Medical practitioners often prescribe opioids to manage pain. Opioids include opiates and synthetic opioids. Opiates are drugs obtained from the opium poppy, such as opium, heroin, codeine, and morphine. Synthetic opioids are drugs manufactured in the lab, such as oxycodone, methadone, and hydrocodone.

While opioids can treat pain, abusing these drugs can cause addiction and physical dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that about 2.1 million Americans abuse opioids. You or someone you know can abuse opioids.

Opioid addicts can develop withdrawal symptoms if they stop or reduce the opioids they take. One is likely to develop these signs if they use many behavior opioids or abuse them for an extended period. Opioid abuse changes one's body functions, and they experience withdrawal symptoms as their bodies get used to functioning with no opioids.

Opioid withdrawal syndrome can be dangerous. It can cause many uncomfortable symptoms that can be life-threatening. The withdrawal can be moderate, mild, severe, or moderately severe. It may be best to detox from opioids in a professional detox facility to manage withdrawal with no challenges.

Effects of Opioids on the Body

The body produces its opioids. These substances have various effects, such as lowering one's respiratory rate, decreasing pain, and preventing depression and anxiety. The body's opioids may not be enough, and people can take opioids to get extensive effects.

The opioids attach themselves to the opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain, and gastrointestinal tract. You'll experience their effects once this process happens. Prolonged use increases your tolerance level, and you need more opioids than the body produces to get the same effects. This dependence causes addiction and withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking opioids.

Causes of Opioid Withdrawal

Prolonged use of opioids makes your body reliant on them. You'll need them to get the same effects or function. The drugs change how your brain's nerve receptors work, and they become dependent on the opioid to function. Once you stop taking opioids, you experience withdrawal symptoms as your body returns to its normal functioning.

The withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable and life-threatening. One is likely to continue using opioids to stop them. The return to opioids can lead to an overdose.

Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

Opioid withdrawal symptoms' severity depends on the extent of one's withdrawal. Other factors may also dictate the length of the opioid withdrawal syndrome. People experience it differently. However, we can draw some patterns from their experiences.

Early symptoms

You may experience these signs within 24 hours of your last score. They include:

1.       Anxiety
2.       Restlessness
3.       Sleep deprivation
4.       Runny nose
5.       Muscle aches
6.       Lacrimation
7.       Frequent yawning
8.       Excessive sweating

Later Symptoms

These symptoms can be more intense than the early ones. They may start a few days after your last score. They include:

•       Rapid heartbeat
•       Diarrhea
•       High blood pressure
•       Nausea and vomiting
•       Abdominal cramping
•       Dilated pupils
•       Goosebumps

These symptoms are unpleasant. They can be less intense after 3–10 days.

Withdrawal Symptoms for Infants

Babies whose mothers are opioid addicts can develop withdrawal symptoms. They may have these signs:

«  Seizures

«  Digestive issues

«  Dehydration

«  Poor feeding

«  Vomiting

Opioids can remain in your body for different periods. Their presence affects withdrawal onset. Your opioid withdrawal syndrome's duration depends on your addiction's length, the dose of opioids abused, the type of opioid, and your overall health. Get professional opioid addiction treatment to manage these symptoms.

How Long Does Opioid Withdrawal Last?

Opioid withdrawal has four stages.

1.       Anticipatory stage: This phase starts 3–4 hours after your last dose. You may fear the oncoming withdrawal symptoms. Drug-seeking behavior and cravings are also likely to develop.
2.       Early acute: This phase kicks in 8–10 hours after your last score. You feel anxious, and you can have flu-like signs. You may experience nausea, sweating, and vomiting. The drug-seeking behavior and cravings persist to this stage.
3.       Fully-developed acute: You may experience this phase 1–3 days after your last score. Your symptoms and cravings peak at this stage. You may have muscle spasms, body tremors, diarrhea, increased blood pressure, and insomnia.
4.       Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS): This stage can last up to 2 years since your last score. You won't have acute signs. However, you may experience other symptoms, such as mood swings, anxiety, cravings, irritability, poor concentration, and insomnia. You are more susceptible to triggers that can cause a relapse.

