Heroin is a highly addictive and dangerous illegal drug that causes both physical and psychological dependence. Kicking a heroin addiction is not easy, even medical and therapeutic treatments can help with the recovery process.

Heroin Use

2003 National Survey on drug use and health found that 3.7 million people had used heroin. 57 percent of those who used heroin in 2003 were classified as addicts and / or dependent, and about 281,000 people received treatment for heroin abuse in 2003.

Dependence and withdrawal

Heroin abuse involves intense drug cravings. Ordinary users become physically dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and muscle pain when you try to stop their drug use.

Detoxification

Detoxification minimize the severity of withdrawal, and is often the first step in overcoming heroin addiction. Not in itself helps a treatment, detoxification relieve withdrawal symptoms that occur in the first seven to ten days.

Medicine

Methadone has been used for over 30 years to treat heroin addiction. Methadone is taken once a day to relieve drug cravings and suppress withdrawal. Other medications used in the treatment of heroin abuse include buprenorphine, clonidine, lofexidine, and naltrexone.

Behavioral therapy

By combining medications with behavioral treatments such as cognitive therapy or contingency management is believed to be most effective in the treatment of heroin addiction. Heroin addicts often spend time in inpatient or outpatient treatment facilities.

The effects of opiate addiction

Heroin, morphine, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Tylenol 3 – these are all opiate drug names that most people are familiar. But they also share something else in common: they are all opiates, which means that they are made from opium. These drugs share another characteristic in common: they are all addictive. Hollywood has delved into the depths of street heroin user’s life many times, but it shows only a small part of a much større– and more subtle – picture. Opiate addiction, heroin, using a needle, or that the white pills in the orange bottle in the medicine cabinet, have serious consequences for both the person who is addicted and those whom he is close.

Dependence

Use of opiate painkillers as prescribed from time to time in a person’s life is normal for most people, but for someone who becomes addicted, drugs have become necessary for daily life. The effects opiate drugs have on the brain is why they are so addictive. Opiates relieve anxiety and produce euphoria, or a deep sense of well-being, at doses from the therapeutic to one ovenfor.Når opiates used, whether intravenously injected or taken orally in pill form, it finally reaches the brain opiate receptors – which also is released naturally by endorphin frigivelse– and produce a “reward” response as the user becomes addicted.

Tolerance and withdrawal

Two important features of the effects of opiate addiction stands out: tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance occurs when the brain becomes accustomed to receiving opiates regularly and it takes more and more of the drug over time to produce the euphoric effect. The payout is done, usually four to six hours after the last dose taken when the user suddenly deprived of opiate substance. When deprived, the brain is caught off-balance and withdrawal symptoms occur, such as anxiety, pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which can vary in severity depending on opiate addict habit.

Relationships

Opiate addiction can have serious effects to consider whether the addicted person lifestyle. Many users will spend most of their time trying to obtain the substance and will give up many other things that are important in their lives. Families, friendships and other interpersonal relationships are all in danger of an opiate addict, because after prolonged addiction to the substance is the most important aspect of a user’s life.

Health Risks

There are many health risks that are direct effects of opiate addiction. Intravenous users, or people who “shoot up” is very vulnerable to infection and diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. Overdose is a serious consequence of opiate abuse as well. When a person underestimate the potency of the drug, or overestimate her ability to “handle” the substance, too much of opiates can overwhelm the brain. Overdose can cause depressed breathing, slowed heartbeat and even death.

Rehabilitation

A common misconception of the effects of opiate addiction is that a user has to go out drug “cold turkey”, or quit using the brand, to stop using the drug. Methadone treatment detoxification or maintenance can be a løsning.Ender in a methadone treatment center is a very common late effects of opiate use and can often help the user return to daily life as a functional member of society. FDA-approved methadone to treat opiate addiction in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, so a methadone clinic is a legitimate place for a user to end the addiction, the user can specify a stationary rehabilitation treatment center where they can be checked through their rehab by nurses and doctors.

The effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment

Methadone treatment maintenance or MMT, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat and manage withdrawal from heroin, morphine or other opiates. Many opiate addicts choose MMT as it manages their addiction, thus “maintain” their freedom from withdrawal and their risky search of opiate drugs through illegal midler.Ifølge the white Huss website on drug policy, methadone treatment is actually effective at managing withdrawal and to prevent relapses illicit opiate use. MMTS efficiency in the management of opiate addiction manifests itself in a variety of ways.

Effects

Methadone is a synthetic opioid, a narcotic analgesic with properties similar to morphine or oxycodone. It has a long duration of action, according to the FDA, longer than other opiates or synthetic området.Når it is used as a maintenance treatment, methadone opiate addict prevents from going in the withdrawal by occupying brain opiate receptors, while at the same time blocking them from to be occupied by other opiates. This is especially effective in drug addicts who have previously used heroin intravenously as methadone prevent “rush” or “high” most heroin users crave and is considered to be effective in preventing relapse.

