Rapid Opiate Detox

Opiate addiction leaves some people feeling so frustrated and disgusted that they want to get over their problems as swiftly as possible and just get on with living a normal, drug-free existence. If you are anxious to leave your opiate dependency behind without enduring a multi-step program, you may want to consider rapid opiate detox (ROD) to clear drugs from your body and eliminate cravings.

Ultra ROD and Accelerated Opiate Neuro-Regulation

• Rapid detox either refers to a detoxification process involving general anesthesia in a hospital setting(known as ultra rapid detox) or a more traditional detox process that lasts 10 days or more. If you are looking for the quickest way to cleanse your body of drugs, you may want to look into ultra ROD.

  Accelerated opiate neuro-regulation (AON) is one method of ROD. AON will not cure drug dependency or pain killer addiction, but if you are addicted to narcotics or pain killers like codeine, dilaudid, heroin, lortab, methadone, morphine, oxycontin, percocet, percodan or vicodin, AON works to reverse your physical dependence.

  You may have to admit yourself to the hospital 24 hours in advance of your detox. Trained specialists monitor you in a private setting and, once it's time for the detox to begin, either anesthesize or sedate you, allowing you to sleep peacefully through the occurring detox and withdrawal syndrome. While you sleep, a specialist administers a high dose of naltrexone (a long-acting opiate receptor antagonist) so that total reversal of opiates occurs in just a few hours.

  To diminish withdrawal symptoms, the specialist may give you--in conjunction with naltrexone- other medications such as clonidine. When you wake up, the detox is complete and you should be opiate-free. Keep in mind that individual results may vary, but medical professionals do use naltrexone to combat any withdrawal symptoms that could occur.

Post-Detox

• Following your procedure (after which you may stay in the hospital for a 24-hour period), you may feel ill the next day and suffer from diarrhea, lack of energy and perhaps nausea and vomiting. You should not have any physical cravings. Little by little, every few hours, your health should improve, and after a few days, you should feel "normal" again and be able to start enjoying a drug-free lifestyle.

  Once home, continue taking naltrexone, as that will help reduce any opiate cravings you may experience. If you really want to make sure you don't fall off the wagon, participate in counseling and support groups, as that will assist you in your psychological recovery.

Warnings and Risks

• Before considering this rapid detox method, make sure that you are in otherwise good health (aside from your addiction, naturally). You want to avoid AON if you have a history of allergic reactions or complications from anesthesia, clonidine or naltrexone; if you use barbiturates, cocaine or drink a high volume of alcohol; if you are pregnant or lactating; if you have a history of severe psychiatric illness; or, if you have a history of diabetes, frequent pneumonia, or cardiac, kidney, liver or lung disease.

  Risks involved in ROD treatments are the same as those rare risks involved with general anesthesia and sedation: chipped teeth, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, scratched eye, sore throat, pneumonia, and, even rarer than those, major organ failure and death. As a precaution, discuss your detox options with your physician to make sure you're a good candidate for ROD.