Heroin Detox

Heroin detox is all about managing the withdrawal symptoms created from heroin addiction. Heroin addiction can be one of the more challenging drug addictions to recover from. With heroin addiction, the heroin addict’s nervous system becomes accustomed to the chronic exposure to heroin, which is an opiate. As such, heroin abuse creates a physical addiction to heroin, that when discontinued creates a challenging process.

Heroin Addiction & Managing Withdrawal Symptoms

Heroin addiction withdrawal symptoms generally begin within 10 hours of discontinuing the use of heroin and peak after two to four days. The symptoms of heroin withdrawal include: nausea, anxiety, diarrhea, abdominal pain, insomnia, chills, sweating, sniffing, sneezing, weakness and irritability. Over the last few years, heroin detox methods have improved dramatically. Heroin withdrawal is not nearly as uncomfortable as it was years before. In a medically supervised heroin detox program, a patient’s medical problems are dealt with in conjunction with any presenting heroin detox issues.

Forms of Heroin Detox

There are several forms of heroin detox which include:

• Opiate aganist drugs, such as methadone or Clonidine, which blocks some of the heroin withdrawal symptoms: Opiate agonist drugs act like heroin, but do not provide the same high and are administered in gradually decreasing doses. Since these medications act like heroin there are few heroin withdrawal symptoms. Clonidine can be administered by a transdermal patch, which provides the drug constantly over a seven- day period. Patients using the patch should also take Clonidine orally for the first two days since the transdermal medications takes two days to reach a steady effectiveness. Clonidine causes hypotension and sedation and therefore blood pressure monitoring is essential.
  
  
• Ultra-rapid opiate heroin detox under anesthesia:Ultra-rapid detox for heroin addiction is done under general anesthesia with intubations for six to eight hours. During this time a combination of drugs, usually Naltrexone and Clonidine are administered. Unfortunately, the cost for the Ultra-rapid heroin detox is generally out of reach for most of the population and heroin addicts tend to remove the patch on their own, leading to another episode of heroin addiction.
  
  
• Heroin withdrawal symptoms tend to be the greatest obstacle to overcome in heroin detox and are the main cause of relapse.

Heroin Detox Program

Heroin detox should take place in a medically monitored setting, located within a drug rehab facility. Many drug rehab facilities do not have their own heroin detox program, so make sure to educate yourself. Lakeview does have its own detox program. It is important for the detox to be located within the drug rehab, because most of the patients entering heroin detox will need to go on to drug rehab. Drug rehab and heroin detox are two completely different levels of addiction treatment. By having the heroin detox program alongside the drug rehab, the continuity of addiction treatment remains intact.

Please keep in mind that even with the detox program located in an ideal position, there is no guarantee of recovery from heroin addiction.  The relapse rate is high, as many people do not allow themselves to complete detox and move on to drug rehab. Recovery from heroin addiction takes time, structure and great desire.

If you would like additional information about heroin detox and heroin addiction or for admission to Lakeview’s heroin rehab program or heroin detox, please call 1-800-884-1727.