If you or someone you love has an opioid addiction, you’re certainly not alone.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day 128 people die from opioid overdoses. That’s approximately one death every 11 minutes. Thankfully, affordable, effective opioid treatments are available.

#1 Detox Can Cleanse the Body

One of the most common ways to treat opioid addiction is through detoxing. Detoxing, short for detoxification, is the process of stopping opioid use suddenly and completely – cold turkey – allowing all the opiates to leave the system. During this time, the body will also go through many uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Although this can be an effective treatment for these types of addictions, it’s also the most likely to lead to relapse. Nearly 90% of patients who stop taking opiates solely through “cold turkey” detoxification will relapse at some point.

Don’t Go It Alone

If a person decides to use the detox method, it’s best if he doesn’t try to do it alone. In this video, a doctor discusses some of the problems with detoxing at home by oneself.

The best way to detox is to do so through a rehab facility. During the detox process, the body will go through several stages of withdrawal.

People may feel depressed or experience anxiety. They may feel nauseated, have muscle cramps, go through rounds of sweating followed by chills and sleep poorly. A rehab facility can monitor these symptoms and help them get through these withdrawal symptoms with as little pain as possible.

Counseling is Key

Another benefit of rehab centers is that they provide patients with in-house counseling. This can be an invaluable addition to the rehabilitation process. In addition to cleansing the body, counseling can help people get to the root of why they became addicted in the first place.

Once the underlying causes of addiction are diagnosed, it can be much easier to treat the addiction itself. Knowing the cause can also help patients avoid triggers in the future.

#2 Suboxone Treatment Can Eliminate Withdrawal Symptoms

The best way to treat opiate addiction is to treat it with a combination of detoxing and MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment).

This allows you to stop using opiates while also taking medication to dull the withdrawal symptoms.

One of the best MAT treatments is the suboxone treatment. Suboxone is the brand name for a medication containing two main ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone.

How It Works

The buprenorphine element is actually a partial opiate, which means it triggers the receptors in the brain that are dependent on opiates. This gives a patient what he needs to take care of the dependency and keep him from withdrawal.

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, which blocks the euphoric effects of opioids. The blocking happens immediately. Over time, naloxone can even reverse the addictive effects of opiates. This allows patients to overcome their desires for the drug without going into withdrawals.

Together, these two ingredients allow the body to feed its addiction without “getting high.” The longer someone takes Suboxone, the less he’ll need. Eventually,he’ll be able to lower his body’s dependency on opiates to a point where he can stop taking them altogether with very few negative side effects or withdrawal symptoms.

Aren’t You Still Addicted to Opiates Though?

A common myth about suboxone is that people taking it are not actually in recovery.

This is untrue. Addiction and dependency are two different things. Suboxone allows patients to appease their bodies’ dependencies without feeding the addictions. By sticking strictly to a suboxone regiment, they’ll eventually overcome both.

#3 Methadone As an Alternative

Methadone is another incredibly effective treatment for opiate addiction. It’s almost as effective as suboxone. The difference is methadone, if used incorrectly, can be nearly as addictive as the opiates themselves.

Methadone is a synthetic opiate created specifically for the purpose of treating heroin and other opioid addictions.

How Does It Work?

Methadone works similarly to suboxone. It’s usually administered in liquid form. After ingesting it, it stimulates the same brain receptors affected by opiate use. This keeps the body from going into withdrawal

However, it’s synthetically designed to block the euphoric feelings people get from opiates, which means there are no feelings of bliss or pleasure from taking it. It remains in the body for up to three days, which also means patients take less of the medicine over a period of time.

The longer someone takes methadone, the more it builds up in his body, and the less he has to take. Eventually, the doctor should wean patients off the drug completely, allowing them to stop all medications without feeling much in the way of withdrawal symptoms.

Are There Side Effects?

If patients don’t have any allergic reactions to the medicine and if they don’t misuse it, there are very few side effects to methadone treatment. The ones that do exist are usually fairly mild. The most common ones include:

  • Dry Mouth
  • Headaches
  • Trouble Sleeping
  • Mood Swings
  • Weight Gain
  • Itchiness

If the side effects continue, patients should speak to their doctors. If they experience more severe side effects, such as difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, increased libido or stomach problems, they may be unable to continue methadone treatment.

#4 Vivitrol Mutes the Effects of Opiates

Finally, the third popular MAT is vivitrol. This is the brand name for the active drug naltrexone. It isn’t an opiate or a synthetic opiate. It does block the effects of opiates, however, so even if someone were to take heroin or other opiates while on naltrexone, he wouldn’t feel the effects of them.

How Does It Work?

Vivitrol is usually administered through an injection into the hip. It blocks all effects of opioids and alcohol in the central nervous system by binding to the receptor sites that cause euphoria and sedation.

Even if people on vivitrol relapse and use opioids again, they won’t be able to feel them.

If you can’t feel the effects of something, why take it at all?

Help Is Available

If you or someone you love is looking for an effective opioid treatment, these are the ones most recommended by experts. These treatments can work.

Please take a moment and leave your thoughts in the comments. If you know someone needing opioid treatment, please share this list.

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