Choosing an appropriate opiate detox program

Its quite a few factors that stay responsible behind choosing an appropriate opiate detox program and most important among them is the type and the amount of the narcotic an addict is using, the length of usage, age and whether the drug is used in combination with other intoxicants. Opiate detox procedures are lengthy affairs and irrespective of whether it is detoxification under sedation; the latter does lower the treatment span but not as drastically as advertised. The confusion arises since rapid opiate detox programs are considered a complete treatment for opiate dependence which it is not and half the treatment is bound to take less time. So you get to wash the body from insides and not the mind; it is the later psychotherapies that actually cut down the cravings. But then again, the intensity of rapid opiate detox depends upon individual addicts health condition, misjudging which, leads to life threatening conditions. Without a proper medical assessment by qualified professionals, you could just be facing something similar to a death sentence with a lethal injection. If not, then you may expect psychosis, delirium, arrhythmia and renal failure to set in before it could be realized that something is seriously wrong.

Truth remains that rapid opiate detox is a process intended for severe addicts who would succumb into the withdrawal pain under traditional detox treatment; the process brings down to intensity to tolerable limits so that treatments could be carried on with medications like methadone, LAAM (levo-alpha-acetylmethadol), Buprenorphine, Clonidine and the likes. That alone proves that rapid opiate detox is not a solution to opiate addiction itself, but just an initial stage to make a severely addicted person get started towards the proper treatment measures.

Of recent, it is the opiate agonist (mimics opiates though to a much lower intensity) drug lofexidine thats gaining prominence and taking out the risk factors off the opiate detox procedures. Others include Clonidine (administered through trans-dermal patches), which releases measured doses of the drug into the bloodstream, just enough to keep the withdrawal pains blunt and hence, tolerable; the downside of an opiate detox with this particular drug is the effects start at least 48 hours later and lowered blood pressure leading to sedation. This makes medical supervision a must for even these types of safe opiate detox methods. However, Clonidine in combination with Naltrexone reduces the risks up to a great extent; the alpha-2 adrenergic (relating to epinephrine; autonomic nerve action stimulant) agonist tackles opiate withdrawal symptoms better than with Clonidine alone.

So, how do you know if the process is following the right course of action? Take note of the following points:

i. Opiate detox is not just pushing medications into the veins; so psychotherapies helping a patient that the dependence is a problem are paramount prior to the initiation of a detox process. It also helps an addict to focus on the goal.

ii. The detox program is a prolonged one and doesnt get over in a week. Thats enough to free the body from remnants of opiates but not the mind; unless the physical detox is matched with post-detox psychotherapies (to develop the necessary mental strength for keeping the drugs away), you are heading the wrong way, most probably in wrong company. Else, expect a relapse within no time to start the opiate detox procedure once again.

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