05 Aug

What to Expect Going Through Opioid Detox

Struggling with an opioid addiction can be extremely difficult. Attempting to stop on your own is rarely successful, due to the intensity of withdrawal symptoms. Typically, withdrawal symptoms become too much to bear, and the addict will resume misusing opioids to alleviate the symptoms. For many, successfully quitting opioids is only possible through a medically supervised detox process. If you have tried before to stop abusing opioids and have not been successful, you might consider medically supervised opioid detox.

Effects of Opioid Abuse and Addiction

The body naturally produces low levels of opioids that help alleviate pain. However, these levels are insufficient for extreme pain, like breaking an arm, hurting your back, or recovering from a surgical procedure.

As such, opioids are prescribed to supplement the natural opioids and increase the level of pain relief. As the drugs begin to work, they attach themselves to pain receptors in the brain, gastrointestinal tract, and central nervous system.

The euphoric state people often experience is remembered subconsciously as a pleasurable behavior. Therefore, when the drugs and their effects begin to wane, the body craves more opioids.

As you can imagine, the more you use opioids, the more your body becomes accustomed to them. Unfortunately, as tolerance builds, your cravings become more intense, and you start to abuse opioids by taking larger doses than prescribed.

Eventually, you can find you cannot function with opioids in your system. Once you reach this state, you will have developed an addiction. Sadly, being addicted to opioids makes quitting very difficult, as your addiction will take over and cause you to continue abusing opioids, even when you know you should stop.

What to Expect Going Through Opioid Detox

Fortunately, help is available when you are serious about quitting opioid misuse. First, however, the path to recovery requires opioid detox. Once you complete detox, you will be in a better place and be ready to take the next steps on your recovery journey.

Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

The symptoms of opioid withdrawal can vary depending on how long you misused opioids, the amount of opioids you were taking, and the frequency of use. Once you start opioid detox, you will undergo several withdrawal phases until the symptoms subside.

The first phase of withdrawal symptoms experienced include:

• Insomnia
• Intense Cravings
• Muscle Aches and Pains
• Uncontrolled Sweating
• Hot and Cold Flashes
• Irritation
• Agitation
• A Lack of Energy
• Runny Nose

The next phase of withdrawal symptoms begins to intensify after the first 24 to 48 hours, including:Extreme Cravings

• Thoughts of Using
• Itchy Skin
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal Pain
• Elevated Blood Pressure
• Muscle Spasms
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Problems Focusing and Concentrating
• Hallucinations
• Perceived Pain
• Loss of Appetite

As these symptoms subside, you start to experience milder versions of the initial phase and second phase withdrawal symptoms until they eventually stop.

Opioid Withdrawal Timeline

In general, you will start to experience withdrawal from opioids within the first eight to 24 hours after you last took the drugs. The longer you go without the drugs, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms become. However, they usually peak between two to four days after you stop taking opioids.

After they peak, the withdrawal symptoms will gradually decline until they stop within a week or two. Although, there ca be post-acute withdrawal symptoms that last for several months or longer.

The Risks of Solo Opioid Detox

Undergoing solo opioid detox is highly discouraged because the withdrawal symptoms can be so severe. Furthermore, quitting opioids “cold turkey” can be extremely dangerous because the body has become accustomed to the drug.

When the opioids stop coming, the body cannot compensate for the drug’s deficiency and simply cannot cope. As a result, solo detox frequently results in the person giving into their drug cravings and resuming opioid misuse.

Benefits of Medically Supervised Opioid Detox

The best way to quit abusing opioids is with medically supervised opioid detox because it offers several benefits, including:

• Trained medical professionals assess your situation and create a detox program that will be successful.
• You gain access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), where medications can be prescribed to offset the more intense and extreme withdrawal symptoms.
• You can gradually come off opioids safely to reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms with or without MAT.
• Your body has the time to start to recover and readjust to not having to rely on opioids to function.
• You will be less likely to relapse during detox.

At-Home Medically Supervised Opioid Detox in Beverly Hills, CA

When you are ready to stop abusing opioids, you can detox from the comfort of your home with medically supervised opioid detox from MD Home Detox. Our medical professionals will assess your drug misuse to determine the most appropriate form of detox treatment.

Your treatment plan can include MAT when deemed appropriate and beneficial. Furthermore, thanks to our expensive network of drug rehab and treatment professionals, we can assist you with determining your next steps after detox. For further information about our at-home, medically supervised opioid detox in Beverly Hills and the greater Los Angeles area, feel free to contact us.