Withdraw from heroin

Acute abstinence syndrome (withdrawal) - In chronic pain patients in whom opioid analgesics are abruptly discontinued, anticipate a severe abstinence syndrome. This may be similar to the abstinence syndrome noted in patients who withdraw from heroin. Severity is related to the degree of dependence, the abruptness of withdrawal, and the drug used. Generally, withdrawal symptoms develop at the time the next dose would ordinarily be given. 

Chloral hydrate, glutethimide, and methaqualone also produce a depressant effect. Chloral hydrate is dangerous to use as an anesthetic, but it has been used to treat persons undergoing withdrawal from heroin, GHB, and alcohol. A mixture of chloral hydrate and alcohol is termed a Mickey Finn and has been used as a date rape drug. 

As indicated, buprenorphine can offer a quicker option than methadone, with a three-day course reported to be effective for withdrawal from heroin (Cheskin et al. 1994). The side-effects of clonidine which render it unsuitable for community treatment can be manageable in the inpatient setting, although the drug is being superseded by lofexidine where that is available. Controlled studies have found clonidine and lofexidine to be equally effective in alleviating withdrawal symptoms in inpatient detoxification from heroin (Lin et al. 1997) and from methadone (Khan et al. 1997), with lofexidine resulting in less hypotension and fewer adverse effects. Another double-blind controlled study found lofexidine to be broadly as effective as a ten-day methadone detoxification in inpatient opiate withdrawal (Bearn et al. 1996). 

The expression cold turkey comes from the goose-bumps" seen in addicts withdrawing from heroin. 

A) A patient experiencing withdrawal from heroin is free of the symptoms of abstinence in 6-8 days... 

Detoxification is more successful when the patient is transitioned from a stable methadone dose with the support of ongoing therapy than when the patient comes directly from the street for detoxification from heroin. Some practitioners believe that detoxification with clonidine can be more rapid than with methadone, at least on an outpatient basis. One important hmitation of clonidine is that, although it suppresses autonomic signs of withdrawal, subject-reported symptoms, such as lethargy, restlessness, insomnia, and craving, are not well relieved (Charney et al. 1981 Jasinski et al. 1985). Anxiety may... 

The process of controlled withdrawal from a drug (Palfium) Opioid medication, frequently abused by injection Heroin - the chemical term diamorphine may be used to refer to the pharmaceutical preparation... 

Withdrawal symptoms are also an important component of addiction. When a drug user stops taking a drug, he or she can experience a wide range of physical and/or psychological symptoms that will disappear if use of the drug is resumed. Some extreme users of marijuana suffer withdrawal symptoms, but these tend to be short-lived compared with withdrawal from harder drugs such as heroin. 

Therapeutic uses Methadone is used in the controlled withdrawal of addicts from heroin and morphine. Orally administered, methadone is substituted for the injected opioid. The patient is then slowly weaned from methadone. Methadone causes a milder withdrawal syndrome, which also develops more slowly than that seen during withdrawal from morphine. 

Problems related to abuse of chemical substances can occur acutely (e.g., respiratory arrest from using heroin) or after some length of time (e.g., dependence or withdrawal from continued use of an opiate). The treatment approach is distinctly different depending on the type of problem. 

Alcohol, barbiturates, and narcotics—such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), amobarbital (Amytal), diazepam (Valium), codeine, heroin, methadone, morphine, propoxyphene (Darvon)—that are used during pregnancy can lead to harmful effects on the newborn. Use of these dmgs during pregnancy can create an addiction in the newborn. The baby will go into withdrawal from the drug when they are born. This can result in hyperactivity, crying, irritability, seizures and even sudden death. 

Yawning, rhinorrhea, and cramps are signs of withdrawal from opiates, such as heroin, meperidine, morphine, and methadone. 

---