6 Things You Should Know About Rapid
Opiate Detoxification
Rapid opiate detoxification clinics
speckle the Internet, selling the buyer a “painless detox from opiates,” making
wild claims that the addict will “be back to normal in a matter of days!” This ever-popular treatment for opiate
dependence claims to have the “magic pill” that can end your nightmare of
addiction virtually overnight. As a
recovering opiate addict, I am well aware of the work that goes into recovery
long after the detoxification process has finished. And as a wary consumer, I am always leery of
the “magic pill” that seems too good to be true. In my experience, when something is too good
to be true, it usually is not. Long-term
recovery from opiate addiction takes a lot of effort and hard work, and there
is no “magic pill,” to date, anyway.
Rapid
opiate detoxification has steadily grown in popularity, as more and more people
search for this quick fix. As an addict,
we become accustomed to the quick fix, hardly realizing there really is no
quick fix for addiction. Rapid opiate
detoxification shows no concrete evidence to be any more effective at treating
opiate addiction than other methods, and some would even argue it is less
effective. To further complicate
matters, this method can be dangerous to certain patients, not to mention that
it is incredibly hard on the addict’s already worn body.
Like many
of us, I Googled rapid opiate detoxification when I first raised questions
about this method. Interestingly enough,
the first twenty sources of information on Google came directly from these
opiate detoxification providers, which led me to dig a little further. Thankfully, my journalism training has taught
me to always look at your source to determine how reliable the information is. The clinics that provide rapid detox are
going to be supportive of this treatment, and they will be willing to leave out
some important details in order to gain your business. Rapid opiate detoxification is a business,
and a big business at that! The primary
goal of these clinics’ web presence is to attract customers.
These rapid
opiate detoxification centers rave about the success of this method, and their
“success” is backed up with a number of personal testaments. But, alas, there really are no statistics, or
facts used to back up any of these wild claims.
Upon digging a little deeper, I found that most of the studies related
to rapid opiate detoxification only tracked these patients for 6 months following
the procedure to determine the success of their program. If you ask me, the first two years of my
recovery were the hardest, the period where I was most vulnerable, and I would
argue that following these patients for a mere six months is not a very good
indication of long-term success.
Rapid opiate
detoxification is a medically supervised detox, where they accelerate the
detoxification process by intravenously pumping the body with naltrexone, which
is an opiate agonist. This drug works to
rapidly dispel all the opiates from their receptors in your brain, thus
cramming the detoxification period into a matter of hours. The quicker that the opiates are removed from
one’s brain, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms will be. As a result, rapid detoxification is done while
the patient is asleep, under heavy anesthesia.
These rapid
opiate detoxification websites offer a quick and painless withdrawal, a sort of
“magic pill,” if you may. Having been
opiate-free for five years, I do not believe there is any “magic pill” to deal
with addiction. Recovering from an
addiction takes a lot more personal soul-searching than simply undergoing a
2-day detoxification period. Most
addiction experts will agree that detoxification is just the beginning. I am weary of anyone who is trying to sell a
quick fix for any illness, especially when that illness is such a complex
issue, like addiction.
After
scrolling though five pages on Google, I was inundated with personal stories
about the rapid detoxification process.
Unlike the testimonies on the rapid detox providers’ websites, these
stories were speckled with pain and frustration. Overwhelmingly, these patients described the
process as painful and tough. Not one
account described their experience with rapid opiate detoxification to be the
painless process that these clinics advertise.
One patient said that when he awoke from the procedure, he felt the
worst withdrawal he had ever experienced.
Another patient described waking up from the procedure, vomiting all
over. Even another patient described an
awful bought of diarrhea, where he actually messed his bed up every hour or
so. He describes a sense of utter
embarrassment to have a nurse changing his diarrhea stained sheets every
hour. Contrary to what these rapid opiate
detoxification providers promote, this procedure is not an entirely painless
and dignified process.
So, what
does one need to know about rapid opiate detoxification before considering
undergoing this process? Look past the
vast majority of raving product promotions, and consider some of the lesser-known
facts about this procedure.
