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If you’re going to a rehab center in Mumbai, you may have heard that some centers offer medication to keep you comfortable and safe.
In this blog from Samarpan Recovery, we look at what these medications are, and whether you will need them. If you would like more information on detox medication or would like to speak with us about treatment, please do not hesitate to contact.
Here are some cases where the drug treatment professionals at your rehab will recommend you take medication-assisted treatment.
If you take quantities of drugs or alcohol that most people would consider excessive, and you do this on a regular basis, you may have severe withdrawal symptoms. These can be made more bearable with medication-assisted treatment.
If you have used substances for a few years or more, you are likely to have far more severe withdrawal symptoms than someone who has been using for a few months. You may also find that your withdrawal symptoms last for longer.
The more withdrawals you go through, the worse they become. This is known as the “kindling effect”. While you may have had short-lived withdrawals with minor symptoms in the past, using the same amount of drugs or alcohol could now put you in a severe withdrawal that lasts for a week.
The effects of the kindling effect are not reduced over time, and withdrawals are just as severe after a long period of abstinence. Some long-term substance users are surprised to find that they experience a severe withdrawal after using for just a few days.
Withdrawal from these substances can lead to fatal seizures. If you have been dependent on either of these, you should always make sure that you are seen by a medical professional who can ascertain whether you need medication-assisted treatment.
While withdrawal from all substances can be incredibly difficult, there are a couple of substances that can kill if you stop taking them abruptly.
Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. It is also one of the most dangerous. Research by Professor David Nutt has shown that alcohol use causes more harm to societies than any other drug, and gives more damage to users than cocaine.
Alcohol also has the unfortunate distinction as being one of the few drugs that can kill when use is ceased. People with alcohol use disorder not only face a wide range of symptoms including restless leg syndrome, anxiety, depression, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations and psychosis, but also risk fatal seizures.
Risk of fatal seizures is increased when someone has been drinking for a long time, is a heavy drinker, has been through withdrawal before or has health problems. The only way to withdraw from alcohol safely is with a medical detox.
Benzodiazepines like Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam) are most commonly prescribed for people suffering from anxiety disorders. While they are still prescribed, in recent years physicians have become less willing to prescribe these to patients as they can be so addictive.
These drugs are also used illicitly. Legal preparations of benzodiazepines may be diverted from pharmacies and used by people to get high. Some users buy “benzos” on the street to self-medicate their anxiety problems.
We urge all people who use these drugs to get professional help. The withdrawal from benzos is incredibly unpleasant, and can cause drug users to suffer from panic attacks, extreme insomnia, muscle spasms and tremors.
These withdrawal symptoms can last for several months due to the long half-life of most benzodiazepines. Even more worryingly, benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures that result in death. If you have been taking these drugs for a long period of time, it is vital to go through a medical detox, as this is the only way to detox safely. Contact Samarpan Recovery for more information.
While withdrawal from all substances can be very unpleasant, there are some withdrawals that tend to be worse than others.
Here are some of those that are considered the most difficult to get through
Withdrawal from opioids like heroin, fentanyl and Oxycodone can be extremely challenging. It is common for people in opioid withdrawal to have insomnia, pain throughout the body, nausea and restless leg syndrome. Opioid withdrawal can also cause vomiting and diarrhea. Withdrawal symptoms for opioids usually peaks at 3 days before reducing in intensity and opioid withdrawal tends to be over in around a week.
After withdrawal, users may experience Post Acute Withdrawals Symptoms (PAWS) for up to a year. These withdrawal symptoms are far milder than the acute withdrawal symptoms, but can lead to relapse if they are not addressed professionally.
Withdrawal from benzodiazepines like diazepam and clonazepam can cause extreme anxiety, depression, insomnia, panic attacks and fatal seizures. The initial stage of benzo withdrawal lasts for 2 or 3 weeks, and Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms can last as long as 2 years.
Benzo withdrawal is considered one of the worst withdrawals due to the length of withdrawal, and because users must face any anxiety they were experiencing before using benzos, as well as the additional rebound anxiety of withdrawal. It is essential to learn strategies to combat rebound anxiety from benzodiazepine withdrawal.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include nausea, sweating, depression, anxiety, insomnia and restless legs. Someone who has used alcohol in large quantities over an extended period of time may also face delirium tremens, which is another set of symptoms that include psychosis and fatal seizures.
Some alcohol users believe that because alcohol is legal it is harmless compared with illegal drugs. This could not be further from the truth. Alcohol withdrawal is considered one of the most difficult withdrawals to get through, and should not be attempted without Medication Assisted treatment.
Anyone who has been through drug and alcohol withdrawal can tell you it is painful. Sleepless nights, aching limbs, severe depression and even psychosis are just a few of the symptoms you may have during withdrawal. And withdrawal from some substances can even cause death.
But there are some medications that will help you withdraw from substances safely and with more comfort. Here are some of the most common medications used by rehab centers.
Methadone is an opioid sometimes given to opioid users as a replacement to illicit opioids. It helps stabilize these opioid users and means they do not have to seek out illegal drugs. As Methadone has a long half-life, there is no risk of drug users going into withdrawal in between doses. It usually comes as a green liquid which often has a mint taste, though it is also manufactured in tablet form.
Methadone is also given to people who are withdrawing from opioids at rehab centers. Rather than going “cold turkey”, opioid users are slowly tapered down with Methadone, so that withdrawal symptoms are greatly reduced.
This medication works similarly to Methadone. While Methadone is usually a liquid, buprenorphine tends to be in either tablet or film preparations. This is one of the medications that we give to people coming off opioids at Samarpan, and we find that it is very effective at keeping withdrawal symptoms to a minimum.
We understand that no drug users wants to go through withdrawal “cold turkey”. This is why when an opioid user walks through our doors, one of the first actions we take is assessing what quantity of opioids and other substances the user had been taking so we can get them their withdrawal medicine as quickly as possible, avoiding abrupt withdrawal.
Diazepam is a benzodiazepine. When diazepam is used improperly it can cause harm to users, but it can also be used in a clinical setting to reduce anxiety and prevent the risk of death from withdrawal. Diazepam may be used by medical staff at a rehab center in Mumbai to keep people with substance abuse disorder safe when they are detoxing from alcohol and benzodiazepines.
This medication can also be used to increase comfort and induce sleep in those who are in withdrawal from other downers such as heroin, Oxycodone or fentanyl.
At a rehab center in Mumbai, lorazepam is used in much the same way as diazepam. Clients are given it on a daily or bi-daily basis to reduce anxiety and help with sleep.
Chlordiazepoxide usually comes in tablets labeled as “Librium”. It is another benzodiazepine that works in a similar fashion to diazepam and lorazepam. This medication is very effective at reducing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and is one of the medications that we use to keep people with alcohol use disorder safe when they are in withdrawal.
Note that you should not use benzodiazepines without being under the care of a medical professional, as using them without guidance can be harmful.
While most rehab centers in Mumbai offer detoxification, not all provide you with medical detoxification.
While regular detoxification involves trying to keep clients comfortable so they are not in so much discomfort, medical detox offers more. During a medical detox, you will be given withdrawal medications if needed.
You will also be monitored by nurses who will check your vital signs and make sure that the detox is going well. If you have any questions about the process as it is happening, these are the people you should ask.
Going through withdrawal is a necessary process on the road back to wellness. It can be unpleasant, but with the right medications and support you get safely on your path of recovery.
If you want to stop using drugs or alcohol and are worried about the withdrawal symptoms, contact Samarpan Recovery. We can help you stop in a safe, secure and pleasant environment.
+91 81809 19090admissions@samarpan.in