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Basic Facts That You Need To Know About Opiate Addiction

Opiate addiction statistics are overwhelming. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 26.4 million to 36 million of people across the world are addicted to opiates that include illicit heroin and prescription painkillers.

Common symptoms of opiate addiction include a feeling of euphoria or a great sense of well being. Since taking opiates can be very addictive, people develop a high tolerance for pain relievers. This is where addiction becomes dangerous as some people will do everything just to have access to prescription painkillers.

Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

Taking opiates for long duration makes the body familiar with its effects. Due to this, the body is reacting by needing the drug more and more to attain the same effect. Opiate brings withdrawal symptoms just hours after taking the last dosage.

The symptoms may not be that dangerous, but it can eventually lead to relapse. Common symptoms of opiate withdrawal include: muscle cramps, nausea, depression, anxiety, agitation, lacrimation, runny nose, excessive sweating, sleeplessness and opiate cravings. These can happen 24 hours after taking the last opiate dose.

More serious withdrawal symptoms of opiate addiction include high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, goose bumps and dilated pupils. The symptoms may vary from mild to severe, depending on the dependency of the user to opiates. In some cases, the withdrawal symptoms may last for a week up to a month. 

Opiate Addiction Detox

Detoxification process helps the patients get rid of the opioids from the body. Medical detox involves the use of antidepressants, anticonvulsants and other symptom-specific pharmaceuticals to treat more serious withdrawal symptoms.

Opioid drugs should not be stopped all of a sudden as it may pose dangerous and powerful complications to the users. Medical professionals may manage the withdrawal signs and cravings by replacing a fast-acting opioid with a longer-acting substance such as methadone. Another opioid agonist is Buprenorphine that does not create an extreme feeling of high just like what opiates do.

Naloxone and naltrexone are also known opioid antagonists that block the action of opiates in the central nervous system. These antagonists prevent the effect of drugs like heroin and at the same time deliver withdrawal symptoms to the users.

An injectable form of naltrexone known as Vivitrol was recently approved by the FDA to help prevent relapse following detoxification. Relapse is always possible for people who struggle opiate addiction. 

This is where medical detox plays a very important role in stabilizing the emotional and physical aspects of the users. It can also help users in dealing with the withdrawal symptoms smoothly with lesser side effects.