Opiate Withdrawal Treatment

Various methods of treatment exist for opiate withdrawal. Most of the time, opiate withdrawal treatment consists of a combination of support and care paired with medications that will reduce the effects of the opiate withdrawal symptoms making the entire process of detoxification easier to deal with for the patient. Medications may be provided to assist with various withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, muscle tension, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Most importantly, time is the number one healer of opiate withdrawal and therefore, with time, the patient will begin to feel better.

Medications Used in Opiate Withdrawal Treatment

The most common medication used for the treatment of opiate withdrawal is called Clonidine. This medication helps to reduce anxiety, alleviates muscle aches and tension, and it can reduce agitation. These are all common symptoms of opiate withdrawal and the Clonidine is a good medicine for these symptoms. Clonidine also reduces cramping, runny nose and sweating which can result during opiate withdrawal.

Buprenorphine is sometimes used to help patients to detox more quickly when they undergo opiate withdrawal treatment. This medication is found in methadone and in Suboxone, two medications that are commonly used for long-term maintenance of opiate addiction. Buprenorphine can shorten the length of time that it takes for the patient to fully detox from the opiate addiction resulting in a shorter duration of opiate withdrawal.

Opiate Withdrawal Treatment Benefits

There are various benefits associated with the safe and successful withdrawal from opiates. Although opiate withdrawal is a difficult and dangerous process to get through, the end result is a patient who is no longer physically dependent on opiates such as heroin, Oxycontin, Roxicodone or other dangerous opiate based prescription medications. The benefits of withdrawal far outweigh the negative or uncomfortable effects that take place while a patient detoxes from this dangerous substance.

Those who make it through the withdrawal process and continue to no longer use opiates are able to receive additional counseling and therapy for their psychological or mental health. This counseling may include individual and group therapy sessions that are aimed at helping the patient to better understand their opiate addiction, find more effective ways of dealing with the potential triggers or stress that causes them to use opiates, and ultimately find ways to transition back into society free from the physical and psychological strongholds of opiate addiction. Counseling after opiate withdrawal treatment ensures that the patient has the greatest possible chance of maintaining their recovery.