Heroin Detox West Palm Beach Covered by Medicaid
Medicaid Heroin Detox West Palm Beach, Florida
Heroin is an addictive and dangerous illegal drug that can devastate lives and catch people in a vicious cycle of addiction.
If a heroin addiction is impairing your life, it is important to note that it is not your fault. Being reliant on heroin is a scary and dangerous position to be in, but remember that there is help available.
Quitting heroin is in your best interest. But doing so requires professional help in the form of heroin detox. Though completing detox may seem daunting, it is entirely safe and minimizes the risk of relapse while ensuring your safety.
The first step in your recovery journey, find out more about heroin detox here or contact us today for personalized support and guidance.
What Is Heroin?
Although most people have heard of heroin and understand that it is dangerous, not everybody knows exactly what it is or its consequences.
Heroin is an opioid, a type of drug that affects the central nervous system. Once taken, heroin induces a state of euphoria, leaving you feeling detached from physical and emotional pain and experiencing a state of bliss. Due to this extreme rush of pleasure, heroin is particularly addictive.
Heroin is chemically very similar to many commonly-used prescription painkillers such as morphine and oxycodone. Unfortunately, this can be a gateway for people to start using heroin, as the effects are very alike.
Heroin is made from morphine – a natural substance taken from the seed of opium poppy plants. Once extracted from morphine, heroin is chemically processed, turning it into what is known as a semi-synthetic opioid.
Typically, heroin presents as a fine white powder. However, it can also appear brown and grainy or dark brown with a tar-like texture.
Why Is Heroin Dangerous?
Using and abusing heroin can significantly impact many aspects of your life. Although often unintentional, this is because you may go to great lengths to get your next fix. This can lead to relationship problems, financial trouble, poor decision-making, behavioral issues, and impaired stress responses.
In addition to the above, heroin use can cause an array of serious issues. Heroin overdose, for example, can occur if you take too much of the drug. This causes your breathing to slow down or stop, resulting in a reduction of oxygen reaching the brain. When this happens, you may experience a condition called hypoxia, which can cause potential long-term brain damage and induce comas.
Heroin is usually injected through the veins, but it can also be snorted, inhaled, or smoked. As there are often additives mixed into heroin purchased on the street, the drug can cause blood vessels to become blocked or damaged, harming many vital organs such as the brain, kidneys, lungs, and liver.
Unfortunately, there are many long-term effects of heroin abuse, some of which are irreversible. These include:
- Diseases caused by needle sharing such as HIV, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C
- Blood poisoning
- Collapsed veins
- Skin infections
- Insomnia
- Mental illness
- Infections of the heart lining
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
- Miscarriage
- Menstrual issues
- Sexual dysfunction
What Is a Heroin Addiction?
If you regularly use heroin, you will gradually develop a tolerance to it, meaning you will eventually need more of the drug to feel the desired effects. As heroin binds to your opioid receptors and diminishes your body’s natural opioid production, your body will ultimately become dependent on the substance to function.
Increasing how much heroin you use leads to a substance use disorder (SUD). SUDs can be mild, moderate, or severe, with the most severe case being a heroin addiction.
When a heroin addiction begins to affect your life, it is essential to seek help.
What Is Detox?
If you struggle with drug abuse and experience heroin addiction, commencing addiction treatment is in your best interest. Typically, all addiction treatment begins with detox, which includes the management of withdrawal symptoms and any necessary medical and emotional interventions.
Heroin detox can be part of an inpatient detox program, and it can also form an outpatient detox program. Irrespective of the type of detox program you complete, addiction specialists will monitor your response to treatment and help you manage the physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal.
What Are Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms?
The heroin withdrawal process is different for each person. For this reason, withdrawal symptoms are too. However, the process usually depends on factors such as:
- The length of heroin use
- The way it has been abused
- The amount taken
- Whether you have any mental health problems
- Your physical health
When you use heroin, you may experience a euphoric sensation, slower heart rate, and sleepiness. During withdrawal, you might instead feel anxious and have a rapid heart rate. Alongside these symptoms, various other withdrawal symptoms range from mild to moderate to severe.
Common symptoms associated with mild withdrawal include:
- Sweats
- Chills
- Excessive yawning
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramps
- A runny nose
- Muscle aches
Common moderate withdrawal symptoms include:
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Irritability
- Agitation
- Feeling restless
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue
- Goosebumps
Severe and dangerous withdrawal symptoms include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Rapid heart rate
- Trouble breathing
- Spasms
- High blood pressure
- Cravings for heroin
- Difficulty feeling happiness or pleasure
To avoid these unpleasant heroin withdrawal symptoms, many people with a heroin use disorder will continue using the drug to prevent withdrawal side effects.
Compared to substances such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, heroin is relatively safe to detox from. Withdrawal symptoms are rarely life-threatening, although seeking treatment is always advised. Poor mental health or trauma are often underlying causes of addictions, so getting the support you need is crucial for long-term recovery.
