Are you looking for treatment choices for addicts? Look no further, this guide will provide you with some of the most effective treatment options at your disposal. They are not arranged in any order thus you are at liberty to try them out and stick with whatever works for you or your loved one.
Depending on your addiction, you are bound to suffer some withdrawal symptoms when you opt to start rehabilitation treatment. The early withdrawal symptoms include yawning, sweating, runny nose, insomnia, increased tearing, muscle aches, anxiety, and agitation. The late withdrawal symptoms include vomiting, nausea, goosebumps, dilated pupils, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. These symptoms are not absolute and they vary depending on the drug. Moreover, they vary depending on the person. Take note that they could become life-threatening. These ones start after the use of the drug stops. For example, if you use methadone you have about thirty hours before the symptoms kick in while if you use heroin you will have about thirty minutes.
Treatment Choices
A good treatment plan has medical agents and a cleansing program for the body to rid it of toxins. It prepares the patient for the rehabilitation phase. Linking these treatment phases without taking breaks could prevent repeated withdrawals and relapses. This reduces pain, time, and expenses.
- Rehabilitation Centers: There are numerous rehabilitation centers across the globe. You have to make sure you check the reviews and the treatment plans it offers to see if it will meet your needs. The schedule of the rehabilitation centers varies thus, make sure that you have skimmed through all your options to settle on the best one.
- Detox: This is the removal of the drug from the system of the user. It is mainly considered to be the first step of rehabilitation. However, it can be done personally by the user with the help of friends and family. Take note that this process has very positive results, but can trigger every serious side effect if not conducted effectively. Make sure that you have a medical supervisor that will assist you through the process. About twenty to thirty percent of the patients who go through untreated withdrawal from this drug experience a seizure. The medically supported option helps in preventing relapse and staying safe while in recovery. Detox is not sufficient when it comes to long-term sobriety. This is why most people opt to begin with the detox plan and move on to the inpatient rehabilitation center. This plan helps the patient recover without having to deal with tempting environments and distractions. People who have mild addictions could focus on the outpatient option as it works with the daily schedule of the individual. Support groups and counseling help the patient sustain their focus and deal with their addiction head-on.
- Medical detoxification: This deals with weaning the addict off the drug. Weaning involves reducing the dosage or using a less potent form of a benzodiazepine such as clonazepam (Klonopin) and diazepam (Valium). It takes up to ten weeks for this method to work and fully detoxify the body. Although most people gradually reduce their dose until it is safe to stop taking the drug altogether, there are also medications that can help relieve withdrawal symptoms during the detox period. These medications vary depending on the drug you use. For example, when it comes to benzodiazepines addiction, the person could use:
- Flumazenil: This treats overdose of benzodiazepines strictly but some research shows that it reduces the withdrawal symptoms for this same drug. It blocks the benzodiazepine effects and relieves the withdrawal since it attaches to the brain centers of pleasure that the drug does. Since this medication forces benzodiazepine out of the body or cleanses the body from this drug, it could be useful with respect to rapid detox. Take note that rapid detox could cause more severe withdrawal symptoms, thus this drug should be taken with caution.
- Buspirone: This drug works for people who have a substance abuse history and anxiety disorder. It aids in relieving the emotional effects that are caused by withdrawal. Additionally, it does not cause dependence on it. The only negative thing about it is that it works after two to three weeks of ingestion. As you reduce your dosage of benzodiazepine, you can start using this medication.
- Non-medicated Residential Services: This detoxification option is not common today. As the name suggests, it does not use any form of medication. This is because it recognizes that the patient is already addicted to a drug and is very likely to form a dependency to the detox medication, especially opiate addicts. This method is likely to be faster in comparison to the rest in achieving the goal of ending addiction. The patient stops using the drug abruptly causing them to experience discomfort but for a short period. It is worth it in the end. This method takes a few weeks to wean the addict off the drug making them ready to go through behavioral therapy. This last form of therapy takes care of psychological dependence and opiate craving. The therapy could be a group or individual counseling whichever the patient is most comfortable with.
- Outpatient treatment that is medicated: This detox treatment plan helps patients who want to get rid of their addiction but also take care of their obligations and see their family. It is advisable that people with supportive families take this form of the treatment plan. Other people prefer it as a brief but intense detox plan before they join an inpatient facility. It introduces them to the schedule of the inpatient detox facility. It could also be used to gauge the discipline of an individual in order to know which treatment plan will work for them. This is because they will be treated while being exposed to the drug on a daily basis. This reinforces discipline and focus. For example, the most preferred opioid antagonist for this program is naltrexone. This drug blocks the receptors where it binds and exerts the effects. This means that when a patient relapses and ingests an opiate they do not get the high that they experienced before the treatment plan. It is an insurance policy and motivator. It prevents a relapse from becoming full-blown. Thus if a person makes one mistake, the treatment plan will not have to start all over again.