There are few medications or drugs as addictive as opioids. This is evident in the fact that we are currently in an opioid addiction epidemic. Once a person becomes addicted to opioids, their brain can actually change in behavior and chemistry. People that suffer from opioid addiction also suffer from opioid dependency, which causes them to experience opioid withdrawals. This causes them to then need to consume more and more opioids to function.
The only way to treat opioid withdrawals is to attend medical detox. To help manage opioid withdrawal symptoms before, during, and even after detox, people can also utilize vitamins and opiate withdrawal supplements. This is a valid way of dealing with some of the opioid’s intense withdrawal symptoms and effects on the body.
What are Opioids and Opiates?
Opioids, also referred to as narcotics, are drug compounds that act on the opioid receptors in the body. When opioids do this, they signal the human brain to control feelings of reward and pain. Opioids are either all-natural, semi-synthetic, or fully synthetic. Opioids can also be medicinal or illegal. The illegal form of opioids comes in the form of heroin. While all opiates are opioids, not all opioids are opiates. gs
Opiates are opioids whose chemical compounds come from the natural opium poppy plant. Thus, all opiates are natural. This also means that opiates aren’t synthetic or semi-synthetic.
Doctors prescribe both opiates and most opioids to patients that are suffering from severe pain. This is because opioids and opiates both interact with the opioid receptors in the human body in a way that increases feelings of pleasure and reduces feelings of pain.
Types of Opioids
When opioids are fully synthetic, it means that they are entirely man-made. When opioids are semi-synthetic, it means that they are partially man-made and partially natural. When opioids are all-natural, not only are they considered opiates, but they are also entirely made in nature.
Opioid antagonists are opioids that interact with the opioid receptors in the body in a way that blocks the effects of opioids. Opioid antagonists block the effects of opioids by attaching to opioid receptors without activating them. In doing so, opioid antagonists block the addictive effects of opioids.
Although opioid antagonists block the addictive effects of opioids, they sometimes release their own effects that can help suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings. As a result, opioid antagonists make the perfect medications for those experiencing opioid withdrawals in detox.
Below are the lists of all of the well-known synthetic, and semi-synthetic opioids.
Fully Synthetic Opioids
- Fentanyl
- Methadone
- Tramadol
- Levorphanol
Semi-Synthetic Opioids
- Heroin
- Oxymorphone
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
- Hydromorphone
Opioid Antagonists
As mentioned earlier, opioid antagonists are opioids that produce the medicinal effects of opioids without the euphoric effects. Opioid antagonists are used as medications to treat opioid withdrawals.
Examples of opioid antagonists include:
- Naltrexone
- Naloxone
- Buprenorphine
Although an opioid agonist, you can also use methadone to treat your opioid withdrawals.
Types of All-Natural Opiates
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Thebaine
What are Opiate Withdrawals?
Opiate withdrawals occur when someone is dependent on opiates and thus, needs more and more opiates to achieve the same euphoric feelings. All people that suffer from opiate or opioid addiction must also suffer from opioid and/or opiate dependency. This also means that all those that suffer from opioid addiction, suffer from opioid and/or opiate withdrawals. These withdrawals can be severe at times and can completely affect a person’s behavior and mind.
Symptoms of Opiate Withdrawals
There are numerous opiate withdrawal symptoms. People normally suffer from the following opiate withdrawal symptoms when attending opiate detox.
- Yawning
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Runny nose
- Goosebumps
- Muscle aches
- Digestive issues
- Nausea and vomiting
- Agitation and anxiety
- Restless leg syndrome
- Dilated pupils and tearing
Tools That Can Help People Manage Opiate Withdrawals
Outside of detox and treatment, people that suffer from opiate withdrawals can use numerous vitamins and opiate withdrawal supplements to help them get by. They could also use different tools to help them manage their withdrawal symptoms.
Other tools that people can use to help them manage their opiate withdrawal symptoms include:
- Hydration
- Hydrotherapy
- Topical analgesics
- Anti-nausea medications
- Antidiarrheal medications
- Natural sleep supplements
- Opioid antagonists or methadone
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Nutritional support through diet and vitamin supplements
Opiate Withdrawal Supplements
Dietary opiate withdrawal supplements are manufactured pills or liquids that people can consume in replacement of nutritious meals during opiate withdrawal. The purpose of opiate withdrawal supplements is to provide those that are recovering from opiate addiction with the nutrients that their bodies need. All while being able to function at their best and make a full and quick recovery from their addictions.
