Detox for Drugs

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The Medical Detox Process

If you’ve considered attending any type of substance abuse treatment program, you’ve probably heard of drug detox. But how is drug detox different from addiction treatment?

Many people confuse the two, assuming that drug detox and the detox process are the whole processes of addiction treatment. However, drug detox is only one subset of addiction treatment, with other levels of care available after detox is complete.

If you believe you’re likely to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms when you begin recovery, your best course of action is to attend a drug detox as the first part of your addiction treatment plan.

In this article, we’ll highlight medical detox for drugs, and review what this process includes, in addition to helping you find the best drug detox in Texas. At Resurgence Texas, we provide a robust medical detoxification process and outline the entire process below to help you decide how you want to approach the issue.

What Happens During a Medical Detox For Drugs?

Medical drug detox is the process that takes place during inpatient rehab when someone has a physical dependence on any number of drugs. Detox can happen in an inpatient setting or in the privacy of your own home, depending on what route you want to take. Regardless of what happens when you abstain from using drugs, if you’ve built a physical dependence, you will experience some level of detox no matter what.

During the medical drug detox process, however, you are under constant supervision from medical professionals and will have access to top-level treatment to help ease the symptoms of withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are the side effects that take place during detox as your body’s response to you suddenly refraining from using your drug of choice. How do you know if you need medical detox?

Withdrawal Symptoms: When to Seek Medical Detox for Alcohol or Drug Withdrawal

How do people know when they need to enter a medical detox addiction treatment program? The biggest indicator of someone needing medical detox is if they suffer from drug withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms range from a number of different side effects depending on your drug of choice. But what if you’ve never experienced withdrawal and still want to enter a treatment program? How do you know if you’ll experience withdrawal if you’ve never refrained from using your drug of choice?

You’ll Probably Need Medical Detox If…

The chances are extremely high that you’ll require medical detox for your substance abuse disorder if you use any of the following substances perpetually:

• Alcohol
• Opioid painkillers (oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc.)
• Fentanyl
• Heroin
• Morphine
• Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Valium, etc.)

If you use any of the drugs mentioned above, there’s almost 100% certainty that you’ll require detox because of intense withdrawal symptoms. Entering a detox program for drug addiction could make the difference between life and death in the case of alcohol and benzodiazepines.

Although opioids carry severe withdrawal symptoms, rarely are they ever fatal. The withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and benzos, however, are known to cause seizures, among other harmful side effects, that could potentially be life-threatening.

So what are the most common withdrawal symptoms for those who suffer from drug addiction to any of the substances mentioned above?

Various Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcohol Detox

If you’re physically dependent on alcohol, the withdrawal symptoms likely consist of:

• Anxiety
• Vertigo
• Intense sweating
• Hot and cold flashes
• Diarrhea
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Increased Heart Rate
• Shaking/Tremors
• High Blood Pressure
• Delirium Tremens
• Seizures
• Death

What Are Delirium Tremens?

Delirium Tremens, also known as DTs, is an occurrence during alcohol detox that can potentially be fatal. During DTs, users experience violent shaking, seizures, visual and auditory hallucinations, insomnia, and increased heart rate. This is normally

Benzodiazepines

If your substance abuse disorder includes the drug abuse of benzodiazepines, your withdrawal symptoms will include:

• Sweating
• Restlessness
• Dizziness/Vertigo
• Inability to Stand
• Ringing In Ears
• Confusion
• Insomnia
• Shaking
• Seizures

The fatal portion after dealing with substance abuse for benzos is typically the seizures. These seizures have caused death and brain damage if not properly treated. Other causes of death have included stroke and heart attack.

Substance Abuse Detox for Opioids

If your substance abuse disorder had anything to do with opioids, your physical withdrawal symptoms include:

• Yawning
• Watery Eyes
• Anxiety
• Sweating
• Cold Chills
• Goose Bumps
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Insomnia
• Restless Legs
• Increased Heart Rate
• Intense Cravings

Although medically assisted detox is recommended for opioid withdrawal, the side effects of this condition generally aren’t deadly. This isn’t to say that it’s not difficult – there are extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid addiction. However, alcohol withdrawal and benzo detox are far worse.

What Happens During Detox Programs at a Medical Detox Center?

Before you enter medically assisted detox you will need to go through the intake process. The intake process consists of an interview or set of questions that gives the doctor a chance to gauge how severe your addiction is. This allows them to set up a personalized treatment plan catered specifically to you that helps you recover from withdrawal and avoid the most uncomfortable side effects of drug or alcohol withdrawal.

During the intake process, the doctor likely asked questions such as:

• What is your drug of choice?
• How long have you been abusing this drug?
• Have you ever experienced withdrawal before?
• Have you ever received treatment for withdrawal before?
• If you did how long ago?
• What was the result?
• Are you allergic to any drugs or substances we might use for medication-assisted treatment?

After the intake process, the doctor will decide where to place you in the detox facility. Normally you will have your own private bed and your own space where nurses watch over you 24/7. During your time in detox, nurses will frequently check your vitals to ensure that your heart rate and blood pressure aren’t spiking. You’ll also likely receive IV fluids to prevent you from dehydrating which is one of the most detrimental events during detox.

Medication During Detox Programs

Depending on what you are entering detox for the medicine you receive varies. If you are entering detox for alcohol you will likely be given something like promethazine, an antidepressant, and Klonopin. Klonopin is a benzodiazepine that has been relatively successful in treating alcohol withdrawal. However, it’s worth noting that any medications you take during detox likely won’t be continued after detox until you’re evaluated by a physician again.

