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.
Given the high rate of addiction, many centers for treating addiction have been established to offer help to those who need it. When one visits a heroin treatment center, the first thing to be done is detoxification. Detox is done under the careful supervision of a physician to ensure that proper results are achieved. The full treatment involves the use of a wide range of strategies, which include therapy, support groups, medication, and lifestyle changes.
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 one of the opiate drugs. Thus, it works through suppression of some functions of the central nervous system, which include heart rate, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and respiration. When consumed, this chemical increases the amount of chemicals in the brain that cause pleasure in the body by clinging to opioid receptors. A rush of pleasure thus occurs.
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.
Severe withdrawal symptoms are caused by severe addiction. Some of the symptoms include hypertension, impaired respiration, anxiety, drug cravings, depression, muscle spasms, and insomnia. Usually, the process of withdrawing in itself is not life-threatening, but associated psychological and medical symptoms are. Suicide is a common risk among depressed addicts. As such, withdrawal must be supervised by a doctor.
Several medications have been invented to help addicts with withdrawal. Some of them include Methadone, Buprenorphine, and Naltrexone. Methadone is a slow-acting opioid agonist. It is usually taken orally so that it can dampen the pleasurable feeling of being high while preventing withdrawal symptoms. This medication has been in use since the 60s and is considered effective, especially in cases where other medications have failed to be effective.
Buprenorphine is classified as a partial opioid agonist. It acts by relieving drug cravings and does not produce dangerous side-effects like other opioids. It is taken sublingually or orally.
Given the high rate of addiction, many centers for treating addiction have been established to offer help to those who need it. When one visits a heroin treatment center, the first thing to be done is detoxification. Detox is done under the careful supervision of a physician to ensure that proper results are achieved. The full treatment involves the use of a wide range of strategies, which include therapy, support groups, medication, and lifestyle changes.
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 one of the opiate drugs. Thus, it works through suppression of some functions of the central nervous system, which include heart rate, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and respiration. When consumed, this chemical increases the amount of chemicals in the brain that cause pleasure in the body by clinging to opioid receptors. A rush of pleasure thus occurs.
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.
Severe withdrawal symptoms are caused by severe addiction. Some of the symptoms include hypertension, impaired respiration, anxiety, drug cravings, depression, muscle spasms, and insomnia. Usually, the process of withdrawing in itself is not life-threatening, but associated psychological and medical symptoms are. Suicide is a common risk among depressed addicts. As such, withdrawal must be supervised by a doctor.
Several medications have been invented to help addicts with withdrawal. Some of them include Methadone, Buprenorphine, and Naltrexone. Methadone is a slow-acting opioid agonist. It is usually taken orally so that it can dampen the pleasurable feeling of being high while preventing withdrawal symptoms. This medication has been in use since the 60s and is considered effective, especially in cases where other medications have failed to be effective.
Buprenorphine is classified as a partial opioid agonist. It acts by relieving drug cravings and does not produce dangerous side-effects like other opioids. It is taken sublingually or orally.
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