Am I Addicted to Opiates and Can Palm Partners Detox Center Help Me?

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Am I Addicted to Opiates and Can Palm Partners Detox Center Help Me?

Opiates are more well-known as pain killers. There are multiple medications and a few street drugs that fall under this class of drugs.

Examples of some common opiates are morphine, heroin, codeine, dilaudid, methadone, Oxycontin and others.

Around 9% of the US population will end up misusing or getting addicted to opiates. Whether or not a user is prescribed an opiate such as oxycontin or is using recreationally with opiates such as heroin the addiction rate is the same.

Opiates are extremely addictive and it is easy to become physically dependent on them. The reason for this is because of the way opiates attach themselves to receptors in the brain. This attachment to receptors creates a need to take more or what we know as a tolerance and a change in the user’s brain chemistry. The time it takes to become physically dependent or addicted to an opiate depends on the individual. If a user becomes physically dependent on any opiate; inducing any kind of rapid cessation or dramatic decrease of use will result in opiate withdrawal symptoms or “dope sickness”. All opiates are physically dependent and the opiate withdrawal symptoms tend to stay consistent regardless of which opiate or pain killer the user is addicted to. The opiate withdrawal symptoms do tend to vary slightly depending on which drug the user is dependent on and how much of it they have been using.

Opiates are defined as such because of their chemical make-up and for their use in the treatment of pain. Almost all opiates are derivative of the well-known medication morphine which was extracted and created centuries ago from the poppy plant which produces opium. Opium being the base for creating morphine thus we have the name opiate for all medications and drugs that are derived from opium poppies and are morphine based.

Opiate withdrawal symptoms are very uncomfortable although they are not fatal. The user going through the opiate withdrawal symptoms may think they are going to die but these symptoms are not life threatening and when treated by a medical detox such as Palm Partners detox center, which can be quick and as comfortable as possible. When and how long opiate withdrawal symptoms will last depend on which pain killer the user has been abusing and how much of it they have been taking. Either way, after stopping their opiate use the user will begin to feel uncomfortable for a period of time; with the opiate withdrawal symptoms worsening overtime then slowly starting to decline, becoming less painful and uncomfortable. Most opiate withdrawal symptoms are along these lines but are not limited to:

• Cold sweating
• Uncontrollable diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Aching limbs
• Severe depression
• Mounting panic
• Strong cravings
• Cramps
• Chills
• Goose bumps
• Shakes
• Irritation
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Muscle aches
• Runny nose
• Yawning
• Insomnia
• Dilated pupils (This happens because while the user is on any kind of opiate they will have pin pointed pupils, this is one of the first signs of opiate misuse or addiction)

Opiate withdrawal symptoms can be painful, frightening, and uncomfortable to the point where a user will think it’s a better option to continue using the pain killer rather than try to stop. This creates a habitual pattern of use leading them further into opiate addiction. This is why treatment or a medical detox for any opiate withdrawal symptoms is highly recommended. Palm Partners detox center is specialized for the treatment of opiate withdrawal symptoms and can make your stay as comfortable as possible while you go through this very uncomfortable process. Palm Partners detox center deals with individuals going through opiate withdrawal on a daily basis and is well equipped to help in the cessation of opiate use. Palm Partners detox center can give someone dealing with opiate addiction the freedom from their drug use and the comfort needed during the opiate withdrawal.

How To Detox From Opiates

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How To Detox From Opiates

By Jenny Hunt, Palm Partners Recovery Center

March 7, 2012

Opiates are a class of drug that includes street drugs like heroin, as well as prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, oxycontin, fentanyl, vicodin, and lortab. Opiates are a highly addictive class of drugs. These drugs mimic natural painkilling neurotransmitters in the brain, which is what creates the high from opiates. However, in response to long term use of opiates, the brain produces less of these substances, which causes detox from opiates to be very painful.

Detox from opiates can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms. Common opiate acute withdrawal symptoms include extreme pain, tremors, muscle cramps, sweating, chills, rapid heartbeat, itching, restless leg syndrome, runny nose, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. Detox from opiates alone is not life-threatening, but it is extremely uncomfortable. Acute detox from opiates can last ten to fourteen days (depending on level of use.) Post-acute detox from opiates lasts an indefinite amount of time, usually proportional to how long you have been abusing opiates. However, post-acute detox from opiates is much less severe and generally includes symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, and mild anxiety.

One of the most common medications given to a person who wants to detox from opiates is buprenorphine (brand name: Suboxone or Subutex). Buprenorphine has replaced methadone as the medication of choice to treat symptoms of detox from opiates. This medication eliminates the worst of the withdrawal symptoms from opiate detox. If you choose to detox from opiates at home, I would highly recommend making an appointment with your doctor to discuss the use of buprenorphine. Always take this medication under the supervision of your doctor.

There are a few other things that can make your detox from opiates more comfortable. Warm baths can help with the chills and muscle aches. Make sure to clear your schedule when you detox from opiates, because you will feel very sick and will not have much energy. Sleep is essential when you detox from opiates, so be sure to get plenty of rest. Buy food that will be easy to keep down when you feel nauseous. Make sure to drink plenty of water and try to get up and move around at least once a day.

Detox from opiates is just the first step when trying to kick an opiate addiction. Most people who undergo detox alone eventually relapse. When you detox from opiates at home, 12-step support groups can be invaluable. You will be able to meet people who have been through the same thing and can offer you advice. The 12-steps will help you continue to live a drug and alcohol free life.

If possible, detox from opiates at a medical detox facility is the best option. These facilities are able to offer around-the-clock monitoring and medications to east the withdrawal symptoms. Detox facilities will ensure a safe, comfortable detox from opiates. They will provide comfortable accommodations, good food, and therapies like massage to help ease the pain of detox from opiates.

