Prescription Drug Detox

When an individual who has seen their life devastated by prescription drug addiction makes the life-saving decision to enter a drug rehab program, the first step they must take upon admittance is detox. Before counseling or aftercare can begin, the individual must first cleanse themselves of harmful drug toxins – an achievement that drug detox helps the individual accomplish.

What is Prescription Drug Detox?

Prescription drug detox is the process following the cessation of prescription drug intake. During detox, the prescription drug user’s body metabolizes the remaining traces of the drug and eliminates them from the body. After the drug has left the body, the addict begins to go into withdrawal from the drug. Depending on the type of prescription drug the person was addicted to, the withdrawal symptoms may be physical or psychological, or both, may last for a short or long period, be subtle or quite severe. In a medically supervised detox, the patient may be administered medication (most commonly a synthetic opiate such as Methadone) that reduces the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.

What are the Withdrawal Symptoms associated with Drug Detox?

As mentioned above, the type of the withdrawal symptoms that occur during detox depends upon the drug in question. However, the most common withdrawal symptoms include:

Depression
Anxiety
Nausea
Diarrhea
Sleeplessness
Irritability
Mood swings
Strong drug cravings

While none of these symptoms are life-threatening in and of themselves, then often lead the individual to relapse into drug use, which is why it is important to go through detox with a medical professional present.

Who Should Consider Drug Detox?

Prescription drug detox is recommended for anyone who has become dependent or addicted to prescription drugs. For many of these people the news that they are addicted is an unwelcome and hard to belief prospect. For most of us, the image of an addict involves going to a dealer on the street, not to a doctor’s office and pharmacy. However, if you have every had to go without your prescription drugs and felt that you were undergoing physical and psychological distress as a result, including cravings for more of the drug, there is a strong chance that you have developed an addiction.

The Orchid Recovery Center for Women can help assess the nature of the individual’s drug addiction and provide customized, gender-specific care that gets to the root cause of the problem. The Orchid is about more than just helping women stop using prescription drugs – the program is dedicated to changing the lives of its patients through love, support and better decision-making skills.

Importance of Prescription Drug Abuse Detox

Prescription drug abuse detox is the first step to regaining freedom from a dependence on the drugs. For some addicts, those who take prescription drugs as a result of an unexplained occurrence of chronic pain, the conquering of the addiction is also a cure for the pain. That’s because the addicted mind is capable of producing the symptoms it needs to justify the use of the drug it craves. If the mind is convinced that having pain justifies taking a prescription painkiller, then the mind will create the sensation of pain even if there is no legitimate physical cause for that pain.

In addition, the individual who makes it through the drug detox process will feel as if she has finally got her life moving on the right track. And while detox does not represent recovery in and of itself, it is still a tremendous accomplishment.

After detox and withdrawal, addict frequently have to enter a program that helps them to learn how to live without the aid of chemically induced mood alteration. Typically, these programs include some therapeutic work, some relapse prevention skills and the introduction to a support program that will keep them clean and sober. For people who have been poisoning their minds and bodies for years, sometimes decades, with prescription drugs the freedom from addiction is frequently like being let out of prison.

The Orchid is a Florida drug rehab center with a unique approach to recovery. The Orchid admits only women, creating a gender-specific atmosphere that is designed to enhance the healing process. Through the tireless work of The Orchid staff, women of all ages are given an amazing chance to overcome their prescription drug addiction – and regain control of their lives in the process. For more information, contact The Orchid today.

What is a Prescription Drug Detox?

Prescription drug detox is a treatment for the acute physical nature of addiction to opiate based prescription drugs like Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Lortab, Lorcet and much more. Because opiate addiction affects the brain and body somewhat differently than other drugs, it is important that if you are addicted to prescription painkillers that you find a prescription drug detox that is designed specifically to meet your needs.

What Medications are Used in Prescription Drug Detox?

Traditionally, methadone has been used to offset the physical effects of prescription drug detox. However, in the past decade, a new medication called buprenorphine was developed solely for the purpose of treating opiate addiction. According to federal law, it is required that methadone be strictly monitored when prescribed for opiate detox or prescription drug detox and dispensed dose by dose at an accredited methadone clinic or drug rehab facility. Buprenorphine, on the other hand, is available for prescription from a doctor’s office but the doctor must be accredited to prescribe the drug, an accreditation rarely found outside of prescription drug rehab programs like Orchid Recovery Center.

How Do Medications Work in Prescription Drug Detox?

Both methadone and buprenorphine in the forms of Suboxone and Subutex serve to block the opiate receptors in the brain that are actively seeking more of the drug of addiction. By blocking these receptors, you avoid the bulk of withdrawal symptoms associated with opiate detox. Then, over time, the dose is slowly lowered until you no longer need the medication.

Are Suboxone or Methadone Always A Part of Prescription Drug Detox?

Not always. It is up to the discretion of you and your doctor whether or not you should incorporate methadone or buprenorphine into your prescription drug detox. Some factors that may contribute to the outcome of your decision include the type of prescription drug you are addicted to, the amount of time you were actively addicted to the drug and the dose at which you will attempt to stop taking it.

Is A Prescription Drug Detox Sufficient to Treat a Prescription Drug Addiction?

While a prescription drug detox is an unavoidable and necessary part of recovery from prescription drug addiction, is far from a complete treatment. Prescription drug rehab, if it is to be efficient as well as medically safe, should begin with prescription drug detox but be immediately followed by prescription drug addiction treatment that continues the physical healing but expands to include mental and emotional treatment as well through therapy, group sessions, educational classes and more.