DRUG AND ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT
It’s important to note that the potential discomfort of withdrawal should not discourage individuals from seeking help for addiction. The risks associated with continuing to live with active addiction are likely to outweigh the challenges. However, to ensure safety during the detoxification process, it is crucial to find the appropriate level of support.
Our center for addiction counseling in The Woodlands, Tx offers withdrawal management for people suffering from mild to severe symptoms that come as a result of substance abuse.
When a person discontinues or reduces their drug intake, specific substances are associated with a set of symptoms known as the “withdrawal syndrome” or “discontinuation syndrome.” The duration, including the peak and subsiding of symptoms, can be predicted with relative accuracy.
While the severity of the withdrawal syndrome varies, some cases may result in minor symptoms, whereas others can be life-threatening. For instance, marijuana withdrawal is unlikely to pose significant health risks. Around 5% of individuals undergoing alcohol or sedative withdrawal may experience a severe condition known as delirium tremens (DTs).
This is considered the most severe form of withdrawal symptoms due to alcoholism characterized by restlessness, tremors, confusion, persistent hallucinations, and significant increases in heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. DTs typically manifest 2 to 5 days after the individual’s last alcoholic beverage, and it can be fatal if left untreated.
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Goals and Benefits of Withdrawal Management
- Increasing someone’s desire to change.
- Developing new skills to help avoid triggers that involve substance abuse.
- Substituting healthy hobbies for bad ones such as using drugs.
- Teaching effective life and coping skills including problem-solving and emotional regulation.
- Improving connections and communication with family and friends.
There is more to addiction treatment than detoxification. Withdrawal management includes helping the patient feel ready to continue treatment.
Phases of Withdrawal Management
According to the SAMHSA, the three basic phases of detox, or withdrawal management, are as follows:
- Evaluation: When you enter a treatment program to detox from drugs and/or alcohol, our team will analyze your physical and mental health. We document your comprehensive medical history, perform a physical examination, conduct appropriate testing to assess symptoms to reach an accurate diagnosis, and inform the right course of treatment to manage your symptoms while keeping you as comfortable as possible.
- Stabilization: Stabilization is the process of treating a person’s addiction to keep a person healthy.
- Increasing treatment readiness: Encouraging continued substance abuse treatment after the medical detox process ends is a major part of withdrawal management. Our aftercare program helps people transition between treatments and into society after it finishes.
Which Drugs Require Withdrawal Management?
Detoxification, which is the process of eliminating toxins from the bloodstream, is the first step in drug and alcohol recovery programs. The occurrence of withdrawal symptoms, when drugs are withdrawn from the body, is one of the signs of addiction. Depending on the type of substance, style of misuse, and level of reliance, these adverse effects can range from minor to severe, even life-threatening.
Withdrawal symptoms can be physical as well as psychological, and they are frequently accompanied by drug cravings. Stopping substance consumption abruptly, or “cold turkey,” is not always advised, and medically assisted detox may be the best option.
Symptoms and their severity greatly depend on the drug. Professional medical detox is advised for substances with proven medical dangers. Some drug addictions are more prone than others to necessitate medication-assisted treatment. When multiple substances are involved, withdrawal management is more complicated. The most dangerous withdrawal symptoms result from the cessation of the following drugs:
- Alcohol
- Prescription opioids
- Heroin
- Marijuana
- Benzodiazepines
- Stimulants
MAT is completed in a controlled professional setting overseen by medical staff. Some substances need careful and regulated weaning, or tapering regimen, to gradually lower the amount in the system to zero.
Others may need to use drugs during detox to control withdrawal symptoms and cravings such as methadone, buprenorphine, suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone), and naltrexone.
Medically assisted detox can help you or a loved one achieve a healthy physical balance, but it should be followed by psychotherapy and counseling sessions to address the emotional components of addiction and the underlying reasons.
