When a loved one struggles with opiate addiction, it’s important to support and encourage his or her efforts in recovery. What loved ones may not realize is their own well-being plays a crucial role in supporting the addict’s recovery efforts.

In effect, those closest to the addict tend to bear the brunt of his or her indiscretions and oftentimes abusive behavior. For these reasons, it’s important for loved ones to seek out opiate addiction help for themselves as part of their own recovery process.

Fortunately, there’s a range of options from which to choose when seeking out opiate addiction help for loved ones.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) for more information on opiate addiction help for loved ones.

Addiction’s Effects on the Family

Families work in much the same way as a system or network of relationships. In order for this system to function, individual family members fall into certain roles and behaviors and form interdependent relationships with one another.

According to the Journal of Social Work in Public Health, addiction not only disrupts the family system, but also drives loved ones to take on roles that they wouldn’t otherwise carry out. In the absence of needed opiate addiction help, these roles can start to serve a destructive purpose in terms of hampering the addict’s recovery efforts while also affecting loved ones in harmful ways.

Opiate Addiction Help for Loved Ones: Treatment Options

Family therapy promotes healthy relationship interactions.

Support Groups

Social supports play a central role in the addict’s recovery process. Likewise, the addict’s living environment has a tremendous impact on his her success in recovery.

Support groups for loved ones help educate family members on the ups and downs of addiction and the destructive effects it can have on the family unit. These groups offer much needed emotional support in terms of helping a person recover from addiction’s damaging effects in his or her life.

Support groups to consider include:

• Adult Children of Alcoholics
• Al-Anon
• Alateen

Family Therapy

According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, a number of addiction treatment programs offer family therapy as a part of the addict’s overall treatment. Family therapy provides a safe environment where the family (and the addict) can address feelings of hurt and shame brought on by addiction while developing the types of healthy relationship interactions that support a drug-free living environment.

Residential Treatment

While residential treatment programs are most often associated with addiction treatment, residential programs do exist for loved ones in need of opiate addiction treatment help. Residential treatment works particularly well in cases where a family member has strong codependency issues that make it difficult for him or her to detach from the addict’s problems. These programs can work wonders in terms of building self-esteem while helping you work through the underlying emotional issues that drive codependent behaviors.

Considerations

It’s not uncommon for the addict to become the focus of the recovery process considering how his or her drug-using behaviors are the source of the problem. In actuality, loved ones take on their fair share of addiction’s effects, and so likewise require some level of support and treatment.

Ultimately, opiate addiction help for loved ones should not be overlooked or minimized since the health of the family can make or break a recovering addict’s ability to maintain a drug-free lifestyle.

If you have questions about treatment options for family and loved ones, call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction counselors.

How Opiate Addiction Warps Your Loved One’s Thinking & How to Spot the Need for Treatment

If you’ve used heroin for weeks or months at a time, you know how powerful this opiate-based drug can be and how difficult it is to stop or reduce drug use. In effect, the longer heroin abuse continues, the more out-of-control this “habit” becomes.

What starts out as a seemingly harmless recreational activity gradually turns into a daily need as never-ending drug cravings make life unbearable in the absence of the drug. After so many attempts to stop using heroin, the need for opiate drug addiction treatment becomes more so apparent with each passing day.

While not an all-out cure, opiate drug addiction treatment can equip you with the needed tools and supports for taking back control of your life from heroin addiction.

The Roots of Opiate Drug Addiction

Opiate drug addiction has to do with the effects chronic drug abuse has on a person’s thinking, emotions and behaviors. The roots of addiction originate within the chemical processes in the brain and the damaging effects heroin causes.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, heroin abuse essentially changes the brain structurally, which inevitably changes how the brain works. In effect, the ongoing damage brought on by heroin abuse creates a heroin dependent environment, both physically and psychologically.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) with any questions you have regarding heroin addiction treatment.

Addiction Treatment Objectives

Addiction treatment provides the coping skills needed to avoid heroin use.

According to Mount San Jacinto College, addiction treatment entails breaking the body’s physical and psychological dependence on a drug’s effects. In the case of heroin addiction, a person is left with long-term aftereffects in terms of the brain’s functional capacity as well as on his or her thinking and behaviors.

