Addiction is that unpleasant condition when you are habitual to take ascertain drug for a long-term and eventually become dependent on its use. Once, you have become addicted to the heroine, then you might experience withdrawal, but withdrawal symptoms usually appear after long-term use of the drug. The duration and intensity of the heroin withdrawal vary from person to person and the amount as well as the potency of the drug used to date.
Usually, the heroin withdrawal will start 6-12hrs after taking the last dose, reaching its peak within 1-3 days, and gradually diminishing over 5-7days. Although, some of the patients may experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome that lasts for weeks or months in a row.
Symptoms of heroin withdrawal
Abusing any drug or alcohol for a long time is just like you are getting under the debt, as you experience good feelings for a short time but afterward, you have to pay back this debt in terms of withdrawal. You can get back to a normal healthy life if you pay back the debt in time.
The intensity of the withdrawal symptoms is different for everyone, but the following are some of the commonly known symptoms of heroin withdrawal:
Pyrexia (Fever)
The temperature of the human body varies from person to person, depending upon the time of the day or menstrual cycle in females, but usually, the temperature between 37.2–37.5 C (99–99.5 F) is measured as a fever in young adults. When you are having any infection or illness, your body’s temperature may rise in fighting against that infection, but during heroin withdrawal, fever is not serving as a fighter so it’s necessary to treat this condition.
During heroin withdra2al, if your body temperature is recorded above 40 C (103 F) and is not settling down with the treatment and you have other comorbidities as well, then take the medical help at once to stabilize the condition.
Cravings for drug
During heroin withdrawal, you may experience more desire to take the drug than ever before. This condition is typically termed as the cravings and is most commonly occurs in people experiencing withdrawal from highly addictive drugs like heroin. Once, you wish to lessen the withdrawal symptoms the cravings may begin, similarly they also come over as a wish to re-experience the feeling of happiness as you used to have while abusing the drug.
Mood Swings
During heroin withdrawal, it’s pretty normal to feel despair or agitated, also known as dysphoric mood. The alterations in the mood can be experienced even without having any distressful past, but if you have been abusing heroin for a long time, then long-term depression may be there once you start the detoxification. That’s why it is always advisable to have medical and emotional support hand in hand while going through the detoxification process.
However, such mood swings are high at the beginning of the withdrawal but get lose their severity once the withdrawal is about to finish. Detox Austin Texas offers withdrawing from heroin at the rehab facility, which helps you to have full medical professional support throughout your stay and even after the complete recovery.
Twinges and Pains
Heroin is an opioid that is used to block the pathways of the body’s pain receptors to reach the effectors in the brain. Once, you quit the use of heroin, there will be an opposite effect, that you might experience pains, twinges mostly in certain areas of the body like limbs and back.
Extreme Body Fluids
Excessive production of the body fluids has been recorded during the heroin withdrawal, such fluids may include, perspiration, lacrimal fluid, or flu-like discharge from the nose.
Like other physical withdrawal symptoms, you may experience erection of your hairs just like goosebumps, which is pretty normal for the body while regaining its equilibrium.
Diarrhea and Abdominal Pain
Along with other symptoms, diarrhea, or watery loose bowel movements are common with the withdrawal of heroin. These peristaltic movements may cause muscular spasms in the alimentary fort canal causing abdominal discomfort in form of severe pain. The daily routine can be disrupted due to the fear of some mishaps due to excessive diarrheal conditions.
Nausea and Vomiting
Like others, nausea and vomiting are the normal features of heroin withdrawal. It is related to the stomach discomfort that makes you feel uneasy, loss of appetite, and frequent trips to the bathroom in case of intense vomiting.
Agitation and Sleep disorders
When you are going through heroin withdrawal, you will feel agitated, along with lack of sleep and nervousness, make you feel frantic. Yawning is the normal practice in heroin withdrawal due to sleep disorders like insomnia.
Handling & Assistance
The worst part of heroin withdrawal usually disappears after a week. During the whole process, you can help yourself by doing the following things in a controlled manner.
- Seek help:
During the whole recovery process, seek help whatever you need, both emotional and medical support.
- Stay hydrated:
It is essential to take enough liquids to overcome the dehydration caused by diarrhea or vomiting.
- Stay busy:
Try to remain occupied during the withdrawal to feel better than agitated.
- Use of OTC drugs:
To combat the pain, fever, and diarrhea, certain OTC drugs can be used.
Long-Term addiction treatment
After the detoxification process, if you are on long-term use of heroin, then you might need extended addiction treatment which may last for six months, during which you have strong cravings for the drug and declined will power to get well soon. Such feelings can lead to relapse that needs extra treatments to make sure the recovery from addiction. These treatments vary from individual to individual and may involve behavioral therapies or medical treatments. Many medicines can be used to enhance the efficacy of the treatment such as methadone, naltrexone, buprenorphine, etc.
Two types of therapies are usually used in the treatment of heroin addiction, emergency management, and cognitive-behavioral therapy:
- Emergency management is used to give vouchers as a reward for those who remain drug-free for a long-time.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people to change their way of thinking and behaviors to lead a controlled lifestyle towards sobriety.