If you or someone you know needs to detox from opiates, call us at (877) 711-HOPE (4673) or visit us online at www.palmpartners.com.

Understanding Methadone Detox in Florida

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Understanding Methadone Detox in Florida

By: Rhea Rosier, Palm Partners Recovery Center

February 16th, 2012

Understanding methadone detox in Florida can be something that can only be fathomed when experienced or actually working in the methadone detox field. Methadone detox in Florida is absolutely necessary for the person who is trying to stop their methadone use. The history of methadone is not as long or as sordid of its sister drug heroin although the two are uncommonly similar. In order to begin understanding methadone detox in Florida we first must understand the drug.

Methadone was first introduced to the United States in 1947 in order to help the copious amounts of heroin addicts popping up to stop opiod dependence. It has cross-tolerance with other opioids including heroin and morphine, offering very similar effects and a long duration of effect. Oral doses of methadone can stabilize patients by mitigating opioid withdrawal syndrome. Higher doses of methadone can block the euphoric effects of heroin, morphine, and similar drugs. As a result, properly dosed methadone patients can reduce or stop altogether their use of these substances.

Regardless that methadone has been used to help with opiate withdrawal and with opiod dependence the drug itself is still highly addictive. This is the beginning to understanding methadone detox in Florida. Methadone detox in Florida starts like any other detox process out there. You start by calling up the methadone detox in Florida you want to attend. The reason it’s good to begin understanding methadone detox in Florida is because methadone detox can be highly dangerous and severely uncomfortable unless done at a professional facility meant to handle methadone detox. Methadone withdrawal to most opiate addicts is one of the most, if not the most, frightening withdrawal to overcome. That’s why methadone detox in Florida is of paramount importance. The length of methadone detox is significantly longer than some other drugs because of its ability to stay in the body for long lengths of time.

Methadone would be a fantastic maintenance drug if it were not for the addictiveness of the drug itself. Many people have a hard time stopping their methadone use once they start. Understanding methadone detox in Florida is going to be uncomfortable and will have to be followed with intense treatment is one of the first steps to beginning your recovery. Methadone detox may be unpleasant at first but at least once its done, its done.

Understanding methadone detox in Florida can also be fatal is of paramount importance. That is methadone detox can be fatal if not surrounded by a medical staff with the right medications to help ease the pain and discomfort of the detox. Methadone detox in Florida is not only the safest but also the most comfortable way to come off a long term use of methadone. It is best if you can to get off methadone as quickly as possible if you have been using it recreationally or even as a maintenance drug. Its extremely dangerous when mixed with other drugs and there is understanding within methadone detox in Florida of these grave truths.

If you or someone you know need understanding methadone detox in Florida please dont hesitate to call 877-711-HOPE(4673) or go to www.palmpartners.com

Kick Heroin in 24 Hours?

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Kick Heroin in 24 Hours?

By Jenny Hunt, Palm Partners Treatment Center

January 26, 2012

The newest sensation in treating opiate dependency is known as “rapid opiate detox.” Rapid opiate detox is a procedure by which a patient is sedated and given medications to quickly clear the system of opiates. The procedure takes place in the intensive care unit of a hospital because patients must be closely monitored. Without the proper care and observation, this process can be deadly because it is such a shock to the system.

While there is no evidence that rapid opiate detox works any better than regular detox, rapid opiate detox is being touted in the media as a “cure” for heroin dependency. Dr. Craig Bernstein, one of the foremost practitioners of rapid opiate detox claims a 65% percent success rate after one year. Far superior, he claims, than the success rate of inpatient treatment centers or 12-step programs. What Dr. Bernstein doesn’t mention is that this success rate is not confirmed by any outside source, but rather by follow-up phone calls to former patients. Several patients of Dr. Bernstein have come out in interviews to say they were never contacted. Further, the success rate only takes into consideration abstinence from heroin, not from any other mind or mood altering substance.

While more studies need to be done, initial reports by representatives of the American Medical Association indicate that rapid opiate detox is neither safe nor effective. A major limit to this treatment is that, like other detox-only programs, only represents the first stages of treatment. Rapid opiate detox does not offer solutions to keep an opiate addict off illicit drugs for the long term.  Dr. Bernstein’s program involves administering oral naltrexone, an opiate blocker, for a year after the treatment. However, naltrexone has been shown to have poor adherence and poor patient outcomes.

Why is this dangerous? Dr. Bernstein and other physicians like him are promoting this very costly treatment as a quick and easy cure to heroin and opiate addiction. Desperate addicts and families of addicts are likely to jump at the chance to quickly and easily treat their addiction. Dr. Bernstein, who on the side runs a pain management clinic, actively discourages patients from attending 12-step meetings, calling it “out-dated” and “ineffective.” He tells desperate and sick people that addiction is not a spiritual disease, but a physical one.

If Dr. Bernstein was right, all any of us would need would be detox, whether rapid detox or traditional, and our addiction would be cured. Anyone who has relapsed after some clean time can tell you this isn’t true. If drugs and alcohol were our problem, rapid opiate detox would work for us. Unfortunately, for the true addict and alcoholic, drugs and alcohol were our solution. We don’t get better when you take away the drugs and alcohol; we get worse, because we have no idea how to manage our own lives without them.

Further, doctors like Bernstein have no true knowledge of the AA or NA program. Quoting “success statistics” from AA or NA are always going to be false, because no true statistics exist. Also, studies done on 12-step programs do not take into consideration the distinction between people truly adhering to the program, and those who just say they are. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states “rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” Well, that’s good enough for me.

If you or someone you know needs drug or alcohol treatment call us at (877) 711-HOPE (4673) or visit us online at www.palmpartners.com.