For these reasons, the opiate drug addiction process uses medication therapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine to support damaged brain functions, while helping replace addiction-based thinking and behavior with healthy daily living coping skills. In cases of mild or early stage addiction, medication therapy treatment may not be necessary depending on the severity of the addiction.

Curing vs. Managing Opiate Drug Addiction

Addiction by its very nature is defined as a chronic brain disease that carries an ongoing potential for relapse. This means a person can remain vulnerable to drug-using urges for months or even years after stopping drug use. This is especially the case with heroin addiction problems.

Under these conditions, opiate drug addiction treatment interventions can only work to help you manage the effects of addiction in your daily life rather than cure it altogether.

Considerations

It’s not unreasonable to expect a treatment program to cure your addiction problem considering how so many other types of medical conditions can be cured outright. Unfortunately, heroin addiction’s effects change the brain on a fundamental level so addiction recovery focuses on restoring normal brain functioning while helping you manage drug-using urges and behaviors.

What’s most important is to seek out opiate drug addiction treatment help sooner rather than later as the recovery process becomes that much more difficult the longer compulsive drug-using practices persist.

For help with finding a treatment program that addresses your specific needs, call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

Will I Be Able to Overcome Heroin Addiction?

During the early stages of opiate abuse, it’s not uncommon for a person to function effectively in daily life as far as work and family obligations go. However, when opiate abuse is ongoing, the damaging effects of the drug become increasingly apparent with each passing day.

After a certain point, signs of opiate addiction start to develop and before long, start to impair a person’s ability to function effectively. While the appearance of opiate addiction symptoms varies from person to person, three symptoms in particular develop as a result of the drug’s most powerful effects, regardless of individual differences.

Over time, these three symptoms hold the potential to ruin a person’s life when drug-using behaviors continue.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) with any questions you may have regarding opiate addiction treatment.

Symptoms to Watch Out For

1. Psychological Dependence

During the course of opiate abuse, the brain’s chemical environment adapts to the drug’s effects, reducing its own neurotransmitter production rates along the way, according to the Journal of Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. These changes come at a cost with chemical-producing brain cells undergoing structural damage in the process.

Likewise, the brain’s cognitive and emotion-based centers also adapt to the changing chemical environment. These adaptations in particular lie at the heart of a growing addiction problem.

Opiate addiction can lead to severe anxiety and depression.

This opiate addiction symptom leaves a person unable to face everyday life without the effects of opiates. Under these conditions, he or she is willing to sacrifice most anything to get and use the drug.

2. Emotional Instability

Emotional instability develops out of growing chemical imbalances in the brain. With compulsive opiate abuse, it’s only a matter of time before a person starts to experience episodes of depression and/or anxiety as the brain’s chemical levels continue to skew out of balance.

For these reasons, full-blown psychological disorders tend to develop alongside opiate addiction, especially in cases of ongoing abuse practices. Once psychological problems become an issue, this opiate addiction symptom has the potential to wreak havoc in a person’s relationships and greatly disrupt his or her ability to interact with others.

3. Overdose

Whether a person abuses heroin, hydrocodone or Vicodin, the risk of overdose increases the longer a person continues to abuse the drug. Overdose develops out of the cumulative effects of opiates in terms of their ability to slow down the body’s major systems.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, overdose-related opiate addiction symptoms can cause extensive damage to the body’s systems as well as the risk of death that every overdose event brings. Medical problems commonly left behind by opiate overdose include:

• Respiratory problems
• Gastrointestinal conditions
• Mental illness
• Heart problems

Considerations

While opiate abuse may not be a problem during the early stages of drug use, a growing addiction problem will make it more and more difficult to function effectively in daily life. As the damaging effects of opiates tend to worsen with time, someone experiencing one or more of the above opiate addiction symptoms stands to experience the very worst of what addiction has to offer with continued drug use.

With needed treatment help, a person can stop the damaging effects of addiction in its tracks and take back his or her life from the inevitable decline that opiate addiction brings.

Please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to ask about available opiate addiction treatment options.

