Treating Opiate Addictions at Our Opiate detox Centers
Are you a private practice clinician seeking to expand your services to patients with addictions to opiates? Have you recently been approached by a potential patient who wants to fight an opiate addiction? If you are looking for the best opiate treatment options, Lighthouse provides innovative recovery programs at our opiate detox centers for individuals struggling with addiction, specifically opiate addiction.
We believe in providing affordable care using the best and most qualified team of clinicians, therapists, interventionists, and supportive staff. In addition to providing the best opiate addiction treatments, we strongly believe in educating communities on the fact that addiction is a chronic illness and not a choice. Although treatments have evolved over the years, the public perception regarding opiate addiction remains negative.
Familiarize Yourself with the Issue of Opiate Addiction
If you are not as familiar with opiate addiction compared to some other addictions, let’s discuss opiates. So what exactly are opiates? They are derived from the opium poppy. Opium is used to create pain relieving medications. The major types of opiates include:
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Heroin
- Opium
Opiates do not remove pain from the body. Rather, opiate medications alter the way the body perceives pain. It works like this: Opiates link to opioid receptors in the brain. When opiates attach to the receptors, the brain does not perceive the level of pain experienced by the individual. In other words, the body has the illusion that the drug has removed the pain.
Show Compassion and Understanding During the Withdrawal Process
Opiate addiction usually develops when our patient develops a tolerance to a prescription painkiller. If our patient is unsatisfied with the results from the amount prescribed by the doctor, he or she may take more than the suggested dosage. This is the beginning stage of addiction to opiates. It is important to understand that treating our patient with an opiate addiction can be physically and emotionally challenging for the doctor, our patient and the surrounding loved ones.
When someone withdrawals from opiate use, he or she can experience these types of symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Aches and pains
- Abdominal pain
- Agitation and mood swings
Should Medications Be Used During the Recovery Process?
Withdrawal from opiates can be a long recovery process. It is common to see relapse during treatment. There are medications that can assist our patient in overcoming his or her addiction by reducing the withdrawal symptoms. The most common medications used to treat opiate addiction at our opiate detox centers include:
Methadone
Using the prescribed amount, methadone eliminates withdrawal symptoms and helps ease cravings. Our patient should not feel as physically dependant on the opiate.
Buprenorphine and Naloxone
This is a newer drug that assists in the detoxification process. Buprenorphine helps reduce the craving for the drug during the withdrawal process. Naloxone prevents the misuse of the medication by eliminating the high.
Clonidine
This blood pressure medication is usually accompanied with the other medications. Clonidine helps regulate the “fight or flight” response on the brain. During withdrawal, this response is overactive.
Although we have used medications to treat opiate addiction, they have a low success rate. Research has found 70%-90% of methadone users relapse at the end of treatment. Some of the other medications used have an even lower opiate addiction treatment success rate.
As your patient’s counselor, providing encouragement and empathy to what he or she is experiencing is vital for recovery. In addition to providing support and education on addiction to the family and surrounding community, we are ready to provide your patient with additional rehabilitation services. Lighthouse offers effective intervention and detoxification plans that are customized to meet our patient’s needs. We take their emotional needs and state of well-being into consideration. Also, we accommodate the needs of the family, whether it be additional counseling or financial support. We respect the dignity of everyone involved in the recovery process.
In Conclusion
inpatient/Residential Treatment is one of the many services we offer to our patients. Our patients not only experience a tranquil and modern residence, they also find support from RCA clinicians, therapists, medical staff, counselors, and other residents. The residential treatments at our opiate detox centers develop psychosocial, physical, and pharmacogenetic assessments. We encourage patients to continue psychiatric and medical services. Patients can benefit from participating in group services such as yoga, musical therapy, counseling, effective communication, and other services to assist with the healing process. For more information on the opiate epidemic in this country and opiate addiction treatment options, contact us online or call 1-800-RECOVERY.
Opiate Addiction | Addiction to Opiate