Diagnosing Opioid Withdrawal

A physician can diagnose opioid withdrawal in various ways. They can ask questions about your opioid addiction or administer a physical exam. Blood and urine tests may also help them check opioids' presence in your body. Their presence can explain any flu-like symptoms or other signs that may be difficult to understand.

Treatments for Opioid Withdrawal

A licensed physician can use medical-assisted treatment to manage your opioid withdrawal symptoms. These medications can help you overcome uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms without relapsing. The specialists use their skills to manage the withdrawal to ensure you don't replace opioid addiction with another substance use disorder.

Some drugs used to manage opioid withdrawal are:

•       Tylenol
•       Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
•       Aspirin
•       Loperamide
•       Hydroxyzine
•       Clonidine
•       Suboxone
•       Methadone

Professional guidance is essential before using these drugs. The specialist controls your intake to avoid dependence. They may also replace any medication that isn't helpful. If you have any issue in your medical history that can affect the drug's efficacy, the physician will note it and take the essential steps.

Complications of Opioid Withdrawal

Complications during opioid withdrawal can include:

•       Prolonged vomiting and nausea
•       Aspiration pneumonia
•       Loss of fluids because of diarrhea
•       Relapse
•       Overdose

You may also experience other symptoms or complications that aren't on this post. It is advisable to detox from opioids with help from addiction specialists. They will guide you through the detox and manage your withdrawal to ensure it is not dangerous.

Getting Professional Opioid Addiction Treatment

Opioid addiction is a problem affecting many people. These individuals can experience withdrawal symptoms once they quit using opioids or reduce their intake. The withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable and life-threatening. One is likely to relapse and overdose if they experience severe opioid withdrawal syndrome.

Coastline Behavioral Health offers reliable and affordable drug addiction treatment in Orange County, California. We treat various issues, including opioid addiction, alcohol abuse, and dual diagnosis. Our specialists manage these conditions via our inpatient, outpatient, and luxury rehab programs. If you are experiencing opioid withdrawal, our experts can help you manage the symptoms and overcome addiction safely.

Contact us at (714) 841-2260 to discover more about our programs.

While techniques vary somewhat these is a general consensus amongst treatment professionals when it comes to which medications help best with opioid withdrawal. Opioids are a class of drugs from the poppy seed or are synthesized to produce similar effects. Examples of opioids derived naturally from the poppy seed include opium, heroin, morphine, and codeine. Some synthetic opioids include oxycodone, methadone, and hydrocodone. 

Opioids attach to opioid receptors in the brain to block the pain signals in your body. They have a high affinity for abuse, severe physical, psychological dependence, limiting their clinical utility. It is always best to use opioids under a doctor’s prescription.  

Apart from the health, financial, and social implications, you can get into legal trouble. The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies opioids as Schedule II drugs because they have dangerous and life-threatening effects. When determining which medications help best with opioid withdrawal in a patient, doctors take the individual's personal circumstances into account.

Opioids Detox and Withdrawal 

Opioid detox is a process of removing opioids in our body after abuse. Opioids are highly addictive and have severe withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, it is hard to detox on your own. You can easily relapse or overdose. 

It would be best to detox and undergo withdrawal under professional and medical supervision. Research shows that long-acting opioids like methadone start experiencing withdrawal symptoms about 12 to 48 hours after their last use. Withdrawal symptoms on short-acting opioids like heroin start after about 8 to 24 hours.

Some common withdrawal symptoms include:

• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Muscle cramps
• Diarrhea
• Watery Discharge from your nose or eyes
• Nausea and vomiting
• Cold and hot flushes

There are various ways to manage opioid detox, withdrawal, and addiction recovery. Some methods include therapies, inpatient rehab, intensive outpatient rehab, medically-assisted treatment, and holistic treatments. 

