If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid withdrawal, knowing the timeline for opioid detox can help you make the choice to use a rehab center for help.
Are Opioids Addictive?
Opioids are a category of drug that are used for pain management by doctors and medical professionals, but they are also used illegally. Opioids are derived from the Opium poppy plant, but human-made, synthetic opioids are now significantly more powerful. In either case, opioids are highly addictive. They don’t stop your pain or fix your pain, but rather, they cut off communication between your body and your brain, so you don’t get pain signals. This change happens immediately, and it is so profound and so fast that it can lead to addiction and drug abuse very quickly.
Why are Opioids Commonly Abused?
Opioids are commonly abused because of the way they change the brain. When you stop communication between your body and your brain for pain, as soon as the opioids wear off, that pain comes back, and it feels even worse for many people. Even those who are numbing mental or emotional pain, psychological pain, might feel great when they are on opioids, but as soon as their dose wears off, they feel miserable. What’s more, every time you use opioids, you require a higher and higher dose to achieve the same effect. This can lead to significant addiction and withdrawal symptoms if you try to stop.
Do Opioids Cause Withdrawal?
Yes, if you use opioids, you will experience opioid withdrawal after that. The timeline for opioid detox and withdrawal symptoms starts quite early.
What are the Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal?
The symptoms of withdrawal from opioids are many:
- Anxiety
- Hallucinations
- Body aches
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Fever
- Excessive sweating
- High blood pressure
- Rapid heartbeat
- Runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Rapid yawning
- Shaking
- Restlessness
- Seizures
What is the Timeline for Opioid Detox?
With all of the various symptoms of withdrawal from opioids, it is important to know that they do not happen all at once. There is a timeline for opioid detox, but the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms and how many symptoms you have are based on how healthy you are, whether you are using other addictive substances, and how long you have been using opioids.
Phase 1
The first part is the early withdrawal, and this can start anywhere between six and 12 hours after your last opioid dose. These early withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable for most people but can be managed with over-the-counter medication. This is typically when you experience excessive yawning, sweating, teary eyes, anxiety, nausea, runny nose, fever, and insomnia. For some people, they may experience mood swings or have difficulty concentrating.
Phase 2
The second part is where things get dicey. Because many people can manage the early withdrawal symptoms from opiates on their own, they are not prepared for the next two phases, which are much more intense and require medical supervision. During this time, you might experience vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, goosebumps, and intense cravings. This can also be where you experience severe insomnia, hallucinations, and seizures, depending on your background.
The second phase usually begins between 36 hours and 48 hours after your last dose. This is the most uncomfortable part of the opioid detox process. Because of the wide range of symptoms and the severe discomfort associated with them, people are at a much higher risk for relapsing during these first two days if they don’t undergo medically supervised opioid detox from a rehab center.
Phase 3
The third and final phase is when your symptoms start to withdrawal after about one week. The severity of your late withdrawal symptoms can vary, again, based on your circumstances; things like depression, anxiety, and drug cravings might linger while other physical withdrawal symptoms go away.
It is important to use a professional detox center where you can get medical supervision for your opioid detox. Certain medications and therapies can help you treat symptoms and have the highest chance of success. At Dallas Detox, we have a beautiful, private facility with qualified medical staff all dedicated to providing you with 24-hour care during your detox and making sure you are as comfortable as possible while you get the treatment you deserve.
Let us help you get through your opioid withdrawal with medications and supervision.