Opiate withdrawal supplements are necessary because research shows that nutrient deficiency is a consequence of substance abuse and poor eating habits. Opioid and opiate addicts specifically tend to suffer from malnutrition. This is because extensive opioid use damages the body’s intestinal lining. This, in turn, causes the intestine to struggle to absorb nutrients.
When the human body is malnourished, it can prolong the physiological and psychological effects of addiction. This is because nutrition deficiencies can cause the human mind and body to experience chronic inflammation, pain, anxiety, depression, and an imbalance in hormones. Thus, recovering addicts should be proactive and always take their supplements and vitamins.
Common opiate withdrawal supplements include the following:
GABA
GABA is an amino acid that you can find in the human brain. GABA slows down neuron firing which helps calm people down. This is a great dietary supplement for recovering opiate addicts that get easily stressed and excitable to take. Also, GABA is a great dietary supplement for people with any type of anxiety disorder to take.
Protein Powders
Protein powders are good opiate withdrawal supplements because they help repair tissue and organs in the human body that addiction often damages. Protein shakes are also great forms of opiate withdrawal supplements for the same reason.
Calcium and Magnesium
Calcium and magnesium help with any twitches or muscular pain that you might experience during opiate withdrawals. Thus, they help strengthen you and calm you down. Calcium and Magnesium are great options for opiate withdrawal supplements.
B-Vitamins
Three types of B-vitamins include B-complex, B12, and B6. B-complex helps the brain and body produce neurotransmitters and hormones. This will, in turn, help reduce illnesses like anxiety and depression. B12 helps the body produce healthy nerve cells while eliminating the neurotoxic compound homocysteine. While B6 is a required enzymatic cofactor.
Omega-3
If you have low levels of omega-3, it can deplete the levels of dopamine in your brain. This, in turn, can cause you to become depressed and want to use more and more substances to cope. Thus, to avoid diminishing your levels of dopamine, you should take omega-3 opiate withdrawal supplements.
Probiotics
Chronic opiate abuse damages your gut’s lining. Therefore, consuming probiotics to help you restore your gut health will help your body absorb more nutrients more efficiently.
Vitamins for Opiate Withdrawal
Another way to get the nutrients that your body needs while going through opiate withdrawal is to consume more vitamins. You can consume many of the vitamins that your recovering body needs through herbs, vegetables, fruits, and multivitamins. Some of the vitamins for opiate withdrawal are described below.
Multivitamins
Taking multivitamins every day is probably the easiest way to gain vitamins for opiate withdrawal. As a result, doctors often tell their patients that are suffering from opiate withdrawals to start taking multivitamins immediately.
Passionflower
Passionflower is a vitamin-filled herb that people sometimes use to help them treat their opiate withdrawals. In fact, when accompanied by the opiate withdrawal treatment drug clonidine, the people using passionflower exhibit less opiate withdrawal symptoms. Researchers think that passionflower is effective in treating opiate withdrawal because it affects multiple chemicals in the brain.
Vitamin C
When consumed in high doses, vitamin C has been proven to help reduce withdrawal symptoms in recovering heroin addicts. This is because of the overall health benefits of vitamin C. Thus, vitamin C should have the ability to reduce opiate withdrawal symptoms as well.
Ginseng
Ginseng is a traditional Chinese herb and one of many vitamins for opiate withdrawal. Research shows that consuming ginseng during opiate withdrawals can help you improve your mood.
Acetyl-L-carnitine
Acetyl-L-carnitine is a widely used vitamin and opiate withdrawal supplement. The carnitine in acetyl-L-carnitine is a chemical building block for the body. Studies show that acetyl-L-carnitine helps to improve muscle symptoms and sleep issues due to opiate withdrawal.
Coastal Detox Will Make Sure That Your Detox and Addiction Treatment Experience Is As Comfortable As Possible
At Coastal Detox, we provide specialized detox programs for those trying to get clean from all kinds of substances. Whether you need to get clean from opiates, heroin, marijuana, fentanyl, Xanax, alcohol, or some other type of substance, we’ve got you covered.
On top of providing you with high-quality detox, we also offer addiction treatment, holistic care, and clinical therapy at our center. We are a one-stop for all of your addiction treatment needs.
As a free-standing state-licensed medical detox center, we here at Coastal Detox understand how difficult it is to go through withdrawal symptoms. That’s why we make sure to utilize any sort of medication, vitamin, or supplement that can help our patients healthily get through withdrawal.
Ultimately, we do what’s best for all of our patients. That’s why we prioritize client health, safety, comfort, and privacy for all of our patients. Thus, you can rest assured that you’re receiving quality care at our detox center. To learn more about Coastal Detox and the services that we offer, feel free to contact us anytime. We are open 24 hours a day.