Signs of Drug Withdrawal

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2006 more than 30,000 drug-related deaths in the U.S. Even for those who decide to stop drug usage, there are a variety of unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms that must be endured.

Identification

• Withdrawal is the name given to a set of unpleasant experiences and symptoms that a person who is dependent on drugs may go through after discontinuing use. Users experience withdrawal not just from illegal drugs like heroin or crack, but also from legal prescription drugs like painkillers and sedatives.

Factors

• The National Drug and Alcohol Abuse Hotline reports a number of factors that determine the severity and duration of withdrawal symptoms, such as the type of drug, and how much was taken, and how long usage lasted.

Illegal Drug Withdrawal

• Former users often experience a loss of appetite that leads to weight loss. Paranoia, or the feeling of impending doom for no logical reason, and a preoccupation with thoughts of the drug are two other common symptoms.

Drug Specific Withdrawal

• Former heroin users may experience muscle pain, insomnia, vomiting, sweating, and cold flashes. Methadone users experience symptoms such as sneezing, running eyes and nose, fever, tremors and irritability.

Rebound Withdrawal

• Legal drugs, such as pain relievers, antidepressants, decongestants, and sedatives cause rebound withdrawal in some users. Rebound withdrawal is a phenomenon in which the symptoms that led to the prescription of the legal drug return in an exaggerated state after discontinuing the drug.