Features

Another facet of MMTS efficiency lies in its legality and to strict regulation by the FDA, in cooperation with government agencies. Many users of methadone visit the clinic daily to receive their just-measured dose, although some clinics will allow patients to take home multiple doses at a time – but both methods are closely monitored by the licensed methadone clinic. This regulation is effective in keeping abusers seek other potentially dangerous substances on the street and to ensure their dose is correct and consistent.

Benefits

Some opiate addicts MMT an important health benefit. Intravenous users of street heroin are especially at risk for serious diseases such as HIV / AIDS, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis, to name a few. By undergoing maintenance treatment with methadone, these addicts are able to take their dose in pill or liquid – far safer than using a needle that can be shared between users and spread the disease. Consistent dosing of methadone given out in MMT is also a barrier against accidental overdose on the street opiates, which can be very clean, or contain other dangerous substances.

Expert insights

According to an analysis found on the White House fact sheet MMT, the treatment is cost effective as well for both the person and society. It is considered more cost effective to take a treatment approach for opiate addiction rather than a punitive incarceration. MMT is also effective to bring money that would be spent on illegal street drugs into the Community and the government, and thus are effective to some extent to reduce the market for illegal drugs.

Considerations

So effective that MMT is in the management of opiate dependence, it is definitely not a “cure” for the problem of opiate addiction. It is important for a person to consider and understand that methadone is just as addictive as heroin or morphine and produces withdrawal symptoms that rival those of street drugs before starting MMT.Nogle treatment centres offer a detox setting where the person gets methadone dose reduced slowly to wean people away completely from opiate use. Although this is preferable from a medical point of view, prevent MMT recurrence by maintaining the user may return to the street opiate use.

How to cure an opiate addiction

Opiate addiction is a complex issue that involves many aspects. Opiate use over long periods creates physical and psychological dependence, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms when use is discontinued. Tolerance is a natural response to high amounts of opiates – over time, you need more opiates to get the same effects. Addiction is not just physical, but involves emotional problems, causes of starts and continues opiate use. Although addiction has no “cure”, many treatments and options available to stop the use and abstinence from opiates.

Instructions

Make a conscious decision to refrain from opiates. When you are forced to leave the other, reduced the chances for successful completion opiates. It is important that you want to stop. Know the reasons for your decision. For example, if your life is damaged, your health is suffering or if your relationships fail. Quitting can be difficult without a strong, deliberate reason.

Find help from a health professional. A doctor may prescribe certain medications to help with withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include sweating, chills, nausea and insomnia. They can be intense and painful or mild. A doctor can help monitor the process of withdrawal and abstinence from opiates. Sign up for a treatment center where medical help is available, along with emotional support, lifestyle changes and a comfortable place to detox from opiates.

Take medication (under a doctor’s supervision) to help with withdrawal symptoms. Since the withdrawal can be difficult and very intense in some cases, helps the medicine to relieve the physical problems, so other aspects of addiction can be overcome. Buprenorphine and Clonidine is used to reduce physical symptoms.

Consider methadone treatment. Methadone is generally used for the treatment of heroin addiction and is a lighter fabric to stabilize and control. Over time, lower doses until you can stop taking methadone and avoid using heroin or other opiates.

Join a support group. Medical advice and narcotics anonymous (NA) and other support groups exist to provide emotional support and therapy that addresses all the issues involved in addiction. Be sure to solve the problems, emotional and psychological sub-group or private sessions, to gain insight into your addiction. Along with medication reduces to join a support group the risk of recurrence.

Build a personal support system. Talk to your family and friends and ask for their help during withdrawal and after. It may be hard at first to admit your addiction, but it helps to have an understanding and loving support during the difficult process of withdrawal. Explain your situation and ask for support.

Methadone Detox and hair loss

Addiction and recovery process puts bodies through large strain. Building a dependence on foreign chemicals alters the body’s natural processes, diverting energy from the function of organs and even health and vitality of your appearance, causing a body to react (often negatively, or even dramatically) the detox process. Methadone detox may change a person’s appearance.

Physical symptoms

Depending on the severity of the addiction is detox process cumbersome and quite taxing on the body. Preferably the body is set through such stress, there will be a significant physical reaction. In addition to pain, nervousness, agitation and effects on the gastrointestinal tract, symptoms of methadone withdrawal appear in your appearance. The skin loses luster and may appear dark circles under the eyes. Hair loss is also evident, as your body reacts to the loss of a chemical depends.

The severity

Those with extensive history of use or abuse of methadone will experience increased withdrawal symptoms during detox. The severity of withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on the amount substance in the body. Not only is this because of the content of chemicals in the body, but because addicts bodies often change the way they operate to accommodate these foreign chemicals. It is painful and disruptive forces your body to return to normal.

Dimensions of Detox

Toxins accumulate when any foreign substance or chemical is introduced to the body. The goal of drug detox is to remove harmful chemicals from the body that have accumulated over longer periods of drug use. Although the chemicals previously served a positive purpose (such as methadone in efforts to kick a heroin addiction), can be harmful accumulation occur with harmful side effects. The first signs of detoxification are referred to as “withdrawal.”

