Opiate Addiction Treatment

 

Opiate Addiction Treatment of Addictive and Dangerous Drugs

There are dozens of opiates (also known as opioids) whose abuse may require opiate addiction treatment.

Whether naturally-derived (opiates) or synthetic (opioids), these are addictive and dangerous drugs when they are not used properly.

Even when a prescription is carefully followed, the potency of opiates increases their likelihood of abuse, addiction, overdose, and other severe side effects.

A 2018 study showed that 128 people per day in the United States die from an opioid-related overdose.

That adds up to an alarming 46,720 per year. Opiate addiction treatment can help prevent this unfortunate outcome.

 

Different Types of Opiates

Some opiates, like morphine, heroin, and codeine, are derived from the poppy seeds found in opium poppy plants.

Many others have been synthesized in labs. There are many different synthetic opioids, but the most common ones are Vicodin, Percodan, OxyContin, and fentanyl.

Demerol and methadone are other common forms of synthetic opioids. One of the most commonly abused opiates in America is heroin, with 15,482 heroin-related overdose deaths occurring in 2017 alone.

 

Medical Uses for Opiates

Doctors prescribe opiates to treat pain in their patients.

In addition to reducing pain, they’re also known for reducing anxiety, and at higher doses, producing euphoric feelings.

The problem with opiates is not in the feelings that they produce alone, but also in the fact that some people who use them do so in conjunction with other drugs or alcohol. The practice of combining substances increases the risk of both addiction and overdose.

 

Opiate use Methods

When taken in a medically-supervised setting, opiates typically come in pill form and are swallowed.

In their various illicit forms opiates and opioids can also be snorted, smoked, or injected. Each method presents its own risk potential but injecting any substance often causes the highest risk.

When people inject opiates, they open themselves up to viral infections and bacterial infections. They are also exposed to a long list of other potential side effects that come naturally with opiate abuse in any other form.

Respiratory arrest is another common side effect of intravenous drug abuse.

 

Opiate Addiction Signs and Symptoms

Opiates impact your nerve receptors, so your body will begin to adapt to the chemical changes over time, and you’ll need to take higher doses to achieve the same or similar results.

This is one of the first signs of opiate addiction. Chasing the high you felt the first time you used any drug can be dangerous.

This “chase” often leads to intense cravings, physical dependence, difficulty holding a job or maintaining relationships, and other uncharacteristic activities.

Many individuals will even turn to crime or other dangerous behaviors to pay for their opiates when they start to run out of money.

For many people, trying to break free of an opiate use disorder alone can be difficult, physically or emotionally painful, and fruitless. That is why a controlled, medically-assisted, and supervised withdrawal is recommended.

Our medical detox may be just what you need to wash away your old life and start fresh. We can think of no better place to do that than in beautiful Sun City or Surprise Arizona.

 

Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

Opiates imitate and out-generate our naturally-produced endorphins.

Regularly taking opiates reduces the production that occurs naturally until the body relies on the opiates to spark them back up again.

Over time, your body becomes so dependent on them that you will experience withdrawal symptoms when opiates are no longer present in your system. This is when many individuals will feel tempted to begin using it again.

Opiate and opioid withdrawal is often compared to having the flu. You may experience body aches, fever, nausea or vomiting, heightened anxiety, and cold or clammy skin.

You may also notice that your body is having trouble regulating your temperature. Opiate withdrawal isn’t fatal, but an unchecked addiction may be.

We know that withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and uncomfortable.

Our staff is here to help ease your pain, and we already know that you have it in you to turn your life around, you just need a little bit of guidance and assistance.

 

Methadone Treatment for Opiate Addiction

There are some medications that may be used during your detox to give you relief from withdrawal symptoms.

These medications are administered carefully, safely, and under expert medical guidance. Not every patient will require medications during detox.

Whether or not you need a medically-assisted detox (or a detox at all) will be determined once we have our first call. Using several individual factors about your addiction will determine if detox is need or not.

Each of our patients is unique, and we create your treatment program for your addiction.

One of the most common medications used in detox is Methadone. This medication has been used to treat patients going through opioid withdrawal for about 70 years, since the 1950s.

However, because methadone is another fully-acting opioid, it presents its own challenges and risks. Only federally licensed treatment centers like ours are permitted to use Methadone in patient detoxes.

After withdrawal symptoms fade and you reach the goals set in you treatment program, you will be tapered off of the medication to begin your primary treatment program. Other medications that we may use in patient detoxes include Naltrexone and Buprenorphine.

Naltrexone is a powerful long-acting opioid blocker that may be taken daily (its oral form is called Revia) or injected monthly (the injection is called Vivitrol).

Buprenorphine is another opioid, but it is a partially-acting one. It has been approved for treatment since 2002. When Buprenorphine is combined with the short-acting opioid blocker Naloxone, the result is the commonly known withdrawal medication Suboxone.

 

Opiate Detox Timeline

Typically, the amount of time you spend detoxing and overcoming withdrawal symptoms will depend on several individual factors.

Some of those factors include the duration, quantity, type, and frequency of your substance abuse. It will also depend on certain underlying factors, like a mental health disorder, genetic predisposition to addiction, your weight, and body chemistry.

Each of these factors may alter the timeline.

 

Costs of Opiate Addiction Treatment

Thankfully, recent changes in health insurance laws have made it easier for individuals to seek drug and alcohol addiction treatments. If you have health insurance, your treatment is likely covered, including the initial detox portion.

At Emerald Isle, we accept Medicaid and several other types of health insurance. Our job is to help you overcome your addiction, not to present another problem.

Call our experienced addiction specialists today for a free insurance verification. If you’re not insured, we will discuss alternative payment options.

 

Opiate Addiction Treatment Centers

From your pre-program detox all the way through aftercare treatments, the dedicated staff here at Emerald Isle is here for you.

We know how to recognize and treat the medical, physical, and mental health needs of our patients.

We provide a safe space for you to receive treatment, flourish in a new healthy environment and familiarize yourself with all of the tools you’ll need to remain sober long-term.

You will have access to support groups, different therapies, and so much more.

What you learn here will lead you to recovery with you and we can’t wait to show you.