The Best Medications For Opioid Withdrawal

Medications are used to offer rapid opioid detox or address severe cases of opioid abuse and addiction. However, medical professionals recommend using behavioral therapies and counselling to accompany the use of medical-assisted opioid treatment. 

Some of the best medications that help with opioid withdrawal include:

Methadone

Methadone is a long-acting opioid. It will attach to the same receptors as other opioids, including those you have abused or other addictive ones. Methadone does not have any intoxicating effects, unlike other opioids. It also helps to reduce cravings and ease other withdrawal symptoms. 

However, medical professionals will use caution if you have:

• A head injury
• Respiratory deficiency
• Acute alcohol dependence
• Severe hepatic impairment
• Crohn’s disease

Patients take Methadone orally. They usually start with low doses of about 10 to 20mg. Severe cases of opioid abuse call for a higher dose of Methadone. You will need to visit a treatment facility or clinic to receive your dose of methadone. It is  because the dose and your progress need regular review to avoid abuse and overdose. 

It usually takes about 5 to 7 days in an inpatient facility to taper opioid addiction using Methadone. 

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is another long-acting opioid. It also attaches to the same receptors as the addictive opioids. However, it is not as intense. You can take it as a shot, tablet, skin patch, mouth film under the skin implant. 

There is a risk of triggering the withdrawal symptoms if you use Buprenorphine too early. It would be best to use it about 12 hours after short-acting opioids and 36 hours after use for long-acting opioids. After these times, the withdrawal symptoms will have set in. 

Should Buprenorphine worsen your symptoms, the doctor could recommend clonidine. Medical professionals will be cautious about using Buprenorphine if you have:

• Diabetes
• Urethral obstruction
• Respiratory deficiency

Clonidine

Medical professionals have used Clonidine for over two decades to ease opioid withdrawal in inpatient and outpatient treatment. Research shows it mainly helps to ease physical symptoms like:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Anxiety
• Chills
• Abdominal cramps
• Tremors
• Insomnia

However, Clonidine has some side effects like low blood pressure, dizziness, and drowsiness. 

You do not need to add an analgesic because Clonidine has some analgesic properties. 

Lofexidine

Lofexidine is an excellent alternative to Clonidine. It does not have the same sedative or hypertension effects and still helps with opioid withdrawal. Research suggests you can also improve your time to relapse and retention symptoms if you combine Lofexidine with a low dosage of Naloxone. 

Rapid Opioid Detox

Rapid opioid detox is another ideal medically assisted method to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms. The procedure relies on two types of medications, anaesthetics and the opioid antagonist or detox agent. 

Anaesthetics help you to sleep through the withdrawal process to avoid the discomfort and pain of the symptoms. The detox agent, for example, Lofexidine, is administered as an intravenous (IV) drip. Rapid opioid detox occurs in a setting where you can get one-on-one medical attention like a hospital or inpatient rehab facility.

You will need to take a follow-up check-up after rapid detox. It helps to monitor your recovery progress. 

Conclusion

According to the CDC, America is currently in the middle of an opioid epidemic. Studies show that between 1999 and 2018, there have been almost half a million deaths related to opioids. 

Opioids are drugs that have natural components of the poppy seed or are synthesized to replicate similar effects. They have a high risk of abuse, physical or psychological dependence, and overdose. Opioid detox is necessary to help you get clean. However, people experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms once they stop using opioids. 

Some of these withdrawal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, insomnia, muscle cramps, and more.

There are medications available to help you ease withdrawal symptoms. Some of the best medications include Methadone, Buprenorphine, Clonidine, Lofexidine, and rapid opioid detox. It would be best to take these medications under professional supervision. Moreover, you will need therapy and other forms of treatment to help promote long term sobriety. 

Do You Need Opioid Detox and Addiction Treatment in California?

You can get medications for opioid detox and treatment at Coastline Behavioral Health in Orange County, CA. We also offer other forms of treatment, including inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab, intensive outpatient rehab, executive rehab, luxury rehab, and various therapy forms. You can contact us today if you or a loved one struggles with an addiction or mental health issue. Call us today at (714)841-2260.