Opiate Addiction Is A Very Serious, But Treatable Illness

Opiate addiction is a very serious illness, which can lead to depression, hopelessness, and sometimes death. Opiate addiction is a brain disease characterized by increased tolerance leading to more and more substance needed to achieve the same effect. Addiction To Opiates is both physical and psychological, requiring an intense inpatient program in order to best detox off the drug and transition into living without drugs. One thing that you need to understand about opiate addiction is that it is a lot different from other cases of substance dependency. Currently, the only FDA approved option for treating opiate addiction is through the use of methadone and buprenorphine, both of which are synthetic opiates with their own addictive tendencies.


Getting off heroin and other opiates isn't easy, but detox is the first step. Detox in and of itself is simply the removal of a drug from a person's body. Detox may eliminate opiates from the body, but it doesn’t restore the body’s natural, healthy chemistry. Detox from opiates like heroin, OxyContin, Lortab and Vicodin requires close supervision. But, if a person is successful in detox and dedicated to kicking the habit, the chances are greatly increased.


Withdrawal symptoms from opiates start within a few hours of your last missed dose and include nausea and vomiting, sweating, irritability, body and muscle aches, insomnia and an increase in intensity over the next few days, lasting for weeks. Rapid opiate detox is a procedure which allows patients to undergo the severe opiate withdrawal symptoms associated with detoxification while under anesthesia. In clinical studies, Buprenorphine has proven effective in minimizing the extremely painful side effects of opiate withdrawal without patients feeling either euphoria or sedation.


After prolonged opiate use, the nerve cells in the brain, which would otherwise produce endogenous opiates (natural painkillers, or endorphins), cease to function normally. When these nerve cells degenerate, a need for the drug or high physical tolerance is present, requiring that more and more of the drug be ingested in order to avoid the onset of painful withdrawal symptoms. During professional opium treatment, detox pains can be managed through continual medical observation and care, and through the use of non narcotic pain relievers, anxiolitics and anti depressant medications.


Buprenorphine treatment can eliminate or reduce many withdraw symptoms and allow an addicted person to address the root problem without the pain and discomfort of withdrawal. Buprenorphine works by acting on the brain's own opiate receptors , targets for heroin, morphine and prescription opioids , to relieve drug cravings without prompting the same intense high or dangerous side effects.

Rapid Opiate Detox Is An Effective But Risky Treatment Option For Addiction

Done without assistance, opiate detoxification is a very long and painful process that can result in permanent damage to the cardiovascular and central nervous system. Untreated and unmonitored, opiate withdrawal can result in death for unhealthy patients not involved in a medically supervised opiate detox program. Rapid opiate detox is the initial step to recovery / rehabilitation from drug addiction for many people. Rapid detoxification also known as 'ultra rapid opiate detox', is precisely that "rapid detoxification for opiate / chemical based substances and narcotic drug addictions". Opiate Detox uses different medications to prevent the withdrawal signs and uncomfortable symptoms.

Rapid detox is normally carried out in a hospital under general anesthesia and is supervised by qualified medical personnel (anesthesiologists) who are experienced in carrying out detoxification. This process, also known as AAROD or anesthesia assisted rapid opiate detoxification. Rapid detox is a medical procedure that allows detoxification to occur within the span of a day. This kind of detox program is a great start, but it is only the first step to living a drug free life.

Ultra Rapid Opiate Detoxification (UROD) procedures have never been fully evaluated in controlled trials, and certainly do no more than provide a relatively discomfort-free detox to persons who are opioid-dependent. Ultra Rapid Detox has higher risks than other other detox methods and remains controversial within the medical community. The Ultra Rapid Detox process is nearly always conducted in a hospital setting while the patient is under general anesthesia. The process needs to be overseen by certified anesthesiologists and a nursing staff that specialize in such procedures. Ultra Rapid Opiate Detox is a procedure that has been in use since the late 1980s. The method uses an opiate antagonist to "clean" the opiate receptors in the brain.

Researchers say there may be some inherent danger in giving prolonged anesthesia to someone whose heart function or body chemistry is already compromised by heroin use. The technique of rapid opiate detoxification using general anesthesia has emerged as a new but unproven approach to treat opiate dependence.Today, a new form of rapid detox has emerged called the Waismann Method, or Accelerated Neuro-Regulation. It is performed by a handful of select treatment clinics throughout the world. This accelerated withdrawal occurs within a period of hours, not days as with traditional methods. Upon awakening, the patient is no longer physically dependent on opiates and has no conscious awareness of experiencing the withdrawal process.

Treatment Options For Opiate Addictions Include Medication, Rehab And Detox

The main form of treatment for opiate addiction treatment is drug rehab. The long-term success rate for those who complete an opiate rehab is very low unforunately. Pharmacological therapy alone rarely achieves long-term success. Thus Suboxone detox should be combined with concurrent behavioral therapies and with the provision of needed addiction treatment services. Recovery from opiate addiction is a long-term process that often requires multiple attempts and many behavioral changes. Most people relapse several times before achieving long-term abstinence, regardless of whether the drug of abuse is nicotine, cocaine, heroin or other addictive substances.

Rapid detoxification is another treatment option that helps reduce the distress of opiate withdrawal for people who are chemically dependent on opiates such as heroin, Vicodin, Percocet, Demerol, Dilaudid, Darvocet, OxyContin, opium, morphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, prescription painkillers, and all narcotic type drugs. It shortens the detoxification period and spares patients the pain and physical discomforts of withdrawal. Rapid detoxification tends to be very effective but it also tends to be very expensive and most insurances will not cover the treatment.

Legally prescribed and illegally attained opiate based drugs are unfortunately plentiful in every town in the nation and subsequently you will find those who are addicted to these drugs everywhere you look. Someone who has become addicted to opiates will need rehabilitation because the addiction is so strong that the biggest majority of people who are addicted cannot break free without intense help..

Yet another treatment option for opiate addiction is group counseling sessions after a period of detox. Many drug addicts find group counseling intimidating at first, but the truth is that the trust built up through group counseling sessions will help you learn how to effectively communicate with other people. In group drug and alcohol counseling your group will work on learning how to express emotions openly and trust others. The drugs that comprise the opiate family can destroy relationships as well as physical and psychological health. The professionals at opiate rehab programs help alter the course of those with heroin addiction, Vicodin addiction or other opiate-based addictions and chart a path towards a happy, fulfilling life.

Finally, Naxalone is another treatment option that reverses the effects of heroin and other related opioid drugs. Food and Drug Administration has approved Naxalone for the purpose of opiate detoxification. The medication’s active ingredient is oxycodone, which is also found in drugs like Percodan, Percocet and Tylox. In Oxycontin the drug is found in a potent, sustained release (time release) form containing anywhere from 10 to 160 mg of oxycodone. Cognitive-behavioral interventions are designed to help modify the patient's expectations and behaviors related to drug use, and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors. Both behavioral and pharmacological treatments help to restore a degree of normalcy to brain function and behavior during and after the withdraw process from opiates.