“somehow, you feel completely unchanged
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a loop?
Maybe you have a habit you want to break, like biting your nails. You focus on it really hard for weeks and go for a long time without biting them. Then, one day is more stressful than the rest. You look down and realize you’ve bitten your nails off once more. Are you just destined to continue this cycle forever?
There are people who are managing heroin use disorders who feel this way. You might even be one of them. You’re not alone. Over 16,000 people in Arizona reported taking heroin at least once in 2022. That’s 30% of Prescott’s population. Our team at Recovery Center for the Arts sees this and wants to help. That’s why today we’re talking about heroin withdrawals, what they mean for your health, and how you can tackle them once and for all.
What Exactly Are Heroin Withdrawals?
Withdrawals are an interesting phenomenon that happen because our bodies are so adept at conserving energy.
Our bodies are complex and amazing, able to unconsciously control so many different systems and functions that we require to live every day. While these systems are very capable overall, they’re not opposed to getting assistance. This is where medications and substances come into play.
Nearly 70% of adults in America report that they take at least one prescription medication a day. These medications often are for management purposes, like allergy pills, birth control, seizure medications, or mental health medications, to name a few. When medications interfere with and assist in certain processes in our bodies, our system will grow accustomed to this assistance and adjust accordingly. In most cases, it adjusts so that our bodies are less hands-on in the process that the medication or substance is interacting with.
When you remove this medication or substance from your regular routine, it takes your body a moment to notice its absence. Your body then has to undergo the transition into being in control of whatever system the medication or substance was altering. This process takes time and often leads to side effects, the culmination of which is known as withdrawal.
So, long story short, heroin withdrawals occur when your body becomes accustomed to heroin being present in your system and you stop taking heroin.
How Heroin Withdrawals Impact the Body and Mind
Not all forms of withdrawal are created equal. One substance may cause a withdrawal that only lasts a day or two, while others last weeks or months. Some medications may cause you to overly experience the thing the medication was managing as you withdraw (like anxiety, for example). Other medications or substances may cause chain reactions leading to more serious side effects like tremors and risks of seizures.
So where does heroin fall amongst that spectrum?
Spotting the Physical Symptoms of Heroin Withdrawal
The vast majority of symptoms associated with heroin withdrawal are physical ones. They can range from simple side effects like a runny nose to more intense side effects like cramping and diarrhea.
Other side effects include:
- Watery eyes
- Excessive sweating
- Abdominal cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dilated pupils
- Blurred vision
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Muscle aches
- Hot and cold flashes
Recognizing the Behavioral Symptoms of Heroin Withdrawal
The primary behavioral changes you might notice during withdrawal overall include increased anxiety, disrupted sleep patterns, increased agitation, and cravings. Many of these actually compound into each other. For example, having difficulties sleeping in combination with physical effects like cramping and nausea both contribute to the increased agitation that occurs.
What Are the Biggest Risks Associated With Heroin Withdrawal?
Point blank, the biggest risk associated with heroin withdrawal is actually returning to use, and not the symptoms themselves.
People who return to use after a withdrawal are at a much higher risk of experiencing an overdose. This is because our bodies develop a “tolerance” for some substances over time. This leads to someone taking more of a substance to experience the results they want.
The problem is, your body doesn’t retain this “tolerance” indefinitely. If you stop taking a substance, your tolerance can decrease. Because people are unaware of this, when they return to use after withdrawal, they often seek out the dosage they took prior to withdrawal. If your body isn’t equipped for that anymore, your chances of overdose increase drastically, and opioid overdoses are deadly if not treated properly.
The biggest reason people return to use in the first place is due to how intense opioid-related cravings are.
Heroin and the Brain – Understanding Heroin Cravings
Our brains are smart. When you continually have a substance in your system, it becomes accustomed to it being there. If you remove the substance from your system, leading to withdrawal, your brain understands that the substance in question can help alleviate the discomfort you’re experiencing.
This is part of how cravings occur. The other part comes specifically from how heroin interacts with the body in the first place.
Heroin, which is an opioid, interacts with the opioid receptors in the brain. This influences many different chemical productions in the body, including dopamine, otherwise known as the reward drug. Dopamine is naturally produced and released when we do positive things like eating or having sex – it makes us feel good.
When heroin is in your system, it can increase dopamine production. Your brain and body like doing things that make it feel good. If you regularly engage with heroin, you can develop what’s known as “physical dependence” due to your brain craving the feelings heroin produces.
What’s the Timeline of Heroin Withdrawal?
Before we dive into the timeline of withdrawal, it’s important to understand that this timeline isn’t exact. While the timeframes are fairly average, everyone’s individual experience will vary slightly. Simple things like your metabolism, what dosage you regularly took, and other substances you engaged with can all influence your timeline of withdrawal.
Now, with that in mind, here’s a good idea of what you can expect your withdrawal timeline to look like:
- Hour 0 – This is when you took your last dosage of heroin. You’re not going to notice anything at this point as heroin is still in your system.
- Hours 8-12 – It takes a while for your body to process the heroin you took, and then another beat for it to realize no more is coming. This is most commonly when symptoms of withdrawal will start to make themselves known.
- Hours 12-24 – Side effects, cravings, and more are in full swing.
- Hours 24-48 – This is often the “peak” of symptoms, meaning the most intense or most amount of symptoms occur during this time.
- Days 2-10 – After the “peak,” symptoms will still persist as they slowly dissipate. While the intensity of symptoms and the specific symptoms you experience may vary, you can expect them to stick around for at least 4 days after your last dosage, which is the average.
- Days 10+ – Not everyone will continue to have side effects after this period, but it’s not out of the question. The most common side effect to stick around after opioid-related withdrawals is cravings. Any other symptoms that stick around could be a sign of protracted withdrawal.
What Does Heroin Treatment Look Like?
Depending on when you join treatment for your heroin use recovery, many will start with a detox program. Detox programs are most often dedicated to people seeking healing from opioid-based substance use disorders due to the side effects and risks associated with opioid withdrawal.
However, this doesn’t mean that a detox program is mandatory. Everyone’s needs are different, but it’s important to know what your options are.
Treatment, from there, may include staying on-site at a facility or going to regular, even daily, treatment sessions while still living elsewhere. The goal of treatment is to help you understand the root of your substance use and to teach you the skills and tools you need to build a strong foundation for your recovery.
Additionally, for those healing from a heroin use disorder, it’s not uncommon for the topic of medication to come up amongst your medical team. There are FDA-approved medications designed specifically to help bolster those in recovery from opioids.
What Medications Are Commonly Used for Heroin Withdrawal?
The most common medications used during opioid use disorder treatment include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Each of these medications has its benefits, but ultimately they help address cravings for opioids and prevent return to use. This gives individuals going through recovery an additional tool under their belt to set them up for success.
Medications are not a cure in and of themselves, but rather something to help assist you along the way.
Finding a Good Heroin Treatment Program Right Here in Arizona
If you’re looking for recovery, there are options available for you. Finding the right heroin rehab center doesn’t have to be daunting. There are places that are dedicated to your unique story and helping you find a recovery path that is built with your needs in mind.
At Recovery Center for the Arts, we’re dedicated to helping our clients heal their inner child and live the life of healing they desire. We’ve seen the power of creativity when it comes to recovery, so we utilize its strengths alongside other therapies to create a well-rounded program designed to see them thrive. Give us a call today at (480) 386-1593 to learn more and get started.
Recovery Center for the Arts – Finding recovery through creativity.