How Opiate Addiction Warps Your Loved One’s Thinking & How to Spot the Need for Treatment

Watching a loved one struggle with an addiction problem can be frustrating and heartbreaking all at once. Attempts to reason with him or her may seem promising on the surface, but do little if anything to curb his or her drug-using behavior.

As one of the fastest growing addictions of our time, opiate addiction slowly but surely warps the mind and essentially changes a person’s psychological makeup over time. Understanding how opiate addiction works can help you take steps to seek out needed treatment help for a loved one who’s fallen prey to addiction’s effects.

Opiate Interactions with Brain Functioning

According to Harvard Health Publications, the beginnings of opiate addiction take shape inside the brain’s chemical system, where the drug’s effects alter brain cell functions. Under normal conditions, certain brain cells release needed amounts of neurotransmitter chemicals, most notably, dopamine and serotonin.

In the presence of opiates, these same cells release abnormally high levels of neurotransmitter chemicals. With repeated drug use, these interactions throw off the brain’s chemical system and set the stage for the roots of opiate addiction to take hold.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) for information on opiate addiction treatment options.

Opiate Addiction’s Effects on How the Brain Thinks

Environmental Cues

Opiate addiction changes your priorities and motivations.

Opiate addiction develops out of the damage done to the brain’s reward system. This system shapes a person’s:

• Thinking
• Belief systems
• Motivations
• Priorities

According to the Journal of Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, over the course of drug use, the reward system forms associations between environmental stimuli and the experience of getting “high.” In effect, anything associated with the “high” experience becomes hardwired into the brain reward system.

These associations act as cues or triggers that fuel drug-using urges and drive drug-using behavior.

Physiological Responses

While not directly related to a person’s thinking processes, the ongoing effects of opiates on the brain’s physiological makeup play a pivotal role in a growing opiate addiction problem. With each successive dose of the drug, chemical imbalances become more pronounced, which inevitably starts to change the brain’s overall physical structure over time.

By the time opiate addiction sets in, the brain works differently, so a person thinks and acts differently as a result.

Psychological Dependence

More than anything else, addiction changes the way a person thinks; a condition that develops out of the brain’s warped reward system functions. Opiate addiction redirects your loved one’s motivations and priorities to the point where the importance of family and work has been replaced with an obsessive need to get and use the drug.

In effect, the opiate “high” has become a primary means for surviving or coping with daily life.

The Need for Opiate Addiction Treatment Help

The effects of opiate addiction create a whole new belief system that breeds its own logic, emotions and behaviors. In the absence of needed treatment help, continued drug use will only see your loved one become more entrenched within this frame of mind. The longer this goes on the harder it will be to break addiction’s hold on his or her life.

If you have any further questions about opiate addiction, or need information on available treatment options, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction counselors.

6 Ways Your Loved One Could be Hiding Opiate Addiction Right in Front of You

At some point, all addicts reach a point where continuing to use is more painful than committing to quit.  Symptoms of opiate withdrawal can be menacing.  However, knowing the stages and finding methods of coping can lead to long-lasting recovery.

Phase One:  Detoxing

Researchers at Medline Plus confirm withdrawal symptoms from opiate withdrawal usually begin between 12 and 30 hours of stopping the drugs.  The symptoms can continue for several days or expand into weeks, depending largely on each individual.  The body requires a time of rehabilitation in order to reset the programmed dependence cycle. For help finding an opiate detox center near you, call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

Physical Symptoms of Detox

Because opiates work by binding to the brain’s pleasure receptors and natural chemicals that regulate pain, many physical symptoms erupt when the drug is stopped.  Neurological responses misfire sending erratic messages to all the body’s systems.  Physical withdrawal symptoms to look for include:

• Headaches
• Muscle aches
• Sweating
• Flu-like symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Chills
• Tremors and Shakes

Phase Two:  Emotional/Mental Issues

Sustainable recovery requires lifestyle changes and self-care.

Addicts’ brains are wired differently.  Extensive research notes differences in the way certain people process chemicals and how they affect dopamine and serotonin uptake in the neural pathways.  Essentially, addicts respond with greater fervor to chemicals like opiates than others who do not have a propensity toward addiction.

