5 Tips for Treating Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

Opiate addition affects millions of people. In many cases, the only hope for these people is rehabilitation. But before rehabilitation begins, you must undergo a period of detoxification, which is the process of ridding your body of the opiates. If you were a serious user, these withdrawal symptoms can be unbearable. While many of the most severe symptoms last only a couple of days, there could be some residual symptoms that last a couple of months. Luckily, there are a number of ways to treat these symptoms, so that you can focus on recovery. Here are five tips for treating opiate withdrawal symptoms.

1. Make sure you are comfortable. When you are detoxing from opiates, your withdrawal symptoms will include nausea, anxiety, muscle spasms, and achy joints – and a whole host of other physical and emotional conditions. So, you want to make sure that during this process, you are comfortable and in a place for rest. This is why a detox center, like Rapid Detox Medical Clinic, is so important – because the environment is created for this exact purpose.
2. Have someone by your side. Another reason why you may want to check yourself into a detox center is because it can help to have someone by your side during the withdrawal process. If you can’t check yourself in, you may want to call on friend or stay at your family’s home. It can also help to have someone there in case anything goes wrong. When you are detoxing, you can start vomiting, which can increase the risk of asphyxiation, so having someone around may actually save your life.
3. Try mental meditation. Opiate withdrawal symptoms can be bad – really bad. In fact, it may just be the hardest thing you have ever gone through. So, you need to be able to put yourself in an emotional and psychological place to take on this kind of challenge. Mental meditation includes focusing on positive things and putting your emotional state of mind in a positive place. You could also keep reminding yourself that when it is all over, you will be a much stronger and happier person.
4. Have plenty of water by your side. It is important when you are detoxing to have plenty of water, because one of the biggest symptoms of withdrawal is dehydration. So, make sure that you have several bottles of water readily accessible. If you are immobile, it will help to keep the bottles by your bed or in the room where you are detoxing.
5. Try to stay active. When you have moments of lucidity, it will help to try and get on your feet. This will help because you want to get your blood circulating and flowing. Another big symptom of withdrawal is blood clots, which can be dangerous if they reach your lungs or brain. While this is rare, you still want to try and do some jumping jacks or some light jogging in place. In the end, exercise will also help to fight off some of the emotional symptoms of opiate withdrawal.