Medical Detox in New Bedford, MA

New Bedford Drug Treatment Centers knows that addiction is a serious chronic condition that has both internal, physical components as well as mental health components. Because addiction is a medical condition, it requires treatment to overcome. One of those treatments is detox and the best way to go through that process is through medical detox.

Detox and Medical Detox

Detox, which is short for detoxification, is the process of getting a substance (drugs or alcohol) that a person is addicted to out of that person’s system. Medical detox is a form of treatment available through drug treatment centers that helps a person to get through the detox process, but under the care and supervision of medical professionals like doctors and mental health professionals.

Why Medical Detox is Your Best Choice

Medical detox is the best option to get an addictive substance out of a person’s system for a myriad of reasons. A physical dependence on drugs or alcohol develops when a person has abused a substance for a prolonged period of time and their brain changes in its structure and in the way it functions. If a person with a physical dependence stops consuming that substance, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawals can range from mildly uncomfortable to being dangerous to your health and severe. Because of this wide range of possibilities, medical detox is the safest option for undergoing the process. Doctors will be readily available to monitor symptoms as they occur and intervene if those symptoms happen to become severe or require medical intervention.

Even with common withdrawal symptoms that are uncomfortable though not necessarily dangerous, medical detox is the best option to choose. There are prescription medications that can be used to help reduce the severity of these symptoms as well as shorten the duration of detox (and therefore, the withdrawal symptoms that go along with it.

Medications Used to Manage Withdrawals in Medical Detox

Every addictive substance causes slightly different withdrawal symptoms. This is because each drug interacts with the brain in unique ways when it is in the system. Because of these facts, every type of drug requires different medications to manage withdrawals during detox.

Alcohol

Alcohol withdrawals can cause seizures in some severe cases. A medication known as Neurotonin can be administered to treat those seizures. Neurotonin also can help to get the brain functioning normally again quicker than if a person does not receive the medication. For insomnia, depression, or anxiety that alcohol withdrawals can cause, a medical professional can provide Paxil. And Chantix can help to reduce alcohol cravings throughout the process.

Opiates

Opiate withdrawals may cause body aches that range from moderate to severe. Clonidine is a prescription medication that can ease that pain. Paxil helps with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Suboxone or pure Buprenorphine can help to reduce the intensity of symptoms and shorten detox. Additionally, Suboxone may be prescribed on a longer-term basis for a person with a severe opiate addiction and a history of previous relapses.

Stimulants and Sedatives

Unfortunately, stimulants and sedatives are two classes of addictive drugs that do not yet have FDA-approved detox medications. However, for stimulant withdrawals bupropion is sometimes used to help with anxiety and depression as well as reduce the intensity of cravings. Sedative withdrawals can be tricky as they have major cardiovascular effects if detox occurs rapidly. Doctors can help to gradually reduce the dose of sedatives over time to wean the brain off of the substance slowly.

Getting into a medical detox program is the first step to take on your journey towards addiction recovery. Contact New Bedford Drug Treatment Centers at (508) 645-6878 when you are ready to take that step.