Drug Addiction Detox

Disadvantages of Standard Drug Addiction Detox

Some methods of detoxification include the use of other opiate drugs during the period where the patient is weaned off of opiates. This substitution approach to detox with drugs like Suboxone sometimes leads to a new dependency on these drugs. In some cases, substitution only delays the often difficult process of withdrawal once the patient is taken off the substitution drugs.

An Alternative to Standard Drug Addiction Detox

Opiate detox refers to the process of removing opioids from the body so the recovery process can continue without an existing physical dependency. Traditionally, it’s a process that’s also followed by withdrawal symptoms that are often severe and sometimes life-threatening. This approach to detox sometimes results in a hesitation to start treatment. Performed under sedation, rapid drug addiction detox is a relatively new approach to detoxification and withdrawal meant to safely accelerate this initial recovery stage in a supervised setting.

How Does Rapid Opiate Detox Work?

Detox refers to the process of removing opiate drugs from within the body. Rapid detox is a method of detoxification that’s completed in a surgical center. It’s a safe, effective way to remove opiate drugs from the system. Performed in a surgical center where the patient will have access to medical supervision, the entire procedure typically lasts from 30 to 90 minutes. Monitoring continues for a day or so after rapid detox to ensure that there are no complications or side effects.

What Happens to the Body During Detox?

During the drug detoxification process, the body is struggling to find a new balance as the opiates leave the system. While opiates work on pain receptors within the brain, the effects of such drugs are widespread throughout all major organs and systems. Involuntary functions such as heart rate, internal body temperature, and blood pressure are readjusting. These changes may result in increased anxiety and other issues that can be addressed as treatment proceeds.

Opiates and the Brain

The brain itself is also going through a transition during the detox process as receptors have already likely developed a reliance on opiates. These drugs work within the brain by attaching to proteins that act as receptors. They work by altering the perception of pain. Dependence sometimes occurs when a tolerance develops and the brain needs a higher dose to achieve the same results. It can be difficult for doctors to tell when to take a patient off opiates since many factors determine whether or not a physical dependency develops.

Minimizing Withdrawal Symptoms

Patients who have been using opiates have usually either been self-medicating or slowly seeking higher doses from their doctor for quite some time. During rapid drug addiction detox, withdrawal occurs while a patient is still sedated. In fact, many patients are unaware they have even gone through withdrawal, a process the body automatically starts following detox. Opiate blockers work to prevent opiate drugs from interacting with specific chemicals in the brain. Medications also reduce withdrawal symptoms. Patients are carefully monitored and further evaluated once the process is complete.

Restoring Mood and Chemical Balance

Even though the process is accelerated, the brain still goes through an adjustment period. Drugs like opiates cause the brain to stop making enough endorphins, the “feel good” hormones that control mood. During accelerated detox, chemicals that inhibited the production of endorphins are removed from the body, allowing endorphin levels to return to normal once a natural chemical balance is restored.

Why Consider Rapid Detoxification?

Since withdrawal often takes place at the same time as detoxification, patients are spared the physical discomforts of withdrawal. Rapid drug addiction detox that may benefit patients who have tried other attempts at treatment with a standard detox and withdrawal process without success. It’s also a private and confidential procedure where the patient’s comfort is maintained from start to finish.

What Happens Before Detox?

Before any attempt at detox can begin, there has to be desire on the part of the patient to commit to a treatment program. Rapid drug addiction detox isn’t a magic cure. There also needs to be an awareness that a problem exists and an acknowledgement that some assistance is needed to end the dependency that has developed. Once this happens, the patient will undergo a thorough medical exam and health evaluation prior to starting the detox and withdrawal process.

What Happens After Detox?

Rapid detox isn’t exactly like pulling a bandage off quickly to get an addiction to opiates over with all at once. It’s only the first step in the opiate treatment process. Even when withdrawal symptoms are minimized or not noticed at all by the patient, there are still related issues some patients need to deal with as part of their recovery process. Recovery is a process that often includes follow-up counseling and related therapies, especially for patients who have coexisting dependencies that also need to addressed.

Post Detox Adjustment

A period of adjustment is necessary following rapid opiate detox. This is a time when the patient will adjust to a personal and professional life without opiates. Follow-up support is also essential to allow the brain and the rest of the body to readjust both physically and mentally.

Patients are often encouraged to set small, achievable goals during and after their initial treatment. Ongoing communication and support is also an essential part of the recovery process. For patients who are still living with the same physical discomfort that resulted in the use of opiates in the first place, pain relief methods may include another attempt at physical therapy and making positive lifestyle changes, which can also reduce the risk of experiencing dependency issues in the future.