Detox off Drugs

Posts Tagged ‘pills’

The main reason for the increasing number of addicts that need treatment for prescription drugs in Florida is the rampant abuse of  prescription drugs. The lack of a system to check who’s being prescribed what is making the problem worse. The patients who take certain drugs over a longer period of time also get addicted to them. Apart from these patients with long-term exposure to a drug, there are others who buy and consume prescription drugs illegally and suffer from drug addiction.

People looking for treatment for prescription drugs in Florida are basically addicted to three categories of drugs. The first types of drugs are opiates. They are taken to relieve pain. Codeine, Demerol, Dilaudid, Morphine and Vicodine are some of the commonly prescribed drugs under this category. Anyone taking these medicines over a longer period of time can easily get addicted and treatment for addiction is necessary, especially in the initial stage of withdrawal. The second category of drugs is CNS depressants. It can be divided into two sub-categories – barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Nembutal and Mebaral come under barbiturates and are given to people suffering from anxiety and sleep disorder. Halcion, Librium, Valium and Xanax come under benzodiazepines and are taken for panic attacks and anxiety. Stimulants belong to the third category. Ritalin and Dexedrine are examples of the Stimulants that are commonly used today. They are provided to stimulate the brain in order to make a person more agile and active. Treatment for prescription drugs should immediately the initiated once the addiction is detected.

Treatment for prescription drugs in Florida involves inpatient therapy, outpatient therapy and group therapy. The inpatient treatment requires patient to be admitted to a detox treatment facility. The patients are carefully examined by physicians and taken off of their particular drugs safely and securely. The whole procedure may take 7 to 10 days. After the detox treatment is complete patients are referred to counselor who then makes further arrangements for individual and group therapy. They are subjected to number of educational lectures and group discussions in order to make them understand the drug addiction and its consequences. This helps them to rehabilitate successfully. In the outpatient program patients are treated through various interventions that include detox treatment, massage therapy, acupuncture sessions and hydro-therapy. Patients are required to visit the treatment facility from time to time in order to be examined and to determine the extent of their addiction and the progress of their individual treatment plan. Patients are also encouraged to take part in various recreational activities like swimming, running, exercising, playing outdoor games and others that are provided at the treatment facility. In group therapy patients are encouraged to participate in meetings that are designed to educate them about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) programs. Emphasis is laid on social interaction as most take to drug addiction because of the feeling of loneliness.

Treatment for prescription drugs in Florida is based upon the philosophy that every individual is important and unique and should be treated with distinction and respect. The main purpose of the treatment is to help the individual to become healthier and lead a drug free life.

By Gen Wright

Suboxone for detox

Suboxone is a new drug that aids the detox of narcotic and opiate drug addiction. The cold turkey detox off of full opiate agonists like vicodin or heroin can be excruciating and the fear of the pains of detox is more than enough to keep a lot of people using for far too long. What suboxone can do is lessen the intensity of these pains, making a short detox far more bearable. The detox may still be uncomfortable but nowhere near as tough as it would be unmedicated.

Patients go into detox and as soon as they enter into the beginning of full withdrawal they are given either suboxone or subutex which once appropriately dosed takes away all of the immediate and intense withdrawal symptoms of the more severe withdrawal from pain pills or heroin. Patients are stabilized at a dosage of suboxone for a few days and then the dosage of suboxone is gradually tapered off  down to nothing within a day of the end of a detox period.

Patients will still feel withdrawal pains because suboxone is an opiate and therefore has a syndrome of withdrawal of its own.  By transferring onto the longer acting and less intoxicating opiate the transition through withdrawal  pains of detox become far more manageable.

After about 10 days the worst of withdrawal symptoms from the suboxone will have ended, although some lingering symptoms can endure for a month or more. Following the end of detoxification, most patients transition into a residential treatment phase, learning strategies they’ll need to stay clean over the long haul, and avoid another painful period of detoxification.

Using suboxone for a transition detoxification off of opiates of abuse makes the process far more humane, and by ending suboxone therapy within days, you lessen the need for an intense and difficult detox off of the suboxone…truly the best of both worlds.

Detox is never easy, and although suboxone can help a lot, it’s still a challenging period; but with suboxone you can make it, and once you’ve detoxed you’re truly ready to participate in the therapies and education of relapse avoidance that will ensure that you’ll never get hooked again.  You can get clean, suboxone can help.

This will be a place where I will post about my own experience with drug addiction and the pains that come along with it. There are three major areas I would like to cover including the process and experience of detoxing off of drugs. I have struggled with addiction to pain medication and heroin for over 10 years and I know that my experience with all of the various detox methods that I have encountered will be of use to many other people struggling with an addiction to drugs. The second area that I would like to cover is my own experience with the many detox, rehabilitation centers and sober living establishments that I have been to throughout the years of my addiction. I began using as a teenager when I was living in the New York area and moved to South Florida at 19 so I have covered a lot of terrain. Finally I would like to post research on current events and relevant news concerning the areas of addiction, detox and recovery methods. There is always someone or something new coming out claiming they have found the answer to a “pain free” withdrawal and this will be the place to find the truth on such claims.