What Are the Treatments for Drug Withdrawal?

Recovering from drug addiction is a difficult and lifelong process. The first step is to stop taking the addictive drug as quickly and safely as possible. This is often made extremely difficult by the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. There are treatments available to make the withdrawal process a little easier. Since different drugs have different effects on the body and different withdrawal symptoms, the type of treatment used depends on the particular drug to which one is addicted.

Stimulants

• Central nervous system stimulants such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate increase brain activity, causing increased energy, alertness, and attention. These drugs have the effect of mimicking the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, causing a sense of euphoria. When the drugs are stopped, there is a crash period involving severe anxiety, depression, and extreme tiredness or fatigue.

  Treatment for these withdrawal symptoms typically involves antidepressant therapy for depression or medications to alleviate the hallucinations or psychosis that sometimes occur when these drugs are stopped. Besides antidepressant and antipsychotic medications, withdrawal treatments are usually limited to support from a recovery program and/or friends and family of the addict.

Depressants and Opioids

• Central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and opioids such as codeine, morphine, heroin, and oxycodone, can cause some severe withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are stopped. Symptoms can include restlessness, anxiety, dehydration, perspiration, vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, and even seizures. Because of the severe withdrawal symptoms of these drugs, close medical supervision is often required during the withdrawal process, especially for those who have been using for long periods of time or in very high doses.

  Treatment for these withdrawal symptoms may include antipsychotic medication, intravenous fluids for hydration, and in some cases drug substitution. For some people, suddenly ceasing to take these drugs may be very dangerous and a substitute for the drug may be required in order to slowly wean the person off it. In drug-substitution therapy a substitute drug is given and the dose is slowly decreased over time until no drugs are needed. Methadone, Suboxone, and Subutex are three drugs that are typically used as substitutes.