it without an adequate opiate detox program. Keep in mind that opiate use disorder is not mental or moral weakness. Instead, it’s a physical condition that requires medical treatment. Changes or disturbances in brain chemistry cause some people to be susceptible to an opioid use disorder. Other factors can be social, mental illness, or even a consequence of medical treatment.

Breaking free from Opioid Use Disorder takes an integrative treatment approach, and a medical detox should be the first step.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal depends on many existing factors. Symptoms can vary in length and intensity depending on the type of opioid, length of use, and overall health. Therefore, every person has a different experience with opiate withdrawal. However, the progression of unattended symptoms usually leads to desperation. The agony of withdrawal is often much more than unpleasant. Avoiding this level of suffering is second nature, even for those who genuinely want to stop using it.

How Long Does Opiate Detox Take?

Generally, during detoxification, your body relies on its own ability to break down and release toxins from your system. With a medical opiate detox program, doctors will develop an appropriate plan for your health needs. The process typically includes the management of vitals and withdrawal symptoms. The goal should be helping the patient achieve an opiate-free state safely and successfully.

The length of an opiate detox will depend on how long you’ve been using opioids, type of opioids, metabolism, emotional and physical health, and daily use. Because there are so many factors involved in opioid withdrawal, it is hard to predict the exact length and intensity of withdrawal symptoms when you try to do it yourself.

Best Opiate Treatment Options

Several deciding factors determine the best opioid treatment for you. These factors include the type of opioid you currently use, dosage, underlying medical conditions, and co-occurring mental issues. A multitude of treatment protocols exist, and some are more comprehensive than others.

Being in a medical facility allows you to be under the close supervision of medical and health specialists. These health experts can provide you with a safe and comforting experience throughout medical detoxification.

Medical Detox from Opiates

A safe and controlled environment ensures patients are receiving optimal care during treatment. Furthermore, making withdrawal symptoms tolerable is incredibly essential to detox completion. An inpatient medically assisted detox is often beneficial for most people attempting to overcome an opiate use disorder. During this time, a medical team evaluates patients’ health status, provides missing nutrients, medications, and close monitoring to insure pre-existing medical conditions will not interfere with treatment.

Waismann Method® Rapid Opiate Detox

People undermine the importance of receiving opiate treatment in a nonjudgmental medical facility.

Various rapid opiate detox protocols have been developed since 1988 when Loimer reported his “ultrarapid” technique of detoxification under anesthesia. These accelerated methods of opiate detox use antagonist medications while patients are under anesthesia. The goal is to minimize discomfort and maximize the possibility of completing the detoxification.  It is essential to know that not all rapid detox programs offer the same medical care level or positive results.

The Waismann Method® was launched in the late ’90s in a private accredited hospital, based only in Southern California. Since then, thousands of patients worldwide have undergone our rapid detox and other forms of medical opiate detox we provide, with great success. When using a rapid detox protocol, patients sleep comfortably under sedation, while particular medications cleanse the drugs from their opiate receptors.  Rapid opiate detox, under the proper circumstances and performed by an experienced and responsible anesthesiologist, is associated with few adverse events. It is also a relatively more comfortable and successful treatment option for opiate detox.

Life After Opiate Detox

The day after the procedure, medical staff evaluate Waismann detox patients for discharge from the hospital to our exclusive post-detox retreat for continuum care. Patients typically feel noticeably better every few hours. After a brief supervised recuperation period (usually a few days), patients can start enjoying a healthy, productive life. An effective opiate detox followed by recovery care and individual therapy can significantly improve the chances of successful detoxification and long-term sobriety.

In addition to reducing the length and severity of a withdrawal, a high-quality medically assisted detox should offer emotional support and restorative therapies like massage, Thai Chi, or yoga to help reduce stress, discomfort and ease any leftover symptoms after an opiate detox.

When choosing an opiate detox program, read more about safety, risks, and complications.

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