What is Rapid Detox?
Rapid detox, also called rapid opiate detox or ultra rapid detox, is a method of treating drug withdrawal in a person who is addicted to certain kinds of drugs. A physical addiction to drugs is a serious medical issue that must be supervised by health care professionals when a person reduces or eliminates the substance that the body has become dependent upon. In the past, detoxification was a long process, lasting anywhere from a few days to a week. Rapid detox is a medical procedure that allows detoxification to occur within the span of a day. Rapid detox is used to quickly eliminate the extremely uncomfortable and life threatening withdrawal of opiates, heroin, prescription medications and alcohol. Withdrawal symptoms of these drugs include shaking, sweating, confusion, headaches, cravings, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, agitation, depression and anxiety. Sometimes, seizures and heart attacks can occur from detoxification. A person undergoing rapid detox i
The rapid opiate detox process is generally conducted in a hospital setting and under general anesthesia. Also referred to as ‘ultra rapid opiate detox,’ rapid detox for opiate based substances and addictions such as heroin, vicodin, methadone, or any prescribed narcotic pain killers. Other narcotic opiate-based substances that can be treated through the rapid detoxification process include: • Codeine • Dilaudid • Morphine • Percocet • Percodan • Lortab • Oxycontin ® The rapid opiate detox process is generally conducted in a hospital setting and under general anesthesia. In fact, the process is most often overseen by certified and qualified anesthesiologists and a nursing staff that specializes in such procedures. While under anesthesia, the patient is administered medications that accelerate the physical reactions to the rapid withdrawal process which can last from 4 to 6 hours.
An alternative form of detoxification, rapid detox, takes place under the supervision of a physician in a hospital setting. The individual is placed under anesthesia and treated with drugs which are supposed to assist in easing the individual off of the opiate in question. While Rapid Detox has many advocates, there is a growing movement away from Rapid Detox because of the inherent risks and dangers associated with the procedure. The side effects of being under anesthesia can be severe, and the rapid detox process tends to “overlook” many of the deeply psychological problems associated with drug addiction. According to a study performed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), rapid detox is not more effective in relieving opiate withdrawal or retaining people in treatment than other commonly used methods. (specifically, “Rapid opioid detoxification with opioid antagonist induction using general anesthesia has emerged as an expensive, potentially dangerous, unproven
People addicted to opiates, or narcotics, come from all walks of life and all economic levels. Dependence on opiates can be fatal. Opiates include buprenorphine, butorphanol, codeine, fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, opium, oxycodone, pentazocine, and propoxypene. The severity of withdrawal depends on the amounts and length of time the person used opiates. Beginning within 6-12 hours after stopping opiate use, withdrawal begins with symptoms that can include sweating, muscle cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and inability to sleep. Withdrawal can last from three to 14 days. And although withdrawal from opiates is the most difficult and painful of all addictions, it can be less so with rapid detox. Patients undergoing rapid detox experience reversal of their physical dependence without being aware of physical withdrawal. Unlike traditional detoxification procedures, rapid detox allows the patient to sleep under light anesthetic while physicians ad
