Symptoms Opiate Withdrawal
Withdrawal From Pain Medications And Substitute Medications
First of all, there is a subtle difference between becoming dependent on narcotics, i.e. painkillers, and becoming addicted. Even a relatively short course of post-operative painkillers can cause dependency. Many patients can tolerate the mild withdrawal symptoms when they are informed of the side effects, such as anxiety. They are then treated with milder drugs to overcome the side effects of withdrawal.
This is nothing like the “cold turkey” that we hear about when addicts are withdrawing from narcotic addiction. Patients who have become addicted to narcotic painkillers need to undergo an effective detoxification program. This can often involve the use of a replacement drug, such as methadone.
Other drugs, such as buprenorphine are used today to treat pain killer addiction and given as a substitute for the drug of addiction. Opinions differ about this. The drugs common to prescription painkiller addiction are Vicodin, OxyContin, Norco, and Hydrocodone. Some people are more prone to addiction than others. Some feel it should not be used due to being an opiate. Others say it eases the transition and can be used in a maintenance mode with care and monitoring. Maintenance mode means different things to different people.
Becoming physically dependent means that even though the patient wants to stop taking the medication, the symptoms of withdrawal are too uncomfortable or painful. This is because the brain has become used to the opiate, and nerve cells have ceased to act normally. The body’s natural endorphins have stopped being produced because of the presence of the opiates in the brain. When the intake of the opiate stops, the brain is left with no natural endorphins to fight against the pain of the ensuing withdrawal symptoms.
Addiction or dependency is a disease due to the damaged brain cells. Nobody is at fault, but withdrawal can take two to three weeks with many uncomfortable symptoms, such as cramping, restlessness, pain, and physical tremors. Some patients are prescribed clonidine, a drug that helps to block the sympathetic nervous system that creates the withdrawal symptoms.
There is news about a treatment called accelerated opiate neuro-regulation. After complete screening, the patient is put under a mild anesthetic and special medications administered to remove all traces of opiates from the patient’s opiate receptors, without withdrawal symptoms. Learning about one’s options can make stopping a habit easier.
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Opioids Withdrawal Symptoms | Treatment of Opiates
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