Mental and Emotional Withdrawal Symptoms

Coping with mental and emotional withdrawal is important to achieve long-term recovery.  Unlike physical symptoms, which abate relatively quickly, mental and emotional symptoms can last for weeks, months or even years.  Fortunately, they lessen in longevity and intensity as time passes.  Look for the following throughout the recovery process:

• Craving
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Irregular sleep patterns
• Depression
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair
• Suicidal thoughts

Phase Three:  Lifestyle Changes

Opiate use can take people into dangerous places with dangerous people.  The addiction usually drives addicts into association with like-minded people:  other addicts.  Steady changes in lifestyle are necessary to promote physical, emotional and mental wellness.

Activity Changes to Expect

One seasoned addict playfully asked another, “What is the one thing you have to change to begin recovery?”

The addict queried, “I don’t know.  What?”

The first addict responds, “Everything.”

While this tongue in cheek reply doesn’t exactly offer concrete directions for a newly sober person, it is accurate.  Significant changes in lifestyle must be expected to maintain recovery.

• Changing friendships
• Diet changes
• Exercise
• Reconnecting with social or spiritual groups (or connecting for the first time)
• Enjoying new hobbies
• Repairing areas of neglect

Phase Four:  Seeking Meaning

Withdrawal from opiates is difficult and ongoing.  Changes in the brain make the road rocky.  People who are successful in recovery must find a deeper reason to commit to changing deep-seated habits.  Finding a new meaning and purpose in life is critical to combating the craving to return to the quick fix offered in opiate driven oblivion.

A New Way of Life

Addicts in active addiction ravage their lives and the lives of family members.  The new life offered in recovery comes with challenges, but also joys that surpass anything offered by a pill or needle.  Recovering addicts can look forward to changes in these areas, as well.

• Repairing relationships
• Finding a new career or improving performance
• Helping others struggling with addiction
• Expanding connections
• Enjoying peace and serenity

The symptoms of opiate withdrawal can be difficult.  However, they are not impossible to manage.  Reach out.  Find help.  Enjoy the beautiful new life that can be discovered by committing to move through these recovery phases as opiate withdrawal symptoms ease. We can help you find the best opiate addiction recovery program for your needs. Call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) today.

Resources

Heller, J. (2016). Opiate and opioid withdrawal:  Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000949.htm

Narcotics Anonymous (2006-2008). It’s all about carrying the message:  Fellowship Issue Discussions.  Taking the Next Steps. Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Van Nuys, CA. Retrieved from: https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/IDT_Frame_27Feb07.pdf

Kosten, T. & George, T. (2002).  The neurobiology of opioid dependence:  Implications for treatment. Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. 1(1).  13-20. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851054/

Volkow, N. (2014). America’s Addiction to Opioids:  Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse.  Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control__:  National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse

The Dark Night Before the Dawn: Opiate Withdrawal

Coming off opiates is no joke.  Whether plagued by prescription pills like oxycodone or addicted to harder substances like heroin, withdrawal symptoms from opiates are harsh.  Coping with the withdrawal is the key to embarking on the long road of recovery.

For advice on getting through opiate withdrawal, or for help finding treatment, call our addiction experts at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

Recognizing Addiction

The first step in navigating withdrawal is recognizing when use and abuse has teetered into dependence and addiction.  An honest, personal appraisal is necessary to evaluate chemical dependency.  Opiates are powerful analgesics affecting the way the brain works.  Signs to look for:

• Developing a tolerance
• Behavioral changes related to drug use
• Family problems related to drug use
• Feeling driven to take opiates
• Mixing chemicals or drinking alcohol while taking opiates for greater effect

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms

Opiates affect the body in powerful ways.  Because they are pain killers, they work by altering pain receptors in the brain.  They also slow respirations and slow all organ functioning.  Physical withdrawal can affect the following:

• Cardiovascular system:  blood pressure, heart rate
• Respiratory systems:  breathing rates
• Digestive system:  vomiting, diarrhea, nausea
• Muscular system:  joint aches, cramps, muscle spasms
• Nervous system:  overactive neurological processing

Emotional Withdrawal Symptoms

Feelings of sadness and hopelessness are common during opiate withdrawal.

