While codeine can be extremely beneficial for patients suffering from extreme aches and pains, it can also be detrimental to patients who develop an addiction to the substance. All throughout the US currently, we are starting to see a rise in codeine abuse, generally starting with prescriptions, and developing more and more until regular use turns into a full-fledged addiction. While this problem is pervasive in the country's current culture, there are also numerous people struggling with addiction who are turning to treatment for some help. However, this means going through the withdrawal symptoms. This can be scary for struggling addicts who have never gone through treatment before, but with an understanding of the stages of codeine withdrawal, the process becomes far less intimidating. In this article, we're going to look at the withdrawal symptoms of codeine and Saint Paul codeine addiction treatment, in order to give you a better chance at understanding stages of codeine withdrawal.
The first stage patients will need to learn when learning how to deal with codeine withdrawals, is the acute withdrawal stage. Generally speaking, acute withdrawal symptoms begin after twelve hours without use of a codeine, and these symptoms peak after three days without codeine abuse. Acute withdrawal symptoms include: vomiting and nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches and abdominal cramps, mood swings like depression, and trouble sleeping or insomnia. A great way to describe acute withdrawal symptoms, and the first stage of codeine withdrawal, is flu-like, due to its heavy resemblance to a strong flue or similar illness.
When they talk about how to deal with codeine withdrawals, acute withdrawal symptoms are what most drug addicts think of. This is largely due to the relatively small amount of clean time that codeine addicts have, and their experience with acute withdrawal symptoms when drugs are running low, or when they cannot afford more. For many, continued codeine abuse is done to ease acute withdrawal symptoms more-so than to actually get high. Getting help for codeine withdrawals through a medically supervised detox is the best way we can advise patients when considering how to deal with codeine withdrawals.
As you move on from acute withdrawals, you start moving toward the second stage of codeine withdrawal: rebalancing. This is when the body begins to rebalance endorphin levels in order to move back to a normal, or healthy, state. Generally speaking, this stage can last up to two weeks long and is punctuated by leg cramps, dilated pupils, and irregular body temperatures. This stage is when most recovering addicts report feeling chills and goosebumps, and while it is not the most intense stage of withdrawal, it is one that many addicts are trying to deal with on a regular basis.
Getting help for codeine withdrawals can be as easy as contacting a detox center in your area, and there are outpatient and inpatient options to help patients with jobs and prior obligations. They highly suggest that recovering addicts look into how to deal with codeine withdrawals by speaking with a well-regarded detox or Saint Paul codeine addiction treatment center.
The third, last, and longest stage of codeine withdrawal can last anywhere between one week and two month. It is the least severe stage and is the body's final purging of the chemical dependency it's struggled with for so long. This stage's symptoms include: anxiety or nervousness, excess energy or restlessness, and insomnia or trouble sleeping. This stage is usually experienced after detox is already complete, and while this stage is one of the least severe when it comes to withdrawal symptoms, in many cases it is also enough to send seemingly recovered addicts back to using.
During this final stage of withdrawals, it is important that recovering addicts maintain a healthy recovery plan by going to outpatient groups, twelve step programs, or by simply living a life focused on sobriety. As long as recovering addicts go into recovery with a desire to learn and implement new coping skills, than learning how to deal with codeine withdrawals will come almost naturally.
If you are getting help for codeine withdrawal, or if you are in need of help, please get in touch with some of the fantastic representatives by calling (877) 804-1531 to discuss treatment options and how to deal with codeine withdrawals.