For these reasons, it is in your best interest to complete heroin detox under the guidance of licensed medical professionals. In doing so, you will have the support and care you need to start your sobriety journey.
What Is the Timeline for Heroin Detox?
Withdrawal symptoms from heroin addiction can start as soon as six hours after the last dose. During the first 48 hours, physical symptoms such as shaking and diarrhea may occur. Psychological symptoms including anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia may also arise at this time.
In contrast, muscle aches and pains typically begin on day one and may intensify over the first two days before reducing.
Symptoms of withdrawal usually peak on the second or third day. After seven days, acute withdrawal symptoms ease, and you should start to feel a bit better. However, it is common to still feel somewhat tired.
If you experience severe withdrawal symptoms, you may experience withdrawal symptoms for 10 days.
Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome
In some instances, those withdrawing from heroin may experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). PAWS describes a group of withdrawal symptoms that persist after the acute withdrawal phase ends. Unlike other heroin withdrawal symptoms, PAWS are mainly psychological.
If you encounter PAWS, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Intense drug cravings
- Insomnia
- Poor impulse control
PAWS can put you in danger of relapsing. For this reason, it is important to seek support, practice self-care, and avoid triggers.
What Can I Expect From a Medical Detox?
Before commencing treatment, an assessment will likely be carried out to determine how a rehab center, such as our own, can best support you. Usually, a heroin addiction treatment program commences with medical detox.
During medical detox, you will remain in a supportive environment where you will have around-the-clock care to help you overcome drug dependency in the safest setting possible under the most appropriate circumstances.
As you begin to withdraw from heroin, you may find that your mood fluctuates, and you may also experience dehydration. To mitigate these symptoms, medical professionals will monitor you and offer treatment to relieve them if necessary.
If you have a milder addiction, outpatient treatment may be possible. Outpatient programs enable you to detox from the comfort of your own home while attending regular checkups with medical professionals. Outpatient treatment also includes therapy or counseling, which can help ease psychological symptoms.
There are several benefits associated with an at-home detox, such as maintaining your routine, having support from family and friends, and preserving privacy, which is why many people opt for this treatment.
Irrespective of whether you wish to detox as an inpatient or outpatient, medical supervision and support will be on hand to help you cope with cravings and reduce the risk of relapse.
What Medications Are Used in Detox?
Medications may be prescribed in both inpatient and outpatient detox programs. These medications work to ease the severity of withdrawal symptoms, making treatment easier to manage.
As heroin is a fast-acting drug due to its short half-life, slow-acting medications are often administered to taper people off of heroin and reduce the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.
Some of the following drugs are used during heroin detox:
- Methadone. Methadone is an opioid agonist that works by affecting the same opioid receptors in the brain as heroin without producing euphoric feelings. Methadone also alleviates withdrawal symptoms and relieves cravings.
- Buprenorphine. Buprenorphine works by reducing the physical effects of heroin withdrawal. It is a partial opioid agonist, which means that it attaches to opioid receptors more weakly than full opioid agonists. Buprenorphine can also help with withdrawal symptoms and cravings without producing euphoric feelings.
- Naltrexone. Naltrexone is another type of opioid antagonist that works by blocking the activation of opioid receptors. When taken, it may reduce cravings. Naltrexone is best suited for those who have already completed drug rehab and require a form of ongoing support and treatment.
Each of these medications works differently in the body. For this reason, medical professionals will review your health and well-being to come up with a personalized program to suit your needs. In doing so, you will have the best possible chance of making a long-term recovery.
What Happens After Detox?
Detoxification is the first stage in the recovery journey. After detox, you will be advised to attend rehab so you can begin to address your psychological dependence on heroin. Like detox, heroin rehab can be completed either at an inpatient center or outpatient center.
You will learn coping mechanisms and ways to understand and handle your addiction during substance abuse treatment. Inpatient detox at a detox center provides 24-hour support and care in an immersive environment. Rehab is the safest option for those wishing to beat their addiction and is especially recommended for those with moderate to severe addiction.
Support groups like 12-step groups can help you feel connected to others going through a similar process. Individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy can also help to get to the root cause of your addiction while enabling you to begin to heal any broken bonds.
Making lifestyle changes and protecting yourself from social and environmental triggers will help keep you on track on the recovery journey.
Heroin Detox Treatment Center in West Palm Beach – Contact Us Today
Fortunately, heroin addiction can be treated. Detox is the first stage of the recovery process, and medical detox is the safest way to cope with the withdrawal symptoms and avoid relapse.
Support from doctors and mental health professionals will ensure that you have the best chance of recovering from your physical heroin dependence. From here, you can begin to address the psychological symptoms and reasons for heroin use.
Though the thought of detoxing can be daunting, attending a rehab center, like our own, for treatment is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself. With support, lifelong recovery is entirely possible.
If you or a loved one struggles with heroin addiction, please contact us today. Likewise, if you have any questions about our medical insurance coverage, treatment plans, or how we operate, a member of our team will be happy to help.