Because of the way opiates work, emotional withdrawal is common when stopping opiates.  Opiate activate the pleasure centers in the brain and making them hypersensitive.  Stopping use can create:

• Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
• Feelings of desperation
• Unexplained anger and irritability
• Anxiety
• Severe mood swings

Mental Withdrawal Symptoms

Extended opiate use, whether prescribed or illegal creates lasting changes in the brain.  Research shows brain abnormalities in patients who abuse opiates for a period of time.  Opiates bind to the mµ receptors in the brain, permanently changing the way the brain processes stimuli.

• Obsessive thoughts about opiates
• Inability to focus
• Confusion
• Forgetfulness

Treatment for Opiate Withdrawal

Treating opiate addiction specifically is crucial for patients to achieve lasting recovery.  Withdrawal symptoms require medical management for a greater chance at avoiding future use.  Effective treatment programs usually involve a combined therapeutic approach treating the body, mind and spirit of the addict.

Physical Recovery

Entering detox or seeking help from a medical professional is important for opiate addicts.  Physical recovery begins with medical management of the above noted symptoms to avoid using to relieve withdrawal symptoms from opiates.  Opiate sickness affects every system, so patients experiencing withdrawal can truly believe they are dying.

Mental/Emotional Recovery

Recovery experts recommend ongoing therapy, support groups and self-help initiatives, like 12-step programs, to aide addicts in experiencing lasting mental and emotional recovery.  Embracing new habits toward wellness is important.  Healthy eating, exercise and meditation are helpful tools for addiction recovery.

Putting the Pieces Together

It is possible to bear the burning sickness of opiate withdrawal symptoms to achieve lasting recovery.  Understanding the powerful effects of opiate withdrawal symptoms and seeking help to manage them is key.  A balanced approach treating the body, mind and spirit can set an addict upon a successful path and a drug-free life. Call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) today to begin your opiate addiction recovery journey. 

Resources

Harvard Medical School. (2009). The addicted brain. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from:  http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the_addicted_brain

Kosten, T. & George, T. (2002).  The neurobiology of opioid dependence:  Implications for treatment. Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. 1(1).  13-20. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851054/

Narcotics Anonymous.  (1992). An Introductory Guide to Narcotics Anonymous.  Retrieved from: http://na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/Booklet/Intro%20Guide%20to%20NA.pdf

Volkow, N. (2014). America’s Addiction to Opioids:  Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse.  Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control__:  National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse

The Dark Night Before the Dawn: Opiate Withdrawal

In 1987, Robert Downey Jr. portrayed the tortured young Julian Wells who lived a life of privilege but became a slave to drug addiction. For Downey, art reflected a struggle that would continually plague his life. Cycling through opiate withdrawal symptoms makes it difficult to break the chains that bind Downey and others who have struggled with addiction into the dark night of the soul.

If you struggle with opiate addiction, get help today by calling 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

The Party

For some, drugs like opiates offer relief from pain, boredom and worry. Users are often thrill-seekers looking for fun, carefree times. For a while, opiates work. They take the user into a party full of conviviality and escape.

The Yearn for More

The problem with opiate use, is the creation of yearning. Users continue to look for the initial euphoria associated with the nostalgia of the first high. Because it takes more and more to find the magical level, users quickly become abusers in an effort to quell the deep longing for more.

The Pull of Opiates

Opiates like heroin and morphine are injected into the blood stream, traveling quickly to the brain. In the brain, the chemicals bind to the mµ receptors to block pain and activate pleasure responses. Researchers describe the process as one that promotes “drug liking”, leading abusers into addiction.

Tolerance

You can recover from opiate abuse. Call our helpline to get started today!

Two types of tolerance exist for opiate users: innate or acquired tolerance. Innate tolerance refers to the genetic and physical predisposition of people toward a specific chemical. This can be easily determined based on one dose of a drug. An acquired tolerance is developed over prolonged drug exposure. Researchers have further explored a third area of tolerance, which is largely learned behavior.

Dependence

Many ask how long it takes to develop dependence upon opiates. Opiate addiction is considered an epidemic in the United States. Some studies report drug dependence resulting in repeated use after as little as two weeks. The time from beginning to use to full blown addiction varies widely depending upon the individual and how the drug are being used.

