Oxycodone Detox Treatment Options

Oxycodone is an opiate analgesic that is often prescribed to patients with moderate to severe pain. It can be found in several popular medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet, and Roxicodone. Although it is beneficial to many individuals who struggle with pain, this drug can be a habit-forming substance and may require oxycodone detox treatment if a person becomes addicted to it.

For more information on oxycodone detox, or for help finding a treatment program, call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) today!

Oxycodone Withdrawal

Withdrawal from oxycodone is not life-threatening but it is uncomfortable and painful, and it is part of oxycodone detox. When a person becomes addicted to oxycodone, he or she will have experienced a reduction in pain. Withdrawal from the drug comes with muscle and bone pain in addition to pain in the joints. According to the NLM, here are some of the other withdrawal symptoms you might experience from oxycodone:

oxycodone detox treatment

Methadone and Suboxone are potential medical treatments during oxycodone detox.

  • Watery eyes
  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Chills and sweating
  • Weakness in extremities
  • Restlessness
  • Insomnia
  • Cramps
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • No appetite
  • “Fast heartbeat” and “fast breathing”

Withdrawal from oxycodone can also cause a person to become very irritable and anxious. Depression may also occur, and your time in a detox center will allow the medical professionals there to decide if it may be a symptom of a deeper problem. As stated by Harvard Medical School, “the intensity of the reaction depends on the dose and speed of withdrawal,” so those who had been taking the long-acting tablets will most likely encounter a longer withdrawal process. While you are in detox, your withdrawal symptoms will often be eased with medication.

Medication

Several medications can be used to treat oxycodone addiction during withdrawal. These medications are often used to curb symptoms of withdrawal, and sometimes, to allow the patient to gradually ease off of opiates. Some of the detox drugs used for oxycodone are:

Buprenorphine

Medications with buprenorphine (Subutex and Suboxone) are used as detox medications as well as longer-term maintenance for those addicted to opiates. According to the NLM, buprenorphine medications have been “shown to work better than other medications for treating withdrawal from opiates, and it can shorten the length of detox.”

Methadone

Methadone is often given as a long-term maintenance treatment to those who are starting detox from opiates. It has been used since the 1970s for this purpose and helps to wean the person off off the opiate he or she has been using. Then the methadone use is gradually tapered off.

Clonodine

Clonodine is the most commonly used medication in detox for opiates. It reduces many of the worst withdrawal symptoms, such as “anxiety, agitation, muscle aches, sweating, runny nose, and cramping” (NLM 1).

These medications will help make your time in detox more bearable while you can also focus on your addiction more easily. You will discuss your treatment with the doctor at the facility in order to decide which medication is best for you.

Therapy

Many detox facilities also implement therapy into their programs. This is done because detox is the place where many people begin their journeys to recovery from oxycodone addiction. Therapy is the most widely used treatment for drug addiction and, coupled with medication, it can be very helpful in changing a person’s point of view on addiction.

Find treatment centers in your state by searching our directory, or call us at 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) to speak with a caring specialist. 

Sources

  1. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018). Oxycodone. 
  2. Harvard Health Publishing- Harvard Medical School. (2005). Treating Opiate Addiction, Part I: Detoxification and Maintenance.
  3. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2016). Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal.
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