Rapid
The journey toward recovery from opioids typically starts with detox. You have to eliminate the drugs from your body to initiate the healing process.
Detox can be a long, arduous process. Without medical supervision and support, many people relapse. Some people never try to detox because they’re afraid that they won’t have the patience to make it to the other side. Rapid detox flushes drugs out of your system while you sleep to launch you on the path to sobriety.
Detoxing from opioids
When you take opioids, you feel euphoric effects as the drugs bind to specific receptors in your brain. If you use these types of drugs for a long period of time, your body stops making its own feel-good neurotransmitters. You end up being reliant on the drugs to make you feel normal and balanced.
However, you develop a tolerance. Your brain becomes used to having opioids in its system, and it begins to need more to feel intense effects.
When you stop using narcotics after you’ve become physically and psychologically dependent on them, your body can feel as though it’s in shock. You’ll probably experience opioid withdrawal symptoms such as:
• Muscle pain
• Digestive distress
• Anxiety and irritability
• Tremors
• Depression
• Fever
Symptoms usually peak around 72 hours and can last for more than a week. It’s no wonder that getting clean seems daunting. Most people who are detoxing from opioids should be monitored. A medical professional can keep an eye on the patient’s blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate and respiration. Psychological support is also essential during this tough time.
What is rapid detox treatment?
Rapid detox may sound too good to be true. The treatment involves giving an individual a medication called naloxone while the patient is sedated or under general anesthesia. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist. It binds to the opioid receptors, preventing the body from responding to the drugs that it has become accustomed to. This essentially flushes the opioids from your system, forcing you through a rapid detox process.
Rapid detox takes an average of four days. It’s ideal for people who need to eliminate drugs from their system quickly and reduce the intensity of withdrawal symptoms. Because patients are sedated during the process, they remain as comfortable as possible as their body goes through withdrawal.
Is rapid detox safe?
Rapid detox should only be attempted under the supervision of a medical professional. People can have an adverse reaction to the medications that are used. They may also experience an intense physical response to the withdrawal symptoms. Detox can always take a toll on your body. When you go through the process in a matter of days, you increase the risk of negative outcomes. People whose health is impaired from drug use may not be able to handle the stress that anesthesia and rapid detox treatment put on the body.
Some of the risks of rapid detox include:
• Lung problems
• Deterioration of mental illness
• Problems regulating blood sugar
• Complications from anesthesia
Many people have a mental health disorder that underlies the addiction. Going through detox rapidly can deepen psychological symptoms. It may trigger psychosis in some people. Therefore, it’s important to work with experienced professionals if you choose this course of treatment.
What happens after rapid detox?
Because you may sleep through the rapid detox procedure, you’re less likely to be impacted by severe withdrawal symptoms. However, you’ll still have some physical and psychological symptoms to deal with when you wake up. Home detox gives you the opportunity to stay in familiar surroundings and remain as comfortable as possible.
Some people feel extremely achy and tired after they go through rapid detox. If mental health issues have been exacerbated, patients will have to manage those. Rapid detox is the beginning of addiction therapy. It should not be the only course of treatment. It’s vital to continue attending counseling as you move through the recovery process.
Beating addiction isn’t always a linear process. You’ll go through many ups and downs as you get sober. Up to 60 percent of people who seek addiction treatment end up relapsing. However, rapid home detox with naltrexone has been shown to reduce relapse rates.
Getting the support that you need at each level can help you move through it successfully. If you do relapse, knowing that you have a safe place to turn can give you the hope that you need to start anew and stay the course.