Heroin, once considered as the wonder drug in the medical world is now known as the drug responsible for the addiction in the youth of this generation. Go back in the history, and you will get the reason behind calling it the wonder drug. Heroin is very effective in the treatment of several respiratory disease and pain, but nobody had thought that this magical medicine would ruin the life of most of the people who continuously use this drug. Today, in every a country you will find a center for detox and rehab for heroin and opiates users.
Continuous use of heroin led to the addiction and dependence on this wonder drug. Morphine, a useful medicine that was used to treat the opium addicts was less addictive but later caused serious problem to the people. As a solution to this problem, heroin was developed which later come out as the even more serious problem than morphine. The world is now facing the problem of drug addiction and to cure the people many rehab centers and detox treatment are introduced to bring a better solution to reduce the percentage of drug addicts people in the world.
About heroin detox
A process called detoxification is used as an alternative medical treatment to clear the unspecified toxins from the body. Detox and rehab for heroin help in a withdrawal of the harmful substances from the body. At the time of detoxification, the user feels side effects that are called as withdrawal symptoms. During the process, a drug addict will demand more heroin as the side effect of the treatment.
The treatment is to treat the drug addicts and give them a better life, but sometimes the treatment can be a life-threatening process. It is a case with the heavy users as it is hard for them to leave the drug easily. The person will feel the first withdrawal symptoms somewhere after 6-12 hours of the last use of heroin.
Few people try to treat themselves at home, and they try to stop taking the drug without any medical assistance. Such people suffer from higher side effects or withdrawal symptoms, and symptoms reach the peak in 3-4 days. Therefore, it is better to go to any hospital or rehab center to take the treatment.
Professional at detox and rehab for heroin and opiates center will try different methods for the addicts of varying degrees. The methods include:
1. Inpatient detox
In this method, the person undergoes the treatment in a hospital or any other inpatient facility under the supervision of medical professionals. The patients’ are safely monitored to manage the withdrawal symptoms before the condition get worse.
Intakes of Drugs are monitored throughout the treatment to off the use of heroin. In this detox method, buprenorphine and methadone are the choices of medications. The effect of a drug is mimic during the medications, and it helps the person to leave the drug without any difficulty. The urge for the use of heroin is diminished, and slowly the dependence on the drug is reduced. This method is usually helpful for the long-term or heavy users, and the patient is monitored 24/7.
2. Outpatient detox
In this method of detoxification, heroin users are treated at their home under the pharmaceutical assistance to decrease the symptoms of withdrawal. Opioid agonists are used in this method that is also used in the inpatient detox method. The patient has to go for the frequent clinical check-ups to see the progress of treatment and they can return to the home each day. Outpatient detox method is for the new users who experience only moderate withdrawal symptoms.
3. Rapid detox
It is for the fast progress treatment process. Here, opioid antagonists have used that block the effect of heroin on the user.
4. Anesthesia-assisted rapid detox
The process of treatment is similar to the rapid detox method, and the same medication is given to the patient. However, general anesthesia medication is also added in the treatment process. Another medication is also given to the patients to ease the discomfort that the patients suffer during the withdrawal.
The process is quick, and the drug is eliminated physically form the body within 4-8 hours. However, the process is considered as the risky treatment it not done under the supervision of professionals. Thus, this detox is not recommended.
How long does the detoxification take?
The detoxification duration depends on several factors and differs from people to people as per their habit of using heroin. The factors include:
Metabolism of user
Weight and Height of user
The user is beginner or taking the drug for a long time
Which quality of heroin the patient is using
How much heroin does the patient take?
Pharmaceutically detoxification process takes 4 hours to 4 weeks duration depending on the treatment plan and medication used for withdrawal. Detoxification is only a part of treatment and not the complete process of recovery.
How does a patient feel during detox and rehab for heroin and opiates?
Once you start taking the drug, the body will ask for more, and in response, the user becomes addictive to the substance. Therefore, in the beginning, a user will feel uncomfortable, and uneasiness and the body will ask for the drug more and more. Some of the common withdrawal symptoms user experiences are:
Up to 8 hours of the last dose of heroin– user feels cravings for heroin, depression, anxiety, and fear.
Up to 8-24 hours– stomach cramps, insomnia and yawning, sweating, runny nose and watery eyes.
Up to 3 days- a user will get fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, joint pain and tremor, diarrhea, increased blood pressure.
The symptoms are common to flu symptoms but are not life-threatening. The symptoms last for little long for those who want to quit the heroin without any medical assistance at home. Some people may suffer from heavy withdrawal symptoms while others feel light withdrawal symptoms. As mentioned earlier, the symptoms differ as per the above factors.
The patient does not have to worry as they are not going to cause any serious problems and they can easily leave the drug for rest of their life.
