Although opiates include illegal street drugs such as heroin, they also include prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin, Dilaudid, and Codeine. They are also addictive enough that you could become dependent on them even if you have a prescription from your doctor and take them as directed. It’s part of the reason why we have such a horrible opiate epidemic in this country.
People who have never even thought about abusing drugs can find themselves addicted to opiates or opioids before they know it. To make matters worse, quitting opiates “cold turkey” is incredibly difficult, especially if you’ve been using them for a long period of time. You may need medical detox if you want to be completely clean without suffering serious withdrawal symptoms.
Since opiate addiction can happen to anyone in need of pain management, you’ll need to know the signs of opiate addiction and know when to seek out medical detox in Florida.
Why Opiates Are So Addictive
Opiates and opioids work by attaching themselves to pain receptors in your nerve cells, thereby blocking pain that your body sends to your brain. They also trigger the production of dopamine, a chemical released by your brain that makes you feel good. Naturally, you’ll want to keep taking opiates to chase that good feeling, but your body will soon become dependent on opiates and all but stop producing dopamine on its own. This can lead to painful withdrawal symptoms that begin within 24 hours of your last opiate dose.
Signs of Opiate Withdrawal
The best way to know that you have a problem with opiates and you may need medical detox is to look for the following withdrawal symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Body aches
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Tremors
- Vomiting
- A rapid heartbeat
If you’ve been taking opiates or opioids for any reason and have stopped, you might experience at least some of these symptoms. The good news is that opiate and opioid withdrawal often isn’t life-threatening. The bad news is that they can still be incredibly painful, especially if you’ve been using opiates for a long period of time.
This is why it is so difficult simply quit opiates and opioids “cold turkey” without any medical assistance. A medical detox program in Florida can provide you with medications to help you manage the worst of these symptoms while placing you in a safe environment until they’ve passed. For most people, the worst opiate withdrawal symptoms will pass after a few days, while some of the lesser symptoms could linger for a couple of weeks. Your own withdrawal symptoms will depend on the drugs that you’ve been taking and how long you’ve been using them.
Avoiding Opiate Addiction
One of the most insidious things about opiate addiction is that it can happen to just about anybody. Opiates and opioids such as Oxycontin, Dilaudid, and Codeine are often prescribed to people who are recovering from injury or major surgery, and many find that they’ve become addicted when they’re only trying to manage their pain.
If you’ve been prescribed an opiate or opioid for this reason, you should be safe as long as you take your medication as directed by your doctor. This means only taking the prescribed doses and only using your medication for as long as you need it. If you believe that you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after taking your last dose, speak to your doctor about treatment options. If you haven’t been taking your medication for too long, it could be that your withdrawal symptoms will be no worse than a bad flu that will pass within a few days.
If you feel like they are too severe for you to handle on your own, help is available to you. A medical detox center such as the one we have in Florida can help you manage the worst of your withdrawal symptoms so you can resume your life without worrying about chronic pain or addiction. Call us today at 844-639-8371.