6 Things You Should Know About Rapid
Opiate Detoxification
1)
Detoxification is only the beginning. Most addiction experts will agree
that detoxification is only the beginning of the process of recovery. Although traditional abstinence based
recovery is not the only method we have for treating addiction today, it is
still the leading method. A traditional
treatment center provides much more to the addicted than simply getting them
off drugs physically. The treatment
process involves counseling, education about addiction and recovery, and often
even includes numerous 12-step meetings.
During treatment, addicts will learn about the disease of addiction,
while being armed with the tools they need to fight this battle.
Furthermore, many treatment centers recommend
a longer stay for opiate addicts. A
30-day stay in a treatment facility will often not be enough time for these
addicts to gain the tools they need to stay clean. Often times, these clients will just be
starting to feel good enough to engage in activities when their time has
ended. Possibly, a rapid detoxification
before a 30-day inpatient stay at a treatment facility could help these addicts
on a short stay. Most addiction
professionals will advise opiate addicts to remain in treatment for at least 90
days, and often a year is the recommended length of stay.
2)
Dependence vs. Addiction. Dependence and addiction may seem
like the same thing to some, but they are actually very different. Dependence is characterized by the user’s
physical dependence on the drug. The
dependent individual will experience withdrawal symptoms when they are deprived
of their drug of choice, or drug of dependence.
Addiction, however, is characterized with negative consequences. A person crosses over from dependence to
addiction when the drug use is causing negative consequences in his or her
life. The addicted will keep using
despite these negative consequences.
Addiction is a complex disease that is
compounded with a variety of factors.
Addiction is different for everyone who experiences it, as factors such
as environment, genetics, and mental health can play big roles in the addiction
process. To maintain long-term sobriety,
addiction professionals agree that some form of psychotherapy gives the best
defense against relapse. Addicts must
figure out the reasons they use, in order to combat the use. Often times, addicts have other underlying
issues that need to be dealt with. These
issues can be medical, personal, or spiritual issues. By dealing with the mind, body, and soul, and
addict stand a better chance of long-term sobriety. Rapid opiate detoxification only deals with
the physical aspect of addiction, thus leaving the addict vulnerable to
relapse.
A number of the publications I read about
rapid opiate detoxification mentioned that this was a treatment for opiate
dependence, but made no mention of opiate addiction. To be fair, rapid opiate detoxification would
be a great way to deal with dependence, but not addiction. The dependent person will not experience
cravings, and does not feel the desire to go back to using. The dependent person is generally thought to
be able to go right back to their life once detoxified, with little or no extra
support needed.
But, this treatment is not aimed at just the
dependent person. These rapid opiate
detoxification providers claim that this process can nearly cure one’s
addiction, while making very little mention of aftercare, or other treatment
elements, such as therapy. Most of these
websites do mention that they “strongly encourage” patients to seek out some
kind of therapy, but this therapy is rarely provided by the rapid detox clinic. I did find one rapid opiate detoxification
center that offered a short stay at their “sober house,” following the procedure. Of course, the longer the stay, the more the
price goes up. Additionally, this
“aftercare” is only available for 4 weeks following the rapid opiate
detoxification procedure, and a number of addiction professionals would argue
that this is just not enough time for an opiate addict to gain all the tools
needed for long-term sobriety.
3)
Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, PAWS. Opiate addiction alters the brain’s
chemistry dramatically, and it may take quite some time for the addict’s brain
to return to its normal functioning.
When opiates are used for a significant period of time, the brain stops
making its own natural opiates. Opiates
control our motivation, our feeling of well-being, and our tolerance to
pain. When the drugs are taken out of
the equation, the user will experience an intense withdrawal that lasts about a
week. Although rapid opiate
detoxification aims to lessen that withdrawal, in both time and severity, it
does not manage anything beyond the mere withdrawal.
It can take an addict’s brain much longer
than a few hours, or even a few days to return to normal. For some, the process could take weeks or
months, while others may even find they are stuck with PAWS for a year or more. It is during this time period that I always
ended up relapsing. The addict will feel
totally devoid of his energy, as if he is merely dragging his feet along the
ground to even walk. The addict will
have little to no motivation, and experience a heightened sensitivity to
pain. Basically, the opiate addict may feel
like complete crap for months following detoxification.
