Most people do not want to be addicted to opioids, but the idea of going through withdrawals may seem scary. No matter how much you want to combat your addiction, you may feel powerless to manage the effects of withdrawal. The first and important step is to go through a detox from opioids, because you can’t heal while opioids are influencing your brain and body.
You might have trouble quitting cold turkey without support. However, a professional who can guide you through a home detox process can help you get through this essential first step successfully.
When you first stop using opioids, you will go through a transition period where you will feel powerful withdrawal symptoms as your body tries to adjust to the way that it worked before you used substances. This period can be quite painful.
Most people begin to feel withdrawal symptoms within a few hours of their last dose. If you’ve been taking a long-acting opiate, such as methadone, you may not feel withdrawal symptoms for a few days. But heroin and other short-acting opiates produce withdrawal symptoms within as few as six hours.
At first, someone who is going through opiate detox might experience symptoms such as:
• Achy muscles and joints
• Runny nose
• Excessive sweating
• Uncontrollable yawning
• Fever
• High blood pressure
• Trouble sleeping
Within 72 hours symptoms may intensify. Other symptoms that can arise within a few days after the last dose include:
• Diarrhea, vomiting and nausea
• Intense cravings for the drug
• Abdominal pain
• Depression