How long has your loved one been using opioids? Maybe they’ve had their prescription for a considerable time now, or perhaps they’ve even said they’re trying to quit. However, when they try to get off opioids, they appear sick or struggling. If you’ve seen this in your loved one (or even in yourself), you need to know that opioid withdrawal symptoms and timeline for recovery are real considerations for your loved one to understand. After all, what they do next is a crucial crossroads: either they can go down the path of healing or spiral deeper into dependence and addiction.
The Growing Problem of Opioid Dependence
Prescription opioids these days are more than just drugs meant to relieve pain. That’s why many people may find themselves dependent on the drug to function at no fault of their own. But how is this possible, especially when they’ve been following their prescription?
Vicodin, Codeine, Oxycodone, Opana, and many other common prescription opioids unfortunately have addictive properties, based on how they alleviate pain inside your body. After you take a prescription opioid pill, the opioid binds to the pain receptors in your brain, disrupting these receptors’ abilities.
However, the presence of opioids also generates a release of the neurochemical dopamine in your brain, signaling pleasure and reward. Some people may even experience euphoria after taking their opioid pills. Yet as time goes on and you continue to take your prescription, these changes in your brain also continue to happen. As a result, your body gets used to the consistent dopamine release generated by your prescription medications, so they become more than their intended purpose. They’re a daily lifeline. So when you try to stop taking opioids, your body has to adjust—and it’s often unpleasant.
Typical Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline for Recovery, Explained
Dependence or addiction to opioids can happen to any of us, including your loved one. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that over 2.5 million adults in the US had opioid use disorder in 2021. When your brain has become dependent on opioids, it has to recalibrate so to speak when you quit your medications. Called opioid withdrawal, this adjustment phase is marked by difficult opioid withdrawal symptoms. With that said, what kind of opioid withdrawal symptoms and timeline for recovery should your loved one expect?
Common Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
No opioid withdrawal symptoms and timeline are exactly the same, as each experience varies from person to person. Your loved one’s opioid withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and are often based on the prescription itself and how long they’ve been taking it. Typical symptoms to look out for include:
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Insomnia
- Strong opioid cravings
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Chills
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
- Loss of appetite
- Dilated pupils
- Sweating
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
Opioid withdrawal symptoms can easily be confused for unexpected flu-like symptoms, yet they’re also one of the main signs of opioid abuse. They can even occur when you’re simply decreasing your regular dosage. However, these symptoms are usually not life-threatening. Yet when they do arise, how long does opioid withdrawal last?
How Long Does Opioid Withdrawal Last?
It depends. An expected opioid withdrawal timeline will vary based on your loved one’s prescription opioid medication, the dosage, and how long they’ve been using it. Opioids designed to act quickly like fentanyl and oxycodone will often produce withdrawal symptoms within the first 24 hours after quitting. Extended-release opioids may generate withdrawal symptoms after about three days.
Once they start, your loved one’s opioid withdrawal symptoms and timeline may last for a few days or even a few weeks. Initially, an opioid withdrawal timeline may start with acute symptoms that peak within a matter of days. After peaking, these symptoms will lessen in severity within a week normally, but sometimes linger on for another week or a full month. And unfortunately, some people may face continued opioid withdrawal symptoms for several months, such as depression or ongoing drug cravings.
Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline: Taking the Next Steps
While some may have good intentions to quit their opioid dependence, it’s often the opioid withdrawal symptoms that hold them back. During withdrawal, someone can become so desperate for relief that they may go back to their prescription drug of choice, even leaving rehab to do so.
So if your loved one is at the crossroads of drug dependence or addiction, their opioid withdrawal symptoms and timeline need to be addressed with great intentionality. Otherwise, a full-blown opioid addiction can lead to opioid theft, faking subscriptions, purchasing drugs on the street, or even using harder opioids like heroin. And the fallout of these is full of legal, financial, and health troubles.
What should your loved one do, then? If they genuinely want to quit opioids, their best path is to start by detoxing from their drug dependence under medical supervision. A local detox center will help them taper off the drug safely by managing difficult withdrawal symptoms (which also helps prevent relapse). But if they’ve already developed an addiction, they need to consider professional help from a residential opioid addiction treatment center.
Overcome Opioid Addiction at Integrative Life Center
If your loved one is struggling with opioid addiction, we can help at Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN. With our opioid addiction treatment program and fentanyl rehab program, your loved one can heal the root causes of their struggles and reclaim their life. To learn more, contact us today.
