Common Questions about Detox

While considering addiction treatment, you might be concerned about what would happen when you are going through detox. Although you have to detox your body before you can continue with any form of drug rehab, you could still be worried about the withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings that would arise when you give up your favorite substances of abuse.

In the following guide, you will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about detox. Read on to learn more:

Q: How Long is the Withdrawal Process?

A: The duration of withdrawal will largely depend on the dosage or amount, the duration of your substance abuse, and the substance(s) you have been taking. Additionally, it could be affected by individual factors like your health, size, and weight.

Often, withdrawal symptoms will last anywhere between a couple of weeks to several months after your last intake of drugs and alcohol. However, some of these symptoms could potentially continue for over a year.

As long as you are enrolled in a medically managed detox program, however, you should not be worried about withdrawal. This is because these programs can provide you with medical treatment, care, and support to reduce the impact of your withdrawal symptoms.

Q: What are Some Commonly Withdrawal Symptoms?

A: Generally speaking, the symptoms of withdrawal will largely depend on you as an individual, as well as on the substances that you have been abusing. That said, you might end up experiencing any of the following symptoms, or more:

• Body aches
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle trembling
• Nausea
• Shakiness
• Stomach pain
• Sweating
• -Vomiting

However, there is also a risk that you could develop other symptoms of withdrawal depending on the types of intoxicating and mind altering substances that you were using. These symptoms include but are not limited to runny nose, red eyes, yawning, goose bumps, muscle stiffness and spasms, reduced muscle control, clumsiness, and paleness.

You might also struggle with psychological withdrawal symptoms like depression, mood swings, paranoia, violence, aggression, anxiety, agitation, insomnia, and fatigue. You should not ignore any of these symptoms. When they develop, ensure that you enroll in a medically managed detox program.

Q: Who Needs Detox Services?

A: Detox refers to the process by which unhealthy and toxic substances are removed from the body. If you have been using intoxicating and mind altering substances for any given period of time, they might have caused chemical changes in your body and brain. As a result, you will undergo detox whenever you stop using these substances.

Sometimes, you can undergo detox from seemingly normal experiences like the hangover that you suffer after drinking too much alcohol. This is a form of detox and your body's natural response to the process of withdrawal.

To this end, detox services are useful if you need to stop abusing drugs and drinking alcohol over the long term. As long as you have developed physical and psychological tolerance and dependence on these substances, detox might be required before you can achieve full recovery.

Other factors that could also affect your need of these detoxification services include:

• Health factors, like metabolism issues and liver disease
• How often you used to abuse drugs
• The dose of intoxicating and mind altering substances you used to take
• The duration of your substance abuse
• Your gender, race, and age
• Your size and body weight

Q: Is Home Detox Dangerous?

A: Today, the internet is full of advice about at home detox plans. Most of these plans promise that you can overcome your substance abuse and addiction from the comfort and relative safety of your own home.

What they fail to inform you is that the plans they offer do not come with precautions or medical controls. Further, they ignore the fact that you might end up suffering some severe symptoms of withdrawal, some of which could prove to be life-threatening.

Although you might assume that at home detox is ease and safe, this is not necessarily the case. This is because you might not have the right training and experience to intervene in the high likelihood that you develop adverse withdrawal symptoms.

The most comfortable - and safest - way to go through detox, achieve full recovery, and maintain your sobriety in the long term is through a medically managed detox program. By enrolling in such a program, you will get the professional help that you need to manage your withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

Additionally, these programs can offer round the clock medical support, supervision, monitoring, care, and therapy. All these essential services could help you deal with your drug cravings and withdrawal, as well as reduce your risk of relapse.

Q: Can I Take Medications During Detox?

A: The Food and Drug Administration - the FDA - has approved several medications for the management of withdrawal symptoms. When you are enrolled in a medically supervised detox program, you can get a prescription for these medications.

Some of them are designed to deal with mild symptoms. For instance, you can use antidiarrheal drugs for any digestive issues that arise during your withdrawal. Others act on the more severe symptoms that arise, such as methadone in case you are addicted to opioids or heroin.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you need to be careful in your use of these drugs. This is because some of them might come with other additional issues. For instance, you might suffer liver damage if you start abusing acetaminophen while treating the muscle aches and headaches that you experience during alcohol withdrawal.

This is why it is recommended that you only take these medications while you are enrolled in a medically managed detox program. By so doing, you will always be under the careful watch of your doctors and medical team to ensure that you do not abuse them.

Getting Help

There are many other questions that you might have about the drug withdrawal and detox process. The best way to get these questions answers is by getting in touch with an accredited medically managed detox center. This way, you will be able to speak to highly qualified addiction treatment specialists who can answer all your questions, and even provide you with recommendations on how you can get started on your recovery journey.

CITATIONS

https://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/condition/219/addictions/

https://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/condition/219/addictions/

https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/organization/cctn/ctn/research-studies

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/drug-addiction-treatment-in-united-states/types-treatment-programs

https://www.drugabuse.gov/research/clinical-research/search

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5358444/