Americans continue to struggle with opioid abuse in significant numbers, despite the declaration of a public health emergency. One of the challenges is the number of different types of opiates available. And even when someone can’t get a legitimate prescription, they often turn to heroin out of desperation. If you are worried about yourself, or a loved one, it’s good to understand opiate withdrawal symptoms. These will give you a sign that it’s time to seek help from Ohio opiate rehab center, such as Sanative Recovery and Wellness.
Opiate withdrawal symptoms provide you the clues you need to decide whether treatment is necessary. Withdrawal is what happens when you reduce or eliminate your consumption of drugs or alcohol and is a signal of addiction. Opiate withdrawal symptoms can be both mild and severe. If you’re not already getting help, experiencing withdrawal is a clear sign that you should think about making that important call 888.663.3844.
The Basic on Opiates
Opiates, a natural type of opioids, are highly addictive drugs made from the opium poppy plant. The medicinal qualities of the poppy plant have been understood literally for centuries.
Opiates have done enormous amounts of good. They have led to several well-known drugs used for the most severe pain — the kind you might feel while battling cancer or recovering from major surgery, for instance. The prescription forms of opiates go by the names Codeine, Vicodin, Darvon, Percocet, and others.
But opiates are also made into illegal substances, such as heroin. Heroin has been around for more than 100 years, but has long been banned in this country for its highly addictive nature.
Both legal and illegal opiates can cause opiate withdrawal symptoms. That’s not a function of the drug, necessarily; rather, it’s the body reacting to not having enough.
Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms
One of the characteristics of opiates that makes them so dangerous is their intense strength. You can start experiencing opiate withdrawal symptoms literally just a few hours after your last dose. The drive and desire is so intense that the quest for the drug literally becomes the sole purpose of your life.
Initial symptoms of withdrawal may not seem abnormal. But taken together, the list could be alarming and includes:
- Agitation
- Sleep disruption
- Anxiety
- Excessive yawning
- Fever
- High blood pressure
Should you spot any of these symptoms, or patterns of them, it may be time to seek treatment. Consider a consultation at our Ohio addiction treatment centers, or similar treatment facilities closer to your home.
The Opioid Epidemic
The toll of opioids has been staggering on the country. In 2018, about 15,000 people died of an overdose of heroin alone — not counting overdose from other types of substances. An estimated 80,000 people visit emergency rooms each year from opioids, including when suffering opiate withdrawal symptoms.
The epidemic initiated originally from the over-prescription of OxyContin and other prescription opioids, which were initially billed as having a low risk of addiction. Once doctors reversed course, patients turned instead to heroin, and later synthetic forms of opioids such as fentanyl, to ease the pain of withdrawal.
Getting relief from pain is available in other ways — such as over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin, or non-addictive anti-inflammatories such as steroids. Never make this decision alone. Always discuss your options with your doctor — and also if you are experiencing opiate withdrawal symptoms.
New Tomorrows
No one sets out to become addicted to opioids. But it happens. Often you come to realize it when you start showing opiate withdrawal symptoms. These are hard situations to live through, but you can do it. Just don’t do it alone. Get help from substance abuse treatment centers in Ohio or similar centers near your home. Life is too short to live through the pain of addiction if you don’t have to. Call Sanative Recovery and Wellness now at 888.663.3844 to learn more about how you can start your journey to recovery.
