What to Expect from Heroin Withdrawal

Withdrawal Symptoms

The withdrawal symptoms experienced by patients who are addicted to heroin and stop using the drug will vary but usually occur in stages. In the first stage, patients often experience:

• Sweating
• Runny nose
• Yawning
• Achiness
• Dilated pupils
• Tearing of the eyes
• Agitation and irritability
• Anxiety

Later, these symptoms may worsen and/or be joined by other symptoms, including:

• Stomach cramps and diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Intense bone and muscle aches
• Insomnia

These withdrawal symptoms can occur in any combination and may be worsened by use of other addictive drugs, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and underlying medical problems, such as chronic pain.

Medication Options

There are a number of different medications that have been shown to be effective in treating the withdrawal symptoms associated with heroin detox. Not all will be appropriate in every case, and some patients will fare best with no medication at all. The most popular options include:

• Methadone. Methadone not only mitigates heroin withdrawal symptoms by binding to the opiate receptors just as heroin would but at high doses (usually between 80 and 120 milligrams), it can block the effects of other drugs should the patient relapse while using the drug. The drug is heavily regulated. Only drug treatment centers that are registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and certified by SAMHSA are legally allowed to provide the medication to patients on a daily, in-person basis until they complete the requirements that allow them to take a certain number of doses home to self-administer.

• Buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is the first medication to be approved for treatment of opiate withdrawal that can be given to patients on a purely outpatient basis from a regular doctor’s office, as long as that doctor has undergone the training necessary to be able to legally prescribe the drug. It too binds to the opiate receptors in the brain and mitigates the symptoms of heroin withdrawal.

• Naltrexone. Naltrexone is the only medication of these three that is not an addictive drug itself. This medication works by blocking the opiate receptors as well as binding to these receptors, rendering other opiate drugs ineffective. It is given by injection under the brand name Vivitrol and is a long-acting drug.

Infants

Babies born to mothers who are addicted to heroin very often have low birth weight, are born prematurely, and are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a physical dependence upon heroin. NAS causes withdrawal symptoms in infants, a problem that affects one baby every hour, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). The average length of the hospital stay after birth for these babies is about 16.4 days, as compared to 3.3 days for infants born without heroin withdrawal symptoms. 

Opiate Detox

The most effective way to address heroin withdrawal symptoms is to undergo detox and comprehensive care at a medical center dedicated to the treatment of addiction. Contact us today to connect with the best heroin treatment for your addicted loved one. We can help.