Recognizing Dependence and Addiction

There are signs and symptoms that reveal opioid dependence and addiction, if users have the courage to look clearly.

• Requiring more of the drug to receive the desired effect
• Increased need to alleviate physical and/or psychological symptoms
• Thinking constantly about taking the drug
• Family members express concern
• The thought of quitting evokes a fearful response

Recognizing the signs of chemical dependence and addiction can be the beginning toward an addiction-free life.

Withdrawal from Opiates

For those who have developed an addiction to opiates, withdrawal symptoms can seem debilitating and even life threatening. Tapering schedules or pharmacological intervention may be necessary to manage withdrawal symptoms effectively. Seek medical assistance if stopping opiates causes any of the following:

• Extreme irritability
• Headaches
• Sweating
• Shaking
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Aches and chills
• Heartbeat irregularities

The Dawn

Opiate withdrawal symptoms can feel like the darkest night. With proper treatment, however, detoxing from opiates and moving into a life free from addiction can feel like stepping into a new day. Physical withdrawal symptoms usually last a few days, while mental, emotional and spiritual symptoms take a longer time in recovery to abate. Going through the process is well worth it for addicts seeking to come into the light of day. You can start the recovery process today by calling our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

Resources

Narcotics Anonymous (1983). Am I an addict? Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Van Nuys, CA. Retrieved from: https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/IP/EN3107.pdf

Bio.com (2016). Robert Downey Jr.- Less Than Zero. Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/people/robert-downey-jr-9542052/videos/robert-downey-jr-less-than-zero-22736451585

Kosten, T. & George, T. (2002). The neurobiology of opioid dependence: Implications for treatment. Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. 1(1). 13-20. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851054/

Volkow, N. (2014). America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse

What Addiction Treatment Options Can Help With Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms?

One of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal is a severe headache. If you are an opiate addict and in withdrawal, you might be wondering what types of headache you get, what causes them, what you can do, and what a treatment center can do for you.

What Types of Headaches Are Associated with Opiate Withdrawal and What Causes Them?

There are several types of headache associated with opiate withdrawal. It is important to know the types of headache and their causes because the treatment for each may be slightly different. According to the National Library of Medicine, the types of opiate withdrawal headache and their causes are:

• Tension: stress, anxiety, and the emotional symptoms of withdrawal
• Migraine: depression, stress, and lack of dopamine production
• Dehydration: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• High blood pressure: elevated blood pressure and anxiety

Different types of treatment work for each of these headaches. Knowing what caused the headache can help you treat it. All of these can be diagnosed and remedied at a treatment center. For more information, call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

What Can You Do About Headaches Caused by Opiate Withdrawal?

There are a few things that you can personally do about withdrawal related headaches.

Consider the following options:

Aromatherapy can relieve headaches.

• Aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen
• Aromatherapy
• Self-massage
• An Epsom salt bath
• Meditation
• An application of witch hazel or lavender on your temples

Consider the following actions:

• Hydrating yourself
• Stretching to relieve tension
• Trying to sleep
• Pressing between your thumb and forefinger
• Watching a movie or television as a distraction
• Using a warm or cold compress on your neck
• Talking with a friend or relative

These are all ways to stop a headache without using prescription medication. When your headache is severe and accompanied by other withdrawal symptoms, you might want to consider going to a treatment center, especially if you are considering taking an opiate for it.

What a Treatment Center Can Do for Opiate Headaches

Treatment centers are well equipped to deal with opiate withdrawal and opiate related headaches. Treatment centers can give you medications that will stop all of your withdrawal symptoms.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, treatment centers offer the following medications:

• Methadone: an opiate agonist that treats withdrawal
• Suboxone: a two-part medication that consists of buprenorphine and naloxone
• Buprenorphine: a partial opiate agonist that treats withdrawal
• Subutex: a partial opiate agonist that treats withdrawal
• Clonidine: a medication that reduces blood pressure and many of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal

All of these medications block withdrawal symptoms so they will not only treat your headache, they will treat all of your symptoms.

You can find a treatment center for you opiate withdrawal and withdrawal related headaches by simply calling 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?). We can help.

What Addiction Treatment Options Can Help With Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms?