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Opiate Detox and Addiction
By C.King, M.Ed. | July 24, 2009
Addiction to opiates causes central nervous system disorder and it occurs due to regular opiate intakes. With regular intake of opiates, the brain stops functioning as normally it would do since it no more produces endorphins. The body requirements of endorphins are replaced by opiates causing nervous disorders. Physical dependency on opiates becomes indispensible. Sudden withdrawal or quitting opiates leads to vigorous withdrawal syndrome. Opiates withdrawal syndrome is quite painful, fatal and obviously needs most careful medical attentions. Unless due care is taken it can lead to permanent damage to cardiopulmonary system or central nervous system. Both can be fatal and result in death to those who are unhealthy.
This is why opiates dependency treatment merits appropriate medical care. Amongst various treatment of opiates dependency, ultra-rapid, anaesthesia-assisted opioid administered treatment is gaining popularity. This rapid detox method is perceived most painless way to withdraw from opiates. Although studies show this procedure may lead to the risk of increased stress, delirium, psychosis, attempted suicide, acute renal failure, abnormal heart beats or even to death and are very expensive.
There are other conventional methods of opiates detoxification including opioid agonist drugs like methadone, Buprenorphine, levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM). All these drugs block some symptoms related to opiates withdrawal. The ultra-rapid detox under anaesthesia, an experimental method uses Lofexidine. The opioid agonist drugs act like opiates in the brain but without its bad side effects and the doses of it can gradually be reduced without any noticeable withdrawal syndrome or with very mild withdrawal syndrome.
Amongst other method, Clonidine is administered by a patch that is transdermal. This dispenses the drug slowly over a period of seven days. Patients who use the clondine patch are also administered clonidine orally at least for the first two days, since the transdermal drugs take two days period to reach its effectiveness. With Clonidine , monitoring blood pressure is essential as the medicine causes hypertension and dedation. Clonidine along with usually naltrexone is administered for rapid-detox under anaesthesia for six to eight hours. Lofexidine, a non-addictive drug came to market in 1992, if used, acts on alpha-2 adrenergic agonist and provide relief from opiate withdrawal symptoms.
Painful withdrawal syndromes are greatest obstacle in opiates addiction treatment. Studies could not establish any particular method as superior than other. Relapses occur in numerous cases and very usual. So, opiate detoxification involves the admission of problem, genuine urge for recovery, focused to medical help, rehabilitation through continuous medical program.
Topics: Addiction and Drug Dependency, Heroin |
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