When a person develops a physical alcohol dependence, their body requires the substance to function properly. As a result, withdrawal symptoms will typically begin within 6 to 24 hours after the last instance of alcohol consumption. The acute withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol can persist for up to 10 days and encompass the following:
- Feelings of anxiety
- Excessive sweating
- Tremors or shakiness
- Dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea
- Elevated blood pressure and heart rate
- Difficulties with sleep
- Seizures
- Hallucinations and delusions
The most uncomfortable alcohol withdrawal symptoms tend to emerge between 36 and 72 hours after the last drink. Our inpatient alcohol rehab in Houston can help you recover.
Withdrawal symptoms from sedatives such as benzodiazepines and sleep medicines such as Ambien are strikingly similar to those of alcohol withdrawal. Short-acting sedative withdrawal symptoms (Oxazepam, alprazolam, and temazepam) typically begin 1-2 days after the last dose and can last for 4 weeks, whereas long-acting withdrawal symptoms (Diazepam and nitrazepam) begin 2-7 days after the last dose and can last for about 8 weeks. Symptoms of benzo withdrawal in benzo detox include:
- Anxiety and depression
- Hand tremors
- Anger, agitation, and irritability
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia and sleep problems
- Hallucinations
- Seizures
Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
Quitting a short-acting opioid such as heroin can cause a rapid start of withdrawal symptoms that appear within hours after the last use and resolve by day 10. Withdrawal symptoms linked with longer-acting opioids, such as methadone, may appear two days after the last use and may continue up to 20 days. If symptoms persist longer, please seek a medical professional and avoid self-detoxing.
At our heroin detox center, opioid addiction must first be managed with medically-assisted detox to control the difficult emotional and physical side effects of withdrawal. Symptoms due to opioid abuse are as follows:
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Insomnia and trouble sleeping
- Runny nose and teary eyes
- Aching muscles
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Chills, sweating, and fever (alternating)
- Agitation
- Irritability
Opioid withdrawal is not considered life-threatening in the same way that alcohol and sedative withdrawal are; nonetheless, vomiting and diarrhea can cause major medical consequences such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Individuals with pre-existing cardiac issues may potentially experience medical difficulties during withdrawal as a result of withdrawal symptoms such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate.
Prescription drugs cause withdrawal symptoms severe enough to merit medical detoxification due to the symptoms it causes, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Stimulant Withdrawal Symptoms
Stimulants are a broad category of substances that include methamphetamine, cocaine, and treatments for Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Stimulants affect the chemistry of the brain and can lead to serious addiction when taken in high quantities or for an extended length of time.
Following the cessation of stimulant use, the brain undergoes a lengthy readjustment phase characterized by physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, the severity of which is dependent on the dosage and duration of usage.
The psychological symptoms of stimulant withdrawal can be very severe, often leading to relapse, aggressive conduct, or suicidal thoughts. The sorts of symptoms seen during stimulant withdrawal differ from person to person and are highly influenced by the individual’s history of use.
Other withdrawal symptoms cause far more serious physical health problems, but stimulant withdrawal has the potential to cause serious mental health problems. In certain situations, stimulant withdrawal can result in the following:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Aggression
- Fatigue and body aches
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Poor concentration
- Mood swings
Symptoms usually appear within hours of the previous usage but might take up to a day. The majority of withdrawal symptoms peak roughly a week after stopping usage. Post-acute withdrawal effects include mood swings, insomnia, sadness, and tiredness can linger for weeks or months.
Withdrawal Management is Available at Magnolia City Detox
To do so, we provide regular assessments of how well the treatment is working and make necessary adjustments, coordinate with other treatment providers, assist the patient in transitioning to other forms of care when appropriate, and ensure privacy and confidentiality throughout.
If you or a loved one needs help to stop using drugs and alcohol, contact our drug and alcohol detox center in Houston, TX to start the journey to recovery.
Dr. Olaniyi O. Osuntokun
Dr. Olaniyi O. Osuntokun is a Neurology & Psychiatry Specialist based in Conroe, Texas, and Lafayette, Indiana. He has extensive experience in treating Individuals with substance use disorders and addiction. He earned his medical degree from University of Ibadan College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
