Detox from Prescription Drugs
in a
Safe Environment
- Written By: Ava
- January 31, 2024
- Medically-Reviewed: Audrey Grimm, PMHNP-BC
Table of Contents
Audrey Grimm, PMHNP-BC
Sequoia Recovery Centers
Audrey Grimm is one of Sequoia’s original founders and Chief Executive Officer. Audrey has spent her career working in behavioral health. She has over 10 years of nursing experience, half of that working in inpatient psychiatric and detox facilities. She graduated as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in 2023.
Prescription Drug addiction treatment
Prescription Drug Addiction Detox & Treatment
Prescription drugs can create a physical and chemical dependence by making changes in the brain that take time to reverse. Prescription medications are beneficial for a number of different reasons. Common daily prescription pills are used to treat ADHD, anxiety, and severe pain. These prescription medications are also known for being highly abused. Many believe prescription pill abuse is somewhat safer than other drug abuse, considering these drugs are prescribed by a medical doctor and FDA-approved.
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What Exactly Is Prescription Drug Addiction?
Unfortunately, this thinking contributes to the prescription pill epidemic being such a problem in our country. Many of these prescribed medications are psychoactive, mind-altering, and can lead to addiction problems. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 52 million people older than 12 have used prescription medications recreationally in their lifetime. Once abuse turns into an addiction, serious problems arise.
Prescription drugs fall into three main classes: opioid pain relievers, stimulants, and central nervous system depressants. Each type of drug can create a physical and chemical dependence by making changes in the brain that take time to reverse. Withdrawal occurs when drug use is stopped, or quantities are decreased. Withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and can even be life-threatening if not managed safely.
For any detox needs resulting from drug addiction issues, our Washington detox services at Sequoia Recovery Centers can help. Contact us today to learn more.
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The first step
Prescription Drug Detox is Crucial to Recovery
When the anxiety and pain from withdrawal begin, it can become too challenging to tolerate for many individuals. In most cases, this is the cause of relapse. Professional medical detox is crucial to begin the recovery journey. Through proper medical treatment and additional therapy, a former addict is more likely to be successful and sustain sobriety.
For many addicts who enter treatment, detox is the first necessary step required to cleanse the body of any substance. Only after your system is clean can you fully immerse yourself in a drug treatment program. Although quitting drugs cold turkey may seem less intrusive than going to a Spokane prescription drug detox program, it is essential to remember that detoxing without support especially from certain substances- can be dangerous and frequently leads to relapse.
What to Expect
What Does Detox From Prescription Drugs Look Like?
Detoxing from prescription drugs can be painful, scary, and dangerous because it requires you to experience the full range of withdrawal symptoms. While using a prescription drug, your brain and body systems become accustomed to functioning with a certain amount of the addictive substance always in your body. The brain and other body systems will alter their function to accommodate and flush the toxic chemicals from your body each day. Eventually, tolerance and dependency develop, and you begin to feel like you need to take prescription drugs to function “normally.”
Because the cravings become so overwhelming, detoxing or reducing the amount you use is difficult. Withdrawal symptoms occur because your body is not getting the substance it has grown dependent on to function and carry out vital processes. Although withdrawal looks different from person to person and based on the specific prescription drug, there are several signs and symptoms of prescription drug detox you can expect. These include dizziness, elevated heart rate, stomach problems, tremors, and nausea. Heart palpitations, seizures, and other life-threatening conditions can sometimes occur in more severe cases.
The most successful way to detox from any form of prescription pills is a medically supervised prescription pill detox program such as the one at Sequoia Recovery Centers.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
What to Expect From Our
Prescription Drug Detox
The cycle of dependence can be difficult to break and often requires professional assistance, as found in our Washington medical detox program.
The first step in most recovery programs is typically detox. Detox refers to the process by which toxins are purged from the body. The detox process may vary depending on the type of drug abused, the length of time abused, and the severity of the dependence.
Since there are many different prescription medications that people become addicted to, the withdrawal symptoms will vary. Frequently abused prescription pills include opiates, benzos, and amphetamines.
The intensity and duration of detox-associated withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on several factors. During detox at our Spokane, Washington, prescription drug detox center, you can expect to receive full medical support throughout your journey to sobriety. Depending on your treatment plan, you may receive medicine to help manage withdrawal symptoms and other detox-related concerns.
During detox, you can expect your providers to pay careful attention to your vitals, including heart rate, temperature, breathing, and blood pressure. Medical monitoring during detox aims to provide needed support and assistance during the most challenging days of your sobriety journey.
What Comes Next
Detox is one part of your overall treatment plan. Once you have overcome your physical dependence, we help you overcome the psychological dependence and reduce the risk of relapse moving forward with the next level of care.
With inpatient or outpatient programs you participate in daily services like:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Support groups
- Holistic care
All of this takes place at our facility. One key difference between the two is that outpatient programs let you live at home during your recovery, and come to our clinic for detox and the rest of your care. This can be particularly useful for those who need to remain on track with school or continue work.
When to Seek Help
How to Know If It's Time To Go To a Prescription Drug Detox
Regular use of prescription drugs can lead to developing a tolerance to and craving for their effects. With ongoing use, tolerance often evolves into dependence. Painful and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms can develop when someone is dependent on a substance and chooses to reduce or stop using. With opioids, stimulants, and benzodiazepine drugs, withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be dangerous or fatal.
Although recognizing the signs of developing prescription drug dependency might be challenging, consider how you feel when you try to stop using the drug. If you miss a dose or decide it’s time to quit, do withdrawal symptoms occur? If so, it is time to go to a prescription drug detox center.
Other indications that professional treatment might be the best next step towards helping you recover from addiction include various other signs and symptoms of prescription drug addiction, such as:
- New or worsening medical symptoms like skin sores, heart and breathing problems, and stomach issues.
- Tolerance of your prescription drug
- New or worsening mental health challenges
- Legal and financial concerns
- Choosing using or seeking prescription drugs over other obligations such as work and family
Recognizing the need to seek help at a treatment program is only the first step towards helping yourself or a loved one heal. The most successful way to detox from any form of prescription pills is a medically supervised prescription pill detox program such as the one at Sequoia Recovery Centers.
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Get Help for Prescription Pill Addiction at Sequoia Recovery Centers
With all prescription pill detox and withdrawal, the individual’s body will be affected physically, mentally, and spiritually. Withdrawal symptoms from most prescription medications are so severe that detoxing without medical supervision often fails, leading to a return to using or, in some cases, overdose.
Seeking help at a prescription drug detox center is the safest and most effective way to begin your journey towards sobriety. With help from our caring and compassionate treatment staff, you can detox and transition into a therapeutic program developed around your specific treatment needs. Not all detox programs are the same, and choosing the one that provides the level of care and therapy models you need to heal is essential.
Contact us today to learn more about how to get help for prescription pill addiction at Sequoia Recovery Centers, a Spokane, Washington detox center.
