Heroin Detox and Withdrawal Timeline

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Heroin Detox and Withdrawal Symptoms Services

Heroin is a fast-acting illegal opioid that offers instant pain relief and irresistible pleasurable feelings, making it highly addictive. This substance affects the normal functioning of the brain and the body’s ability to perform life-sustaining functions.

Regular heroin use leaves large amounts of this drug’s metabolites in your body. The toxins are more if you’ve abused this substance alongside other drugs. You need to complete heroin detoxification regimen to flush out traces of all these harmful substances from your body. This drug may be illegal in the US, but don’t let this stop you from seeking treatment.

Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

Heroin withdrawal symptoms occur when you discontinue using the drug or reduce the amount you often take. Stopping puts your body in a “panic mode” since you’ve cut off its usual, consistent supply of this addictive drug use.

The common heroin withdrawal symptoms linked to this illicit opioid include physical symptoms and psychological symptoms:

  • Irritability

  • Insomnia

  • Sweating

  • Restlessness

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Prolonged yawning

  • Muscle aches

  • Diarrhea

  • Fatigue

  • Mood swings

  • Severe dehydration

  • Panic attacks

  • Loss of appetite

  • Seizures

  • Abdominal cramping

  • Body tremors

  • Fast heart rate

  • Watery eyes and runny nose

Some experience withdrawal symptoms at a level of 10 out of 10. Others don’t. The intensity of the heroin withdrawal depends on the extent of the heroin addiction, method of drug abuse, and the presence of underlying medical conditions or mental illness.

The main methods of heroin use are smoking, injecting, and snorting. Injecting and smoking heroin result in severe heroin withdrawal symptoms because the drug enters the bloodstream and brain quickly, but the pain relief and euphoric feelings effects won’t last for long.

For this reason, heroin addicts want to take the drug frequently and in high doses to experience the euphoric rush and relief. Your body’s tolerance and dependence on heroin will increase, making the withdrawal symptoms severe when you discontinue heroin use.

With snorting, the drug is absorbed in the body at a slower pace. The chances of abusing the drug in high doses aren’t as high, so the withdrawal symptoms will be less severe. Please keep in mind that snorting is still as harmful as the other two methods.

Timeline of Withdrawal Symptoms

Typically, symptoms of heroin withdrawal develop about 6-12 hours after your last dose of this substance. The discomfort of physical and psychological symptoms start as mild and worsen after the first 24 hours.

Symptoms of heroin withdrawal are intense within 72 hours after final use. This time will be the most challenging period of your heroin detox experience, as your body will be struggling to adjust to the drug’s absence from the heroin dependency.

Heroin detox

Everyone’s experience with heroin withdrawal is unique. How long the symptoms will last depends on the extent of the heroin addiction — some battle heroin withdrawal symptoms for a few days or a few weeks, others for months.

Always remember that experiencing these mental and physical withdrawal symptoms for a longer period doesn’t mean that your desire to achieve a dependency-free life won’t come to pass. It will. Your body will eventually become accustomed to functioning correctly without heroin’s presence. It may take time to recover fully from heroin addiction, but with ongoing professional support and continuous care, you’ll get there.

How to Detox from Heroin Safely

When you make the courageous decision to quit heroin, the safest way to detox is completing a medically-supervised detox regimen within a licensed detox facility. You are better off in the hands of medical professionals who know the best ways to ease your withdrawal symptoms and manage any underlying health conditions from substance use disorders.

When you feel ready to start your medical detox for heroin withdrawal, kindly reach out to a medical specialist you trust, an addiction treatment center, or a drug addiction hotline to discuss the medical detox treatment options that suit your circumstance.

Substitute medications for heroin detox

Substitute medications

To stabilize you and make the detox process less painful, we use FDA-approved opioid medications effective in detoxifying opioid-based substances. The substitute medications used for the medication assisted treatment are buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone.

  • Methadone is a slow-acting and weaker opioid effective in gradually weaning your body off a fast-acting opioid like heroin, rather than abruptly taking you off the drug.

  • Buprenorphine blocks the “high” effect from the drug and keeps severe withdrawal symptoms and cravings under control.

  • Naltrexone also works by blocking the brain receptors that react with the heroin in your body to produce a “high”. Naltrexone as well manages intense drug cravings.

medical staff for your heroin detox

Trusting your doctors

The medical professional staff at our detox treatment facility have your best interests at heart for your heroin withdrawal process. You can fully depend on them for medical and emotional support as they take you through all the detox phases for quitting heroin.

Our general practitioners and rehab doctors are medical professionals and they will work around the clock to ensure your risk of adverse effects from heroin withdrawal are minimal to zero. They will take time to know you and help you understand every step of your detox program.

These experts are part of your support system and are there for non-judgmental conversations with you. Don’t hesitate to open up about any fears, concerns, or emotions you may haven we have mental health professionals to treat any mental health issues to facilitate your heroin withdrawal process.

Inpatient heroin detox

In a Residential Setting

You will stay at the detox facility (for a specified period) while you go through heroin withdrawal and recovery. Our residential setting provides a transformative experience. It’s a space away from any negative influences, high-risk environments and intense cravings from heroin addiction. It’s the best way to start a new life of recovery, free from substance abuse.

