The number of people addicted to heroin is growing every year at a very high rate. According to CDC, about 8200 Americans died from overdose of the drug in 2013. In comparison to 2002, this number was four times higher. People between the age of 18 and 25 account for the most addicted group of people. In most cases, people who are addicted to this substance are usually addicts of prescription opioid drugs.
Since the rate of addiction has skyrocketed, many treatment centers have also been opened to offer assistance to addicts. When one goes to a heroin treatment center for help, detoxification is usually the first cause of action taken. For the best results, detoxification is done and supervised by a physician. Various strategies are used to achieve full withdrawal including lifestyle changes, support groups, therapy, and medication.
It can be a very long and painful process to withdraw from an addiction. Certain factors which include severity of addiction and chemical change done to the brain determine how long one needs to withdraw from an addiction completely. The process is usually uncomfortable although certain medications can be prescribed to ease the discomfort. With the medications prescribed, the body adjusts gradually to functioning without the substance.
Heroin is an opiate drug. That means that it works by suppressing some central nervous system functions such as temperature regulation, respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. The substance increases the level of the chemical responsible for pleasure in the brain by binding to opioid receptors. This causes a rush of pleasure, while withdrawal causes the opposite.
How painful the withdrawal process is determined by how dependent the brain is to the substance. It also depends on how much chemical change has occurred to the brain as a result of the addiction. For those who had a mild addiction, the symptoms they experience include sweats, chills, nausea, excessive yawning, abdominal cramps, bone and muscle aches, and tearing. Those with moderate addiction experience diarrhea, tremors, fatigue, goose bumps, restlessness, agitation, vomiting, and lack of focus.
When one is addicted strongly, they also experience severe withdrawal symptoms. Severe addiction is associated with drug cravings, depression, muscle spasms, insomnia, hypertension, impaired respiration, and anxiety. Normally, withdrawing is not a life-threatening process, but the medical and psychological symptoms that follows may be a threat to life. Addicts commonly commit suicide, which makes it advisable to never try withdrawing without the assistance of a doctor.
To help people with withdrawal from the substance, various medications have been invented. Among these medications are Methadone, Naltrexone, and Buprenorphine. Methadone is classified as a slow-acting opioid agonist. One has to take it orally and when taken, it dampens the pleasurable feeling of being high. At the same time, it prevents withdrawal symptoms. It is very efficient and has been used since the 60s. It works in cases where other medications fail.
Buprenorphine is one of the partial opioid agonists in use today. Its working mechanism entails relieving drug cravings besides lack of any serious side effects that are observed in other opioids. One can take it orally or sublingually.
Since the rate of addiction has skyrocketed, many treatment centers have also been opened to offer assistance to addicts. When one goes to a heroin treatment center for help, detoxification is usually the first cause of action taken. For the best results, detoxification is done and supervised by a physician. Various strategies are used to achieve full withdrawal including lifestyle changes, support groups, therapy, and medication.
It can be a very long and painful process to withdraw from an addiction. Certain factors which include severity of addiction and chemical change done to the brain determine how long one needs to withdraw from an addiction completely. The process is usually uncomfortable although certain medications can be prescribed to ease the discomfort. With the medications prescribed, the body adjusts gradually to functioning without the substance.
Heroin is an opiate drug. That means that it works by suppressing some central nervous system functions such as temperature regulation, respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. The substance increases the level of the chemical responsible for pleasure in the brain by binding to opioid receptors. This causes a rush of pleasure, while withdrawal causes the opposite.
How painful the withdrawal process is determined by how dependent the brain is to the substance. It also depends on how much chemical change has occurred to the brain as a result of the addiction. For those who had a mild addiction, the symptoms they experience include sweats, chills, nausea, excessive yawning, abdominal cramps, bone and muscle aches, and tearing. Those with moderate addiction experience diarrhea, tremors, fatigue, goose bumps, restlessness, agitation, vomiting, and lack of focus.
When one is addicted strongly, they also experience severe withdrawal symptoms. Severe addiction is associated with drug cravings, depression, muscle spasms, insomnia, hypertension, impaired respiration, and anxiety. Normally, withdrawing is not a life-threatening process, but the medical and psychological symptoms that follows may be a threat to life. Addicts commonly commit suicide, which makes it advisable to never try withdrawing without the assistance of a doctor.
To help people with withdrawal from the substance, various medications have been invented. Among these medications are Methadone, Naltrexone, and Buprenorphine. Methadone is classified as a slow-acting opioid agonist. One has to take it orally and when taken, it dampens the pleasurable feeling of being high. At the same time, it prevents withdrawal symptoms. It is very efficient and has been used since the 60s. It works in cases where other medications fail.
Buprenorphine is one of the partial opioid agonists in use today. Its working mechanism entails relieving drug cravings besides lack of any serious side effects that are observed in other opioids. One can take it orally or sublingually.
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