Rapid opiate detoxification makes no
mention of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, and it does not attempt to manage
these symptoms. While flooding the brain
with naltrexone during the detoxification process will help to eliminate the
opiates from your system, it does nothing to help the addict’s brain to
replenish these natural opiates. Even
with rapid opiate detoxification, the symptoms of PAWS will persist, and the
addict is left incredibly vulnerable during this crucial period of recovery.
Rapid opiate detoxification clinics do
provide their patients with naltrexone to take in the weeks and months
following their procedure. While this
does not help to eliminate the symptoms of PAWS, it can eliminate cravings and many
argue that this ensures that the addict will not use other opiate in this
crucial time. Naltrexone works to block
the effects of opiates on the brain.
This actually poses a dangerous position
for the addict to be in, without the proper therapy and education needed to
remain drug free. The naltrexone is
given in two forms, pills and a sub dermal patch. A number of the rapid opiate detoxification
clinics prefer to use the patch, as it seems to keep these patients on their
naltrexone regimen. With the pills, an
addict can easily decide to skip his daily naltrexone dose in order to
use. This alone poses a serious risk, as
the naloxone will make the opiate addict much more sensitive to opiates than
before the rapid opiate detoxification procedure. Too often, addicts will use what would have
been considered a small amount of opiates before the procedure, but with the
naloxone treatment, this “small amount” can cause an overdose. Furthermore, some patients have reported
trying to actually cut these patches out of their skin, so they can use
again. Others just use right along with
the patch. This, too, is dangerous. The naltrexone blocks the effects of the
opiates, but it does not stop them from working. An addict who attempts to use while on
naltrexone can easily consume lethal doses, without feeling high before they
overdose. Simply using naltrexone after
the rapid opiate detoxification procedure does not help to prevent PAWS, and
could be more dangerous than not using it.
4)
A large number of opiate addicts are not
good candidates for rapid opiate detoxification. There are several contradictions to
rapid opiate detoxification, in which these people will not be allowed to
participate. Rapid opiate detoxification
is incredibly rough on the body. Just
imagine compacting all the pain for a weeklong kick into a matter of
hours. The pain is not lessened, and
instead is intensified, over a shorter period of time. It is so painful that the patient is put to
sleep, but your body still goes through an incredibly traumatic event.
Some health conditions make it
impossible to withstand rapid opiate detoxification without serious
complications. If the candidate is
pregnant, she will have to wait until after having the baby to consider this
treatment. Although, I must admit that I
called a number of these rapid detox clinics, asking questions about these
health issues, and one clinic even said they would perform the procedure on a
pregnant woman. The others stated,
“Definitely not.” Patients who have had
heart problems are also not candidates for the procedure, as the procedure is
likely to cause hypertension and irregular heart rhythms. To complicate this matter further, some
intravenous addicts have significant damage to their heart that they may not
even know about. Renal issues and liver
issues can also exclude someone from this procedure. Finally, a patient with a history of mental
illness is not eligible for rapid opiate detoxification. With the number of dual diagnosis patients
admitted to treatment, I think this would rule out a significant portion of the
opiate addicted population. To make this
criteria even more difficult, a number of opiate addicts are simply
self-medicating and do not even realize they have these underlying mental
issues. Some addicts discover their
mental illness while in treatment, which could cause some issues with rapid
opiate detoxification. Furthermore, a
number of addicts are in poor health due to their addiction and they may not
even be aware of some of these problems.
Unreported or unknown medical issues can cause some serious
complications with rapid opiate detoxification, some of which have led to
death.
There are a number of other factors
that will not exclude the patient from rapid opiate detoxification, but these
issues make these patients “unsuitable” candidates. Some of these clinics will still take these
patients, depending on the situation, but it just seems risky to me, especially
considering that these issues are ones that are often shared among the addict
population. Additionally, rapid opiate
detoxification is done intravenously, and some opiate addicts hardly have any
good veins left, especially not solid enough to be pumping in a massive amount
of drugs while the ill-veined patient undergoes a withdrawal experience that is
traumatic and difficult on the body.