There’s a more structured and supportive environment within this setting to give you a wholesome detox recovery. We will monitor your progress and comfort 24/7 as you benefit from our continuous clinical and psychiatric care.

You will have unlimited access to addiction-related education and resources. We have different holistic therapies designed to help residents overcome psychological struggles during their heroin withdrawal process.

Why Choose United Recovery CA for Heroin Withdrawal and Detox?

United Recovery CA offers the highest level of personalized detox treatment for everyone who detoxes at our serene facility. Our treatment center has the brightest minds on heroin detox care, all under one roof.

We have helped many in a similar situation as yours to overcome this drug dependency and become the person they were destined to be. Our goal remains the same for everyone who walks into our doors: to assist you defeat this drug addiction for good.

Do you need help for your heroin withdrawal? Feel free to contact us today. We are here for you. Our compassionate staff will make you comfortable and secure throughout this process. We also have various well-being activities to help you stay in shape mentally, physically, and spiritually as you recover.

About United Recovery Project

Why Choose United Recovery CA for Drug Detox and Withdrawal?

Our medical detox and rehabilitation center has been designed for comfort and safety. We enable our patients to retreat into a luxurious and non-judgmental space where you receive 24-hour medical supervision and clinical interventions to help you forge your long term recovery path. Once your drug detox is complete you can enroll for in-patient or out-patient rehab in a familiar setting as you learn the tools and coping skills required to address the underlying triggers that resulted in your drug dependency. Aftercare, support groups and sober living homes provide you with extended care programs that facilitate long term sobriety in an understanding community.

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Is Detox Enough to Tackle Addiction?

The decision to commit to a detox treatment plan is life-changing. Completing this process is an achievement you should be extremely proud of. While it marks the beginning of your addiction recovery journey from substance abuse, it does not fully tackle addiction.

After detox, the physical symptoms from substance use disorder may subside, but the brain takes a while to recover from psychological dependence. You will still have drug cravings after detoxifying, and the risk for relapse is high. That’s why you need to transition directly to a rehabilitation center after detox to help counter these severe symptoms of opioid use.

Heroin rehab will give you unlimited access to addiction treatment professionals such as therapists, doctors, counselors, and more, who will equip you with practical coping skills, including relapse prevention, and what to do in the event of an unavoidable encounter with a trigger. Rehab will restore your confidence in achieving a sober life as you interact with other patients in fellowship and support groups with whom you share similar sobriety goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why do treatments use substitute drugs to detox patients from heroin?

The withdrawal symptoms of this illicit opioid drug are tough to manage without replacement medication. It’s necessary to use medicines with opioid-like properties (but don’t produce the intense euphoric high) to taper you off this opioid substance, instead of making you quit cold turkey.

Substitutes ensure your body isn’t in the worst state of shock that it would have been in if there were no replacement drugs. Not to mention, these medications increase your chances of staying in detox treatment compared to when no medications are used.

Does my insurance cover heroin detox?

Most health insurance providers provide full or partial coverage for addiction treatment. Detoxifying from this drug is part of drug dependence treatment, meaning your insurance card will be accepted in any detox facility.

Ensure you select a detox center that falls within your insurer’s network. When you reach out to your insurance provider, they’ll give you all information about the amount they’ll cover. If you aren’t sure how to do this, don’t worry. We will liaise with them and get all this information for you.

Why do you crave heroin when you are not using it?

Craving is your body’s natural response to the drug’s absence. It’s normal to experience cravings if you were used to taking this substance anytime you felt like doing so. Don’t feel disappointed or label yourself a failure for being unable to keep your urges in check.

Due to regular use, your body grows dependent on the drug, in the sense that it won’t feel physically and psychologically stable without it. When you cease using it, the body detects this and “demands” a dose to feel alright.

Can I get a detox-only program?

Unfortunately, you can’t. There is more to having a drug-free life than detox alone. Successful addiction treatment process requires a comprehensive treatment intervention to give you wholesome recovery. For this reason, detox facilities don’t provide patients with a detox-only treatment program.

Detox is only the first step of a wholesome treatment. It’s not a good idea to stop treatment after finishing detox. You need to start therapy soon afterwards. Therapy is the key to a wholesome recovery, and so without it, you will not break free from drug dependence.

Will heroin detox be entered into my medical files?

Yes, it will. Going through detox is part of your health information that must be recorded to give our addiction treatment specialists a clear overview of your response to detox treatment, and ease communication as they collaboratively make decisions regarding your health.

It’s also important for us to have an accurate account of your detox process in case we need to refer to this information in the future. Take comfort knowing that we will comply with the HIPAA Act as far as the confidentiality and privacy of your health information are concerned.

Can I detox from heroin at home?

No, you shouldn’t. We don’t recommend this as it is dangerous. When done at home, the withdrawal symptoms will quickly move from mild to life-threatening, and without medical help, the consequence can be fatal.

Overdosing is a possibility since you’ll feel the need to take an increasingly high dose to keep the withdrawal symptoms away. Complications can arise, and you’ll miss out on swift emergency response. You can count on us to detox you safely from this substance and respond promptly in case of a health emergency.

Do You Need Help?

You can get better with the right support. Don’t hesitate to contact us now so that we can discuss the next steps.

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