Opiate Withdrawal Treatment
The Intensity of Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms
According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, approximately 30 million individuals will abuse opiates over the course of their lifetime, which represents around 9% of the American population.
A treatment professional can help you determine what the best treatment plan for you is.
The duration and the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms from opiates will depend on the amount of the drug that was abused and the length of time the person has been abusing opiates. For example, a person who has been abusing heroin for five years will have longer and more intense withdrawal symptoms than a person who has been abusing heroin for a few months.
Opiates include drugs that derive from the opium that comes from the poppy plant. Heroin is an illegally made and distributed opiate, whereas prescription painkillers are legally prescribed opiates, however selling and abusing prescription painkillers is illegal.
Opiates are powerful sedatives that depress a person’s respiratory system as well as their nervous system by blocking neurotransmitters in a person’s brain and body. All opiates are highly addictive and cause people to form dependencies to them. When a person develops a dependency to an opiate drug they will go through withdrawal symptoms once they no longer have the drug in their system.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens, the symptoms of opiate withdrawal are extremely similar to the symptoms of the flu.
Common withdrawal symptoms for opiates are nausea, diarrhea, poor sleeping habits, anxiety, vomiting, stomach cramps, muscle aches, anxiety, runny nose, and mood swings.
A person who has decided to stop using opiates should receive medical supervision or go to a treatment program to ensure that they have a safe detox.
Types of Opiate Withdrawal Treatment
The most effective opiate withdrawal treatment can be found at opiate addiction treatment programs. Medications such as Methadone and Buprenorphine can be administered to help lessen the withdrawal symptoms, but a person will need help overcoming the psychological withdrawals from the drug in addition to dealing with any emotional problems they may be experiencing in their life. This will help to prevent them from relapsing.
Therapy is an essential treatment that a person should have in order to conquer a drug addiction. The psychological withdrawal symptoms can last for years after a person has stopped using opiates, and treatment should continue to be received so that they can continue to live a drug free life.
There are different types of opiate withdrawal treatment facilities a person can choose form, such as inpatient or outpatient rehab, and different types of therapy a person can partake in, such as group therapy, family therapy and behavioral therapy. A person should research their different options and find a treatment program that best meets their needs.