If you’re entering detox for opioids you’ll likely receive promethazine for your stomach, Clonidine for your blood pressure, and maybe a benzodiazepine like Valium. You might also receive a sleep aid. Some doctors prescribe antidepressants during the withdrawal process but this depends on your intake and your history with antidepressants and what the physician decides. You also have a nutrition plan crafted that will attempt to help you maintain a healthy diet so you can get the vital nutrients you need to recover.

Detox Protocols for Benzo Drugs

If you are in detox for benzodiazepines your treatment regimen will be somewhat different. There aren’t as many substances prescribed for benzodiazepine withdrawal however certain physicians do prescribe antidepressants to help with any potential rebound effect from anxiety and lack of serotonin and dopamine production. It does no good to prescribe any other benzo during the benzo detox process, as this is counterproductive and you won’t detox at all.

The most important part during benzo detox is to keep you from having seizures with 24-hour care from nurses and doctors they will keep you stable and monitor your brain activity to make sure you aren’t constantly going into seizures you’ll also receive some other treatments mentioned above such as Ivy fluids and a nutritional program.

So how long does the detox process last?

The length of the detox process varies depending on which drug you are detoxing from. For example, the alcohol detox process is probably the shortest and only takes anywhere from four to six days to overcome. It’s important to remember that detox is the physical process that you are overcoming and not the mind there is plenty of additional treatment to come for the mental health portion after the physical detox is over.

If you are in detox for opioids you’ll likely be in anywhere from 7 to 10 days. Normally, the most intense symptoms begin to subside after days five and six but it can take a full week or more to fully detoxify and feel well enough to enter the population with the rest of the clients in treatment.

Detox from benzodiazepines is likely the longest. If you attend detox for Xanax or any of the other benzodiazepines you will most likely be in the detox unit for anywhere from two to three weeks. It’s important that doctors feel good about your progress and you are fully over your benzodiazepine physical dependence so you don’t undergo seizures or suffer from any other serious medical issues after the withdrawal process is over.

Can’t I Just Withdrawal from My Drug Dependence at Home?

Many people ask whether they can participate in drug detox at home and be successful. While it’s not impossible to complete the detox process at home it’s highly unlikely that you will avoid relapse during this time. This is because the discomfort will become so severe that most people cave and relapse to avoid the pain. It’s difficult not to call your old dealer and buy drugs so you can avoid the side effects of withdrawal. This is the most common reason for relapse when people attempt to detox at home.

Another reason medical detox is so important is that you’re in a controlled environment and it’s highly unlikely that you will leave to go relapse. When you are at home, unless you have a strong support system holding you accountable, it’s difficult to stop yourself from going out to obtain drugs. It really does take a strong mental capacity to succeed during the detox process at home.

The Health Factor

That said, the primary reason you should seriously consider a medical detox is because of the safety factor. This is especially true in the case of alcohol and benzodiazepines. If you were at home and suffered a seizure or from DTs without medical personnel by your side, your chances of experiencing a life-threatening event are incredibly high. Unless you have a strong support system and your family is trained in medical supervision it’s highly discouraged that you attempt to detox at home.

It’s understandable that on some occasions people won’t be able to go to a medical detox. This is unfortunate but it does happen and not everyone is able to stay away from home for multiple days at a time. If you are forced to undergo the detox process at home there are several things you can do to make the situation safer and increase your chances of emerging victorious.

If You Must Detox at Home… Spoiler Alert: Not a Good Idea!

Grab everything you need before you begin detoxing. This means all food and liquids and you’ll want a lot of water. Get foods that are easy on your stomach and it doesn’t hurt to pick up vitamins also.

It’s important that you have something to take your mind off of detoxing. You may just want to lie in the bed but this is the worst thing you can do. Something to get your mind off of the fact that you’re in an extreme amount of discomfort like exercising helps and can actually speed up the detox process.

You should also consider not having your contacts available for you to call any of your old sources for drugs. It’s important to have a phone in case you need to call 911 but your chances of succeeding are higher if you don’t have access to illegal substances.

You should also consider having one of your family members hold your keys so you’re not tempted to get in the car and drive to go get drugs.

The Importance of Supervision During Detox

If at all possible you should have someone with you at all times. This is important for several reasons. First, they can hold you accountable and make sure that you don’t escape to look for relief. Second, if there is a medical emergency it’s important to have someone there in case you are unable to contact medical services yourself.

You should always consult your physician before attempting an at-home detox. They can inform you if your body is healthy enough to go through with detox and it’s even possible that they can prescribe you something to provide some form of relief while you’re going through withdrawal.

It’s also not a bad idea to have your family members take your blood pressure and monitor your heart rate during the withdrawal process. If your vitals reach a dangerous level it’s important that you call 911 immediately to avoid any further complications.

If you are vomiting and have severe diarrhea and can’t hold any liquids you should contact 911 immediately. Dehydration is one of the worst things you can experience and also one of the most common events during withdrawal. If you become too highly dehydrated this can lead to life-threatening situations.

You’ll want to get foods that are high in vitamins and easy on your stomach so you can try to maintain all the nutrition you can. Avoid items with sugar, salt, and lots of fat as these are harmful to your body. You want rich sources of nutrition.

Substance Abuse Treatment and Detox at Resurgence Texas

At Resurgence Texas, we’re experts in the field of addiction medicine. We can help you obtain the relief you need to achieve a successful detox and avoid relapse. Our highly trained staff is well-versed in what it takes to guide someone through the withdrawal period and remain stable. You’ll receive top-notch care and medication to potentially ease your discomfort and help you rest.

If you’d like more information on our detox program or any of our therapeutic models, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our admissions team. Remember – detox is only the first step in your journey – don’t forget to inquire about additional levels of care available after detox.