How Do You Safely Detox from Heroin?

There are some drugs that you can detox from at home safely. Heroin is not one of them. Heroin detox is said to be one of the most trying and most difficult processes out of all the drug addictions. To find out how to detox from heroin safely you need to know the symptoms, dangers, and benefits of not detoxing at home.

Dangerous Symptoms During Heroin Detox

Although the majority of the symptoms of heroin detox are not dangerous by themselves, when they are combined, they become dangerous. The symptoms of heroin detox are often extremely severe. According to the National Library of Medicine some of these symptoms are:

Detoxing from heroin in a treatment center is your safest option.

• abdominal cramping
• diarrhea
• insomnia
• anxiety
• depression sometimes resulting in suicidal ideation
• nausea and vomiting

These symptoms can cause severe dehydration and mental disturbances. Dehydration causes kidney failure and mental disturbances can cause:

• aggression
• anger
• irrational behavior
• hallucinations
• suicide

This is why it is important to seek treatment in order to detox safely.

Dangers of Detoxing at Home

Heroin detox at home is very dangerous. It is not only dangerous due to the chance of severe dehydration and suicidal ideation; it is also dangerous due to the high probability of relapse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, heroin and opiate overdose has now become an epidemic with heroin overdoses increasing year to year. Many of these overdoses are due to a relapse rebound effect. When people relapse particularly when they are in withdrawal, they sometimes take more of the drug than they normally would. If this happens, they are in danger of overdose.

Without a safe place to detox, you are in danger due to severe depression, dehydration, and overdose due to relapse. In order to stop using heroin safely, you should not be alone during the detox process. The best way to do this is with trained medical staff around who can deal with any problems that you might encounter.

Benefits of Detoxing at a Treatment Center

There are many benefits to detoxing in a treatment center rather than by yourself at home. Some of these benefits are:

• medical staff on hand
• medical testing during withdrawal to monitor changes
• HIV and other infectious disease counseling
• access addiction counseling
• access to inpatient drug treatment
• peer support
• medical detox, withdrawal, and medication management

The safest way to detox off heroin is in a medical facility where the detoxification process is closely monitored. Heroin detox is extremely unpleasant and sometimes dangerous. A treatment facility can remove both the symptoms of withdrawal and the danger.

Finding a Heroin Detox Center

You can find a heroin detox center simply by calling 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) . We can help you locate a treatment center that will allow you to detox from heroin safely and comfortably.

Sources

1. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2016). Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Heroin Overdose Data.