Unassisted opiate drug detox attempted from home can be extremely painful and life-threatening, and carries a very low success rate. Without a doctor’s assistance and use of prescribed medication through controlled dosages, withdrawal side effects can be extreme to severe including vertigo, severe headaches, fever, shakes, seizures, nausea, hallucinations, delusions, and may result in suicide or death.
Over a long period of time, regular opiate use creates a tolerance as well as a dependency, and as usage continues it takes more and more opiates just to feel that “high”, or in some cases, just to feel normal. The body naturally manages it’s own brain function, and when artificial opiates, such as heroin and OxyContin, are introduced into our brain chemistry, it stops the production of certain necessary brain chemicals because of the flood of opiates. These opiates overtake certain receptors in the brain, tricking our body into stopping the production of certain necessary chemicals. These naturally produced brain chemicals control our mental state and manage our bodies from head to toe, including our nervous system. When the opiates are finally removed from the system, it takes our bodies time to start producing those chemicals again, creating those withdrawal symptoms that can range from uncomfortable to painful to deadly when someone wants to quit taking opiates, depending on length and frequency of use. The tolerance level sets the stage for how prolonged and painful the withdrawal will be when one wants to stop taking opiates. This is why inpatient detox is so important. A professional detox team can monitor the detox treatment process, ensuring that withdrawal is managed and performed safely.