Skip to main content

Opioid Detox

Opioid Withdrawal Treatment Guidelines

What is Opioid Detox?

More commonly referred to as opiates, opioids are drugs or medications generally used for pain relief. These drugs usually include hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine. Although these drugs are used to block the pain signal from reaching the brain, some of these are also used to suppress the cough.

When taking opioids for a long time, some people get opioid addiction, while many may develop a dependency on these drugs after recreationally abusing illegal opioids like heroin. This addiction can become so severe that when the individual’s body does not receive this particular substance, he may experience a variety of painful physical and psychological symptoms.

As with other substance abuse recovery treatments, detox is typically the first step in the recovery treatment. The opioid detox process involves getting rid of opioid substances from the addicted person’s body. The treatment should be carried out in a controlled and medically supervised environment. The intense withdrawal symptoms call for medical detox. But, as with other substance abuse recovery treatments, detox alone is not the complete cure. It further requires additional treatment like counseling for maintaining and living a sober life.

What happens in Opioid Withdrawal?

No matter how the person gets into opioids, or how long he has been taking them, his body will adapt to the presence of this substance in his system. In case of the absence of this substance, the body will respond through a variety of painful physical and psychological symptoms.

Moreover, when opioids are consumed repeatedly, it often leads to physical dependence of those drugs, in which the body gets chronically adapted to these drugs. And once this happens, the body experiences a withdrawal when these drugs are not fed. Repeated abuse also leads to opioid tolerance, which is a facet of addiction. In this, the body compulsively seeks out and makes use of the substance despite its negative consequences.

The opioid withdrawal symptoms typically begin to show up within 12 hours of the individual’s last use and usually last for about five days. These include:

  • Anxiety
  • Pain in muscles and bones
  • Insomnia

  • Intestinal Problems
  • Vomiting
  • Sweating

  • Cold Flashes
  • Muscle Spasms
  • Watery Eyes

Why choose Opioid Detox at a Rehab?

Getting rid of opioid addiction personally can be extremely difficult. This is because it involves intense withdrawal symptoms and powerful drug cravings. Additionally, the knowledge that the discomfort will get relief by consuming any opioid can actually put the person back into abusing the opioid again.

It is therefore recommended that he must visit a professional rehab facility like Surf City Recovery for opioid treatment. At a professional rehab center that offers detoxification program, he will get rid of the drugs from his body in a safe and comfortable environment. The person will be under the care and observation of experienced professionals. After the detox, he can continue the follow-on level of care that will support the recovery.

Medications Used

To prevent the symptoms of opioid detox and withdrawal, several medications are prescribed to the person.  Here is a list of those medications used:

  • Methadose, Dolophine: these are long-acting opioids that affect the individual in the same way as does the opioid he has a problem with. The only difference is that it doesn’t get him high as the addiction drug does. The person will be given this drug almost every day in a specialized clinic.
  • Buprenorphine: this one is quite similar to methadone, hitting the same receptors in the person’s brain, but not as strong as methadone does. Because there is a lesser risk of lethal overdose, so it is often favored for treatment.
  • Naltrexone: this medicine also blocks the opiate receptors, but has nothing to do with easing the withdrawal symptoms or craving. Moreover, if taken with a drug, this can give the individual a high. Naltrexone is often prescribed by the professionals as a part of the broad recovery treatment program.

opioid detox medications

A long term maintenance therapy will be helpful for any individual who wants to get rid of his opiate addiction. These drugs are usually included during the recovery process.

Quality Care for Opioid Detox

When the person chooses a professional facility like Surf City Recovery for opioid detox, then he can expect to receive quality care from the professional staff during and after the process. This staff usually has specific expertise that helps the person to complete the entire detox process.

Our opioid detox team includes medical professionals, psychiatrists, registered nurses, chemical dependency counselors, and attendants. They ensure to provide a medical and therapeutic intervention that can help ease out any discomfort, thus preparing him to fully engage into the next level of recovery.

Timeline for Opioid Detox

In order to understand the opioid detox process in a better way, one must be familiar with what all to expect during each detox phase lasting for a certain time period. The timeline although varies from individual to individual depending upon the kind of opiate addiction, the length of time of the addiction and different other such. For some, they may last for five days and for some they may last for a week or more.

opiate withdrawal timeline
Phase 1: Days 1–3

The withdrawal symptoms of opioid detox usually surface within 24 hours after the person stops consuming the opioid he is addicted to. The symptoms can either be mild or very uncomfortable, and it is during these first three days that a relapse is likely to occur. But, it is quite important to remember that the discomfort is temporary and will not last for long.

Phase 2: Days 3–5

Most of the intense withdrawal symptoms subside during the first phase of detox. Individuals may experience some mild symptoms like muscle pains, shivers, fatigue during this phase.

For health and safety reasons, an individual must undergo an opioid detox at some accredited facility. Surf City Recovery in Orange County, California is one of the best rehab facilities having doctors and other medical staffs who can help the individual feel as easy as possible during the opioid detox process.