An Informative Guide To Understanding Withdrawal Symptoms During Drug Addiction Recovery

If you are in the process of starting drug addiction recovery, keep reading.

One of the things that will occur is withdrawals. It’s important to know that the symptoms can occur and how severe they can be.

If you are considering the idea of treatment, there is a choice. Either you choose to continue down the same path and have the potential to cut life short. Or you can get the treatment you need and live a healthier and fulfilling life.

Gallus Detox will have all the information you need for getting the treatment. Visit our website for more details. With that said, let’s take a look now at this guide on withdrawal symptoms and how to deal with them.

What is a Withdrawal? 

A withdrawal is a response that your body will have if and when you are quitting or slowing down the use of a drug that it has depended on. The withdrawals may depend on the kind of drug you are using. For example, the professionals working at the best meth rehab Arizona has to offer can explain how harder substances will usually lead to more severe withdrawal symptoms than lighter ones. This is why it can be beneficial to seek out medical help for the withdrawal process.

Some withdrawals may be mild than others. Some will be severe to the point where it can be dangerous and life-threatening. Severe withdrawals can be from the more potent drugs you may have been addicted to like opioids.

Why Do Withdrawals Happen?

Your brain makes adjustments if and when you are using substances. It will get to the point where recognizing them will be normal. Once that happens, your body will become dependent on it.

If you quit or slowly decrease your dose of the substance of choice, your brain will recognize this and withdrawals can occur. At this point, it will reach a stage of homeostasis and will naturally get rid of the drug. As this happens, your brain chemistry will experience various disruptions while your mental and physical health experiences the ‘consequences’.

Are Withdrawals Fatal?

It depends on a few factors. There are some withdrawal symptoms that will be more severe than others. If they are not managed medically, it can reach dangerous levels and may be fatal.

Withdrawal-related fatalities are rare, but can occur. Because of this, medical detox is one of the best options for those looking to quit their addiction. If you are dealing with an opioid addiction, you may consider it your best option compared to others like outpatient rehab.

During your recovery, you want to reduce the withdrawals. This includes the occurrences and the intensity of the withdrawals among others. This can be achieved by way of medication-assisted treatment (or MATs).

MATs will be available in facilities that can treat drug addiction. They can be effective and the timing may last depending on how long the treatment plan is (which can be weeks or even years). After 90 days, the amount of medication you take will be reduced.

Even though it takes the brain 90 days to rewire itself, drug withdrawals can make an appearance even after that period. For this reason, you may remain on your MAT for a lengthy period of time. The dose will be lowered until you no longer need it.

What Are the Physical Symptoms of Withdrawals?

There are plenty of physical symptoms of withdrawals you may experience. This can depend on the drug you may be getting rid of. This includes but are not limited to:

• Fatigue

• Exhaustion

• Fever and/or chills

• Headaches

• Racing heart

• Shivering and jitters

• Sweating that may be excessive

• Diarrhea

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Bone and muscle pain

• Other flu-like symptoms

Mental symptoms of withdrawals include:

• Paranoia

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Insomnia

• Panic attacks

• Irritability

• Confusion

• Short-term memory loss

• Difficulty concentrating or focusing

• Intense cravings

These are common withdrawals. You may not experience all of them, but you may experience some of them over time. It’s important to handle them as soon as possible even if it means dealing with them in a medical setting.

Again, some of them may get to the point where they can be severe. Please consult with a medical professional as you begin your treatment on what can be done to deal with them. The question you may be asking is: what about DTs? 

DTs (or delirium tremens) is the worst kind of withdrawal symptom. This can happen if you are recovering from a severe drug addiction. The symptoms can include: 

• Elevated heart rate

• Increased body temperature

• Shaking or shivering that is uncontrollable

• Hallucinations

• Seizures (which can be fatal)

This is one more reason why those with a severe drug addiction will need to be in an inpatient setting. That’s because you will have medical staff on standby in case you need emergency attention. No one knows when severe withdrawals can occur and how long they may last. 

Some of them may not be severe enough to warrant medical attention. However, if they tend to get worse, you may need to consult a medical professional as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that the withdrawal process is not the same in all people. One person may experience it in a much different way compared to another person. This can be due to one of many factors:

• How long they have been addicted to the drug in question

• The drug they were addicted to

• How they ingested the drug (smoking, shooting, snorting, etc.)

• The dosage amount

• Family history

• Level of mental and physical health

Keep this in mind as you are considering treatment. Your withdrawals may not be as severe, but they may need to be managed in a certain way.

Final Thoughts

Withdrawals will happen when you are detoxing from drugs. However, they can be handled in a certain way depending on several factors. It’s an uncomfortable and painful process.

However, you may need to deal with it accordingly. This is part of the treatment that will help you end your drug addiction and live a healthier life. You deserve to live a life that includes no drugs. 

But you must go through a bit of pain before you experience relief. If you need treatment, contact Gallus Detox today and we will help you begin your journey.