Ways to Detox

Because detox is a painful and often debilitating procedure, it is best to do a detox in the presence of a trained professional. This is especially true if the patient has built up a large dependence on methadone. Because methadone is highly addictive, it is often the case that addicts will relapse into abusing the substance rather than continue the painful withdrawal process. Performs detox under the supervision or on a designated detox center will facilitate the process. Because of methadone chemical structure, it tends to stay in the body and can take four times as long to remove methadone from the body as heroin.

Dealing with symptoms that arise from Detox

Although it is difficult to maintain, a methadone detox patient show a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. By avoiding chemicals and other addictions, increases a methadone detox patient’s chance of success. To avoid many physical symptoms of withdrawal, including signs of withdrawal as dark circles under the eyes, a patient should eat a healthy, balanced diet and start a moderate exercise regimen. This will help to relieve many symptoms of withdrawal.

Rapid Opiate Detox

Opiate dependence leaves some people feel so frustrated and disgusted that they want to get over their problems as soon as possible and just get on with living a normal, Drug-free existence. If you are eager to leave your opiate addiction without enduring a multi-step program, consider rapid opiate detox (rod) to remove substances from the body and eliminate cravings.

Ultra rod and accelerated opiate Neuro-Regulation

Rapid detox refers either to a detoxification process with general anesthesia in a hospital setting (known as ultra rapid detox) or a more traditional rehab process lasting 10 days or more. If you are looking for the fastest way to cleanse your body of drugs, you can examine ultra rod.

Accelerated opiate Neuro-Regulation (AON) is a method of ROD. AON will not cure drug addiction or pain killer addiction, but if you are addicted to drugs or painkillers like codeine, Dilaudid, heroin, Lortab, methadone, morphine, Oxycontin, Percocet, MST CONTINUS or Vicodin, AON works to turn your physical dependence.

You may have to admit yourself to the hospital 24 hours before your detox. Trained specialists monitor you in a private setting and when it is time to rehab to begin, either anesthesize or sedate you so you can sleep through occurring detox and withdrawal syndrome. While you sleep, manages a specialist a high dose of naltrexone (a long-acting opiate receptor antagonist) so that the total reversal of opiates occurs in just a few hours.

To minimize withdrawal symptoms, the specialist can give you – compared with Naltrexone – Other medications such as Clonidine. When you wake up, detox is complete and you should opiate-free. Remember, individual results may vary, but medical professionals are using naltrexone to combat any withdrawal symptoms that could arise.

after Detox

After your procedure (after which you can stay in the hospital for a 24-hour period), you may feel sick the next day and suffer from diarrhea, lack of energy and possibly nausea and vomiting. You should not have any physical cravings. Little by little, every few hours, your health improves, and after a few days, you should feel “normal” again and be able to start enjoying a Drug-Free lifestyle.

Once home, continue taking Naltrexone, which will help reduce any opiate cravings you may experience. If you really want to make sure you do not fall off the wagon, attend counseling and support groups that will help you in your psychological recovery.

Warnings and risks

Before considering this rapid detox method, make sure that you are in otherwise good health (apart from your addiction, of course). You will avoid AON, if you have a history of allergic reactions or complications from anesthesia, Clonidine and Naltrexone; If you use barbiturates, cocaine or drinking a large amount of alcohol; If you are pregnant or nursing; If you have a history of severe psychiatric illness; or if you have a history of diabetes, frequent pneumonia or heart, kidney, liver or lung disease.

Risks rod treatments are the same as the rare risks involved with general anesthesia and sedation, chipped teeth, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, scratched eye, strep throat, pneumonia, and even rarer than those major organ failure and death. As a precaution, discuss your detox options with your doctor to make sure you are a good candidate for the ROD.

Home Opiate Detox Information

Opiates are addictive drugs such as heroin and many painkillers. To detoxify the substance, a person needs to get the substance out of the system. Detoxification is a method to clean up all areas of the body. At-Home Detoxification is a way to remove toxins through natural methods such as fasting, drinking fluids, exercise, eat fiber and take supplements.

Expert insights

Opiate website writes, “Opiate addiction is recognized as a central nervous system disorder caused by continuous opiate intake.”

natural methods

By exercising you burn fat that stores toxins. Eating fiber increases stool so more waste, including opiate residues are removed. Drinking water cleans out all of the cells and organs. A quick charger your digestive system rest so that the body has energy to focus on self-healing and self-cleaning.

benefits

The biggest advantage to detoxify is to get healthier by removing toxins and waste from the body, according to the article, “10 Ways to detoxify your body.” Another advantage is that at-home detoxification is cheaper than treatment facilities.

Function

“10 Ways to Detoxify your body” reports that all home detoxification methods work in a similar way. The methods flush out toxins and drug residues from all tissues and organs in the body.

Considerations

Because at-home detoxification from opiates take a few forms, a person may use one or more methods to rid the body of drugs. This improves the chances of recovery from addiction.