Opiate drugs are a category of drugs which cause effects such as drowsiness, relaxation, pacifying, or a dulling effect. Opiate drugs include morphine, heroin, codeine, Oxycontin, methadone, Dilaudid, and others. When used over time, these drugs can cause physical dependence and addiction. This means that a person can rely on the drug in order to gain the desired effect. Greater amounts of that drug are necessary to produce the same effect the longer the drug is used. Opiate withdrawal symptoms refers to a wide range of symptoms which commonly occur after stopping or reducing the drug.

When the drug is stopped, the body still craves it, as it was use to the drug being in the system. The body then goes into withdrawal causing common symptoms such as agitation, insomnia, sweating, anxiety, muscle aches, runny nose, and increased tearing. These are early signs that the body is withdrawing from the drug. Other later signs include abdominal cramping, goose bumps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and dilated pupils. While these reactions are very uncomfortable, they are not life threatening. Most symptoms start within 10 to 12 hours of the last time the drug was taken.

Many facilities offer drug treatment programs to help people who are trying to stop using the drugs but who struggle with the withdrawal symptoms. These programs use other non-addicting drugs to alleviate some of the severe withdrawal reactions as well as offer therapy to prevent returning to the drugs after they are out of the system. Returning to opiates is easy for drug-users to do as the body recognizes the effects as soothing and relaxing. However, the cycle starts again as the user needs more and more of the drug to reach the effect and the withdrawal symptoms are just as difficult the next time around. Heroin addiction is a drug where once the user decides to quit, it is imperative for them not to place themselves in an environment where they may be tempted to start using again. Heroin overdoses are common in drug users who need larger and larger amounts to get high.

Filed under: Alcohol Treatment

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