Rapid Drug Detox
Rapid drug detox is a fairly new process, and it’s generally reserved for addicts who are abusing opiates such as heroin, Oxycontin, codeine, morphine, and others. Rapid detox is referred to in that way because the process can get an addict clean within a number of hours, rather than a few days or even weeks, as is customary with most other detox programs. Rapid drug detox programs are not appropriate for everyone, but they can be very effective for many patients. Below, you will learn more about the process, and why it may be right for you.
How Rapid Drug Detox Works
Rapid detox programs take place at a hospital or medical treatment center, where the process is overseen by an experienced team of doctors and medical professionals. Patients are placed under general anesthesia for a period of a few hours, and during this time they receive appropriate detox medications intravenously. The purpose of these drugs during rapid detox for opiate addiction is to quickly remove the drugs from the body’s opiate receptors (which is where all opiate drugs attach and cling to once they’re inside the body). Removal of the drugs can cause sudden and severe withdrawal, but since the addict is kept under general anesthesia, he remains unconscious during the withdrawal process and sleeps peacefully through any pain and discomfort.
Once this part of the rapid drug detox process has ended and the patient comes out of anesthesia, the supervising physician will give his recommended aftercare instructions to the patient.
Benefits of Rapid Drug Detox Programs
As the title implies, the biggest benefit of rapid detox drug detox programs is that they are much quicker than other detox methods. Patients will move past the withdrawal stage and into sobriety in a matter of hours, not days.
Another pro is that rapid detox programs allow patients to be under general anesthesia for the duration of the detox. They are asleep during the withdrawal process, eliminating any pain they may have felt in a regular, conscious detox. Patients often report sleepiness and changes in appetite after coming out of detox, but these side effects are a normal part of any procedure involving anesthesia, and are usually cured with medications prescribed by the supervising physician.
Rapid drug detox may sound too good to be true, but there is one major drawback to this “quick fix” detox method. The process is very expensive, and often it’s not covered by a patient’s insurance. It’s certainly worth looking into if you think you can benefit from rapid detox, but if you are unable to bear the expense, you will need to consider other detox options.
Should You Consider Rapid Detox?
It’s important to note that, because rapid detox is such a new process, there are mixed reviews in the medical community about its long-term efficacy. But many addicts have had great success with rapid detox programs, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t look into it. If you are addicted to heroin, pain pills, or other opiates, if you have the financial resources to bear the expense, and if you feel you will be unable to handle the symptoms of withdrawal without anaesthesia, then you should consider looking into rapid drug detox programs in your area.