If you’re in need of opiate detox in West Palm Beach , your substance abuse counselor and physician might recommend Suboxone treatment. Some patients express concern that by undergoing Suboxone treatment, they are simply replacing one drug addiction with another. In reality, unlike most substances containing opiates, Suboxone contains an opioid that can cause physical dependency, but will not cause addiction.

The active ingredients in Suboxone are buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is an opioid, but it is different from other opioids in that it is a partial opioid agonist. This means that it causes less euphoria and physical dependence, has a lower potential for misuse, and has relatively mild withdrawal effects. When taken under the supervision of a doctor, buprenorphine can decrease opioid cravings, reduce opiate withdrawal symptoms, lower the risk of relapse, and help patients stay in drug treatment longer.

Naloxone is a medication that is designed to reverse the effects of opioids. This decreases the risk of misuse of buprenorphine while undergoing Suboxone treatment. If Suboxone is misused and too large of a dose is taken, naloxone will block the effect of buprenorphine.

Sometimes, it’s easy to determine when drug use has become a problem. For example, the use of crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and similar illegal drugs is always considered to be a problem because there is no accepted medical use. However, abuse is not as easy to determine when the drug was legally prescribed. Often, individuals who eventually require drug detox and substance abuse treatment in West Palm Beach were legitimately prescribed the medications that have now caused their addiction.

Regardless of whether an analgesic drug was legitimately prescribed, patients tend to develop physical tolerance over time. Their bodies will need increasing amounts of the drug in order to obtain the same amount of pain relief. Drug abuse occurs when the patient uses the drug in a manner other than prescribed, such as taking additional amounts above the recommended dose. The patient may begin to crave the drug or to feel angry if they miss a dose. If family members express their concern, the patient may become secretive about taking the drug. These are all indicators that substance abuse treatment is needed.

Addictions to heroin cause serious health problems that can result in death. The sooner a heroin addict seeks help for drug addiction near West Palm Beach, the sooner they stop inflicting severe damage on the body’s vital organs. Individuals who are struggling with heroin addiction are at a high risk of being diagnosed with problems of the kidneys, intestines, and brain.

Intestinal Problems

The autonomic nervous system controls automatic bodily functions such as digestion. Since heroin adversely affects the autonomic nervous system, individuals with this type of drug addiction commonly struggle with digestive problems. Specifically, heroin slows down the mechanisms of the intestines and causes poor bowel motility. The end result is chronic constipation. When bowel movements stop completely, the intestines can rupture. Some individuals with addictions will actually purposely go into the early stages of drug withdrawal every 10 to 15 days. Withdrawing from heroin will trigger diarrhea, which can prevent bowel impaction.

Kidney Damage

The most common cause of kidney failure is diabetes that is not well controlled. However, kidney failure can have another cause: heroin addiction. Abusing heroin can lead to high levels of proteins in the urine. Eventually, kidney failure can develop . Other contributing factors of kidney damage among heroin addicts include the increased risk of HIV and hepatitis C from shared needles. The kidneys are essential for life. They are responsible for removing waste products from the bloodstream. If the function of the kidneys becomes impaired, waste products buildup in the bloodstream, blood pressure increases, red blood cell production declines, and the body retains excess fluid. Patients with kidney failure typically require aggressive treatment to prolong life, including regular trips to a treatment center for dialysis or possibly an organ transplant.

Brain Deterioration

Another vital organ that heroin can permanently damage is the brain. An overdose of heroin results in oxygen deprivation to the brain. When the brain cells are deprived of a steady supply of oxygen, they begin to die off. Researchers have found that the brains of heroin addicts have suffered from damage similar to the brain damage found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Individuals engaging in drug use in West Palm Beach may not initially become addicted. Addictions sometimes do gradually develop. At first, when the drug binds to receptors in the brain, the user experiences feelings of euphoria. After abusing the drug for a while, the brain does not respond the same way. Drug dependence and physical tolerance develops as the user needs increasing amounts of the substance.

As you’ll learn by watching this video, it can take a long time for these changes to the brain to diminish, even after an individual has gone through drug detox. This interview with a medical correspondent also explains why addiction recovery is a lifelong process. Even after being in recovery for years, an individual who previously struggled with addictions can immediately become addicted again when using the substance.