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Oxycontin Withdrawal
Percocet Abuse
Xanax Withdrawal
Methamphetamine Detox
Cocaine Addiction
If you are suffering from opiate addiction Recovery Connection can help. Not all treatment programs can handle this specific addiction. Our coordinators can help you find a quality opiate treatment program to address your needs. Call and break the bondage of drug addiction. Our helpline is open 24/7, and all calls are free of charge and confidential.
Opiates are a subset of opioids that are naturally occurring and come from the opium poppy plant. Most opiates are considered to be scheduled narcotics by the DEA, typically in classes I, II, or III. They have been scheduled as controlled narcotics by the DEA due to their highly additive properties. They are prescribed as pain relievers, cough suppressants, or are used in anesthetic procedures. This class of drugs is typically divided into three subcategories:
Commonly known opiates and opioids are:
All opiates come directly from the juice of the opium poppy. Morphine, derived from opium which is from the poppy plant, was first synthesized in 1806 and was followed by the development of codeine in 1832. Heroin was developed in the 1870s by the Bayer Company. Methadone, a completely synthesized opioid product was developed during the 1930s. During the 1960s, methadone was used as a treatment for opioid addiction. In the 70s, the use of Methadone became highly regulated by the federal government. In 2000, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) was passed, which allows qualified physicians to prescribed DEA scheduled narcotics for the treatment of opioid dependence.
Opiates have been used to relieve pain for all of recorded history. But, during the Civil War, there was widespread use of opiates and a sudden increase in opiate addiction. The synthesis of heroin first occurred in 1874 and marked the start of the commercialization of an apparent wonder drug. This commercialization of heroin continued into the early 1900s. According to the Institute of Medicine, it is estimated that 300,000 Americans, mostly middle class women, were addicted to opiates in those first few decades of wide spread use.
All forms of opioids work on the nervous system by slowing down the messages sent between the cells and the body’s organs. Opiates can be taken orally, transdermally (by wearing a patch), transmucosally (by sucking an lollipop), by snorting, and by injection. Long-term use can permanently alter the brain and body’s neurons making the addict vulnerable to relapse without proper treatment.
Generally, initial intoxication will produce symptoms of euphoria, sedation, and a lack of anxiety. However, these sensations are relatively short lived. Common symptoms of opiate use consist of:
You know you have a problem with opiates. You have tried to stop many times without success. Recovery Connection can help you find the right program to treat your opiate addiction, handle your opiate withdrawal symptoms, and set your life back on a productive path. Call now and get help today. Stop the madness of opiate addiction.
There are differences between long-acting opiates and short-acting opiates and their corresponding withdrawal symptoms. The speed of onset of withdrawal is directly related to the half-life of the particular opiate or opioid that you are using, the duration and intensity of use, and the level of dosage most recently taken. Major opiate withdrawal symptoms from short to intermediate acting opiates, peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose. Without proper medical care, dehydration can lead to seizures or convulsion. The good news is that an addict can usually complete opiate detox within five to seven days. The most common opiate withdrawal symptoms include:
Rapid drug detox, otherwise known as Ultra Rapid Opiate Detoxification under anesthesia (UROD), is a procedure in which general anesthesia is used to rapidly detoxify the body from opiates such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, heroin, and OxyContin. The long-term success rates for UROD are poor. Frequently, the patient will wake-up from the anesthesia and experience severe discomfort and cravings, as well as physiologic instability. Rapid drug detox programs alone are not conducive to long-term recovery. A detoxification process is not sufficient to treat drug dependence, rather it is just a preliminary and necessary step before treatment can begin. The American Society of Addiction Medicine does not consider traditional detoxification or UROD, as a sole method for the treatment of drug dependence.
Drug detox programs can help ease the discomfort of withdrawal, but also allow the patient to begin to recovery medically, psychiatrically and spiritually. This stability is necessary, if one is to achieve long-term recovery. Although the medications and therapies used to detoxify a patient from various drugs have considerable differences, the goal is the same: to rid the body of the toxic substance, and to begin to restore normal physiological processes in the body and brain.
While the detox, withdrawal and recovery process is lengthy, the amount of time it takes to become addicted opiates is not. In many cases, one can become addicted to these medications anywhere from one to four weeks depending upon the individual and the individual’s medical profile.
Opiate detox and dependence can be physically and emotionally distressing. Detox treatment is recommended to handle opiate withdrawal symptoms followed by addiction treatment. There are several treatment options for handling opiate detox and addiction treatment. As stated above, detox alone will not address the issues underlying addictive behavior. Opiate addiction treatment is necessary to help combat relapse. Drug rehab is the process that follows detoxification.
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