21 Sep

At Home Heroin Detox

At home heroin detox with a concierge medical team

After a heroin addiction has gutted someone’s life—and only then—will they finally have had enough of the misery and begin to consider getting help.  By this point they have run out of excuses to keep using and face the harsh reality that without treatment they will likely become just another statistic.

Once this realization takes root, a strong desire to get clean is finally enough to supplant the desire to get high, and is time for treatment.  Addiction treatment programs require that the individual first detoxify from the drug, a necessary first step toward recovery.  Detox rids the heroin from the body and eventually allows the individual to approach treatment in a stabilized state.

What is at home heroin detox?

When someone is ready for the detox and withdrawal phase of early recovery they have a couple of options available.  There are dedicated inpatient facilities that assist and support the individual during the acute stage of detox and withdrawal.  The client will physically reside at the facility for up to a week until the withdrawal symptoms subside.  The other option is to go through detox in the comfort of your own home.

At home heroin detox is a viable option for a percentage of individuals whose addictions are not yet severely entrenched.  Detoxing at home provides the layer of privacy that many desire, in hopes of keeping the substance abuse issue to themselves.  A trained detox nurse, under the guidance of a physician who specializes in addiction treatment, will help the client through the difficulties of heroin detox in their familiar surroundings.  This medical supervision and support is an integral safety measure for those who detox at home.

Why Medical Supervision in at home detox is necessary

After deciding to get clean and sober, someone may be tempted to attempt detox on their own at home.  This is a serious mistake, as heroin withdrawal symptoms can be quite severe causing those who attempt it alone to give up and return to using to stop the highly unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms.  Having a trained detox nurse on site will make the difference between success and failure in attempts to complete the detox process.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms can be physically and mentally overwhelming.  Intense flu-like symptoms such as body and muscle aches, fever, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fever, and tremors are experienced during heroin detox.  Additionally, severe psychological effects such as irritability, psychosis, agitation, depression, and anxiety accompany the physical symptoms.

A detox nurse will monitor vitals and administer the medications needed to minimize these highly unpleasant symptoms, keeping the client on track to complete the detox so they can begin addiction treatment.  Another benefit of an at-home detox nurse is the ability to scour the home for any substances that might threaten recovery, or even to rearrange the furniture and remove certain triggers.

At home heroin detox and withdrawal timeline

Several factors will influence the length and severity of the detox phase, such as the individual’s drug history, age, general health, and heroin dosage levels.  Heroin detox symptoms appear about 6-12 hours after the last dose and peak by the 2^nd or 3^rd day.

Days 1-2:  These are the hardest days to get through, with symptoms starting off as a general sense of discomfort and ramping up over the two-day period.

Days 3-5:  While symptoms begin to diminish, the individual will experience abdominal cramping, vomiting, and chills as the body slowly rids itself of the drug.

Day 6 forward:  Some nausea, insomnia, and anxiety may still be present, but the worst of the symptoms subside.

MD home detox leading provider of at home heroin detox

MD Home Detox provides highly skilled private detox support within the privacy of your home.  A trained clinical team, under the supervision of a doctor, will guide you through the difficulties of detox with compassion and expert skills.  After detox is completed, MD Home Detox can refer you to ongoing counseling, family counseling, drug testing and monitoring, and a recovery companion.  For more information about this excellent choice for the detox phase of treatment, please contact MD Detox today at 888.592.8541.