Tips to Manage Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

Heroin is a highly addictive drug and popularly abused since it is considered to be a cheaper alternative to expensive opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Individuals who are addicted to some form of prescription drugs and are unable to obtain them usually opt for this drug.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 23 percent of the individuals who use heroin become dependent on it. Heroin can be abused by injecting, snorting or smoking the drug that delivers it quickly to the brain. This, in turn, increases the risk of developing severe health problems and also an addiction to the substance.

Withdrawing oneself from heroin is tough and complicated. A person who is dependent on it might find it difficult to stay strong and manage the symptoms experienced during the withdrawal cycle. This article discusses some common symptoms experienced by an individual during heroin withdrawal and the ways in which one can easily manage them.

Symptoms of heroin withdrawal

Abusing heroin leads to a number of problems in an individual. It not only suppresses the central nervous system’s functioning such as the heart rate, and blood pressure, it also binds to the opioid receptors in the human brain, which leads to an increased production of neurotransmitters responsible for making one feel happy.

The symptoms experienced by an individual on withdrawing from heroin depends on factors such as the duration of abuse and how it was abused. However, a few common symptoms that are experienced by a majority of heroin abusers include:

· Nausea

· Abdominal cramps

· Sweats and chills

· Muscle and bone aches

· Agitation

· Restlessness

· Tremors

· Anxiety and depression

· Trouble in sleeping

· Drug cravings

Managing heroin withdrawal symptoms

According to the NIDA, there are a number of effective treatments available to treat an addiction to heroin. These include both behavioral and pharmacological (medications) approaches that help an individual to re-establish the normal brain functioning and behavior. Although an individual can opt for either of the two, it is best to go for a combination of both for better results.

Using medications for treating heroin addiction can help in increasing the success rate of the treatment while decreasing the amount of drug used. When a person opts to withdraw from the substance, dealing with the withdrawal symptoms is quite difficult and leads to an increase in chances of relapse. The three most commonly used medications to manage opiate withdrawal symptoms are Methadone, Buprenorphine and Naltrexone.

Once the person is able to successfully cope with the withdrawal symptoms, therapies such as contingency management and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used to treat the underlying factor or habits that lead to an addiction to this drug. Contingency management is a voucher-based system for the patients to earn points for their “negative” drug tests and then exchange the earned points for the items that encourage healthy living. On the other hand, cognitive-behavioral therapy changes the person’s expectations and behaviors related to drug use and helps them build skills to better manage stressful situations in life.

Detox is the first step to recovery

Every patient is unique and it is important for health care experts to plan the best treatment approach for every individual that meets his/her particular needs.

If you know someone who is addicted to heroin and needs help from a NAD treatment centers in Arizona, the Arizona Detox Helpline can help. Call at our 24/7 helpline number 866–593–8453 and our representatives will assist you in getting the complete information about the best available NAD treatment in Arizona or heroin detox in Arizona and other parts of the United States.