Why you should get medical help for opioid detox

Opioid withdrawal can be unpleasant—and symptoms of the condition may lead to medical complications. Douglas Severance, MD, outlines treatment options available to help reduce the effects of opioid withdrawal.

Transcript

00:00

My drug of choice was opiates. And I know what the withdrawal form in that drug

00:06

can do to you. It's actually disabled me and my addiction,

00:15

and caused me to use a year and a half longer than I ever wanted to, just because of the fear from encountering it.

00:22

My question to you is, can opiate withdrawal itself cause further health complications?

00:30

Yeah, Jaime, that's a very good question. Drugs like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol can have life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.

00:38

Opiate withdrawal can be very unpleasant, but it's not generally dangerous. There are several medications used

00:46

to lessen withdrawal symptoms, including recently approved Lofexidine.

00:57

Diarrhea and vomiting are associated with opiate withdrawal, which can cause medical complications.

01:03

Unfortunately there's always a risk of addiction with opioid use. Even if used for short periods of time,

01:10

some people dependent on opiates discovered they were hooked after their first dose. However, anyone who uses opiates is at risk.

01:19

The longer the opiates are used, and the higher the dose, the more likely someone is to become dependent on opiates.

01:25

Get medical help for your detox. Proper medical care for the detox process can be important and life-saving.