Chronic pain patients are generally
not good candidates for rapid opiate detoxification. These patients often need these opiates to
function, so kicking them out of their system could cause more pain. Chronic pain patients are generally advised
to attend treatment centers that specialize in these patients. Dealing with addiction and chronic pain
becomes a balance of managing their medications. Patients with dependence on alcohol, benzodiazepines,
or stimulants are also not recommended for rapid opiate detox. These substances not only create medical
complications, but these patients obviously need more intense treatment. More importantly, to rule out any addicts who
are poly-substance users makes the qualified candidate pool rather small. Patients with a history of depression are
also not suitable candidates. From my
experience, there are a large number of opiate addicts who have some history
with depression. Finally, those clients
who have unstable social circumstances are not advised to use rapid opiate detoxification
before they have stabilized their home life.
An unstable social circumstance?
Isn’t that where all of our lives end up when we are immersed in active
addiction?
5)
Poses more serious dangers compared to any other
detoxification method. There
have been more deaths associated with rapid opiate detoxification than any
other method of detoxification. Heavy
anesthesia alone can cause problems, even death, not to mention the toll that
the procedure takes on the addict’s body.
One thing that these rapid detoxification providers fail to mention
before the procedure is that diarrhea is a very common side effect. Some patients claim to have messed up their
bed every hour from this uncontrollable diarrhea. A gastric ulcer, caused from extreme stress,
can result from this procedure.
Psychiatric complications are not uncommon, and reactions to the variety
of drugs pumped intravenously are just as common. Cardiovascular complications have taken more
than one life following this procedure. Rapid
opiate detoxification can cause high blood pressure and irregular
heartbeat. Many candidates may not
realize they have heart issues, until they are exacerbated by the
procedure. Finally, rapid opiate detoxification
can also cause kidney failure and sepsis, both of which can be fatal
conditions.
The most common reasons for patient death
following rapid opiate detoxification are pulmonary edema, brain hemorrhaging
from extremely elevated blood pressure, and choking on their own vomit. The procedure does make the patient vomit, as
it is often a symptom of withdrawal.
Rapid opiate detoxification is done while you are “asleep” under sedation,
making the chance of aspiration very high.
6)
Very expensive. This procedure is not covered by
health insurance, mostly because it is not a proven therapy. Health insurance companies are leery of the
controversial rapid opiate detoxification, stating it is not usually covered
because it is not proven to be safe.
Prices may range anywhere from $4,000 to $40,000, depending on the
services rendered. The most expensive
rapid opiate detoxification prices reflect a 4-week stay at an adjoined sober-living
facility. Furthermore, a number of
patients who opted for the cheaper treatments claim that the rapid detox clinic
added a number of charges during the procedure, such as doctor checks at a
nurse’s request. To make financial
matters even more strenuous, higher risk patients are generally charged more. The cost of methadone is close to the lowest
price of rapid opiate detox, for the entire year! The cost of a 90-day treatment center can
even be cheaper than a two-week stay at one of the top rapid detoxification
clinics! And both of these methods have
more proven success.
On another note, I called a number
of these rapid detoxification clinics, pretending to be a patient with some of
these health risks, to see what the response was. Most of the people I spoke with dismissed
health problems like extremely high blood pressure, or even history of a
stroke, claiming that they could still work with these risky issues…just for a
much higher fee.
Personally, I do not like to put my life in the hands of one
who is out for financial gain, first and foremost. When it comes to healthcare, the patient
should come first. The patient’s well-being
should come before the dollar. I feel
like a rapid opiate detoxification clinic that would take these high-risk
patients, weighing profit before potential death, simply do not have the
patient’s best interest at hand.
Secondly, any clinic that offers the “magic pill,” or “miracle cure” is
most likely offering up a pipedream.
Recovery from addiction begins with detox, and for these rapid
detoxification clinics to only suggest counseling or other aspects of
treatment, without providing many viable resources for it, is by no means putting
their patient’s well being first.
