Heroin Detox

Why Detoxing From Heroin Is Important

Heroin is an extremely potent substance, it is highly addictive and can destroy a life rapidly. With that being said, it is clear that detoxing from heroin is incredibly important, but many may wonder why specifically a medically assisted detox is the most appropriate option.

Heroin works in a different way to that of many other drugs, due to its potency and high level of addictiveness, the way in which those withdraw is rather unique to the substance itself. This is because the ‘cold turkey’ method, while dangerous to do with most substances, is extremely dangerous to do so when using heroin.

It is very common for those who use heroin to overdose, this doesn’t have to be an effect of regular use, in fact even a first time user is at risk of overdosing. Due to the after effects of heroin, once the initial rush is complete, the user could feel very sleepy, sometimes unconscious, this can get worse rather quickly and they can stop breathing altogether.

It is for these fatal reasons that detoxing from heroin before this risk grows any higher is so crucially important.

A Typical Heroin Detox Timeline

While every user is different, heroin detox is likely to still be intense no matter what.

Nonetheless, there are some factors that could heighten or prolong the withdrawal process. This includes instances in which there are more drugs being taken alongside heroin, or the use of alcohol is prevalent. These can make withdrawals longer and likely more intense as the body is craving for more than just one substance.

So, while intensity can vary, there is still a level of severity that is linked to any kind of heroin withdrawal and this often follows the general structure of this timeline.

Stage 1: Early Stage Withdrawal between hour 6-12

During the first 6 to 12 hours after the last use of heroin, withdrawals may begin. This is typically a lot sooner than many other substances, highlighting the potency of heroin; these symptoms may include cravings, aches, sweating, trouble sleeping and restlessness.

Stage 2: Peak Withdrawal between days 1 – 3

During the first 3 days, withdrawal symptoms are at their worst. Those who are withdrawing from heroin may go through nausea and or vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils, high blood pressure and intense cravings for heroin.

Stage 3: Withdrawal symptoms begin to subside days 4 – 7

During this time, there is still likely to be some less intense lingering withdrawals, vastly psychological such as depression anxiety and cravings. There may also be some physical withdrawals like aches and cramps but not at the same intensity anymore.

Stage 4: Withdrawals subside & psychological rehab begins

After the first week is complete, the worst of the symptoms are out of the way.

This is often when rehabilitation will commence, allowing users to go into psychological heroin rehab without the distraction of intense withdrawal symptoms.

There still may be some acute withdrawals that linger such as psychological disturbances but these can still be worked on during the rehab treatment.

Due to the intensity of heroin detox, it is important to consider professional help, at Action Rehab, we are able to help you with finding a facility that ticks all boxes, simply get in touch to find out more information.

Understanding Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

In order to understand why medical assistance is so important during heroin detox, it is important to be aware of the exact withdrawal symptoms that may be experienced.

During assessment, we will get to understand whether the user is suffering from more than one addiction. For example, a heroin addiction alongside an alcohol addiction can prove to be a more difficult withdrawal process, which could present more intense symptoms.

This is common, many people have co-occurring addictions that can make the withdrawal process different for everybody. It also depends on the physicality of the user, factors such as physical fitness, pre-existing health conditions and co-occurring mental health disorders can all impact the severity of the withdrawal process.

We can help those suffering from heroin addiction during assessment, we can find out these mitigating factors and address them within the treatment plan for the best chance at full, long lasting recovery.

While there are the aforementioned physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that present early on in the heroin detox process, there are also more unusual symptoms such as excessive yawning, a runny nose and frequent sneezing, and chills and goosebumps.

As the body takes this shift into sobriety, there can be the emergence of a huge range of symptoms, however with the right care, they’re much more manageable.

Medications Used During Heroin Detox

One of the key reasons heroin detox within the walls of a designated clinic is so much more manageable, is the help from not only addiction professionals but also prescribed medication.

While not everyone requires medication to get through withdrawals for any addiction, often those withdrawing from heroin will, simply due to the sheer intensity of the withdrawal symptoms.

These medications could include:

• Methadone: This can often help with alleviating cravings
• Buprenorphone: This can also help with cravings during detox
• Naltrexone: This blocks the effects of opioids in the brain & can act as long term relapse prevention
• Clonidine: This medication can help particular symptoms like sweating, a high heart rate and blood pressure
• Diazepam: This can be used to help psychological disturbances such as anxiety & insomnia

While this isn’t an extensive list, these can be recognisable prescriptions made for better management of heroin withdrawals during detox. It may act as some reassurance that there are management methods within detox to help see the process through fully.

Why Choose Action Rehab?

So, why choose us?

We are a referral service, free of charge that helps find those in need of heroin detox to find a suitable facility. We can talk and find out what is suitable, then come to a decision on the best form of treatment and the facilities which would suit the unique situation of every individual best.