Oxycodone, a powerful opioid painkiller, has become a household name for all the wrong reasons. Initially designed to manage severe and chronic pain, its potential for abuse and addiction has led to a widespread crisis affecting countless individuals and families across the globe. The euphoria that oxycodone can produce, alongside its highly addictive nature, makes it a difficult adversary in the battle against opioid dependence. However, understanding the journey from abuse to addiction is critical in finding a path to recovery.
What Is Oxycodone?
Oxycodone is a highly addictive and potent opioid. This substance is often prescribed to patients with severe or chronic pain. It is commonly found in drugs such as OxyContin and Percocet. Because it is so easy to develop a tolerance to oxycodone over time, addiction happens quickly and easily. Like other opioids, oxycodone interacts with the same brain receptors as heroin. Oxycodone dependency is extremely difficult to overcome without recovery-sensitive assistance. Withdrawal is painful and dangerous, which makes medical detox from a professional team so urgent.
Signs of Oxycodone Abuse
Once tolerance begins to set in, your body will crave more of the chemical to feel its effects, be it the painkilling properties or the high that abuse will yield. Other than tolerance and addiction, there are additional side effects and signs that may indicate Oxycodone abuse.
Some signs of oxycodone abuse include:
- Pupil dilation
- Drowsiness
- Overly calm
- Shortened attention span
- Lack of interest
- Itchiness
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- Light-headedness
Oxycodone abuse can also lead to serious health complications, including respiratory depression, overdose, and even death. It is important to seek help if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction to Oxycodone.
Signs of Oxycodone Addiction
It is not always easy to tell if someone is struggling with a substance use disorder. If you see any of these traits in one of your loved ones, they may be struggling with oxycodone addiction including:
- Risky behavior
- ”Doctor shopping”
- Keeping secrets or dishonest behavior
- Withdrawal from friends or new social circles
- Adjusting or canceling plans to satisfy Oxycodone cravings
If you start to notice any of these side effects or behaviors in yourself, or someone you love, there may be an overabundance of Oxycodone use. At this point, reducing your intake may prove dangerous or lead to painful withdrawal symptoms. Contact your doctor immediately if you start to experience any symptoms or side effects to make sure that you are not at risk of abusing it.
The Role of Opioid Over-Prescription and Oxycodone Addiction
Oxycodone is yet another one of the many opioids that doctors prescribe too regularly. Unfortunately, many doctors, while medical professionals, understand the benefits of opium based painkillers, and the dangers, many others do not know how to appropriately prescribe them or how to make sure their patients safely end their use. If your doctor prescribes you with oxycodone, it is important to make sure that you ask them if they have a plan in place for weaning you off once your dose is finished, or if there is a safer alternative.
Oxycodone Withdrawal
Depending on how much Oxycodone you’ve taken, for how long, your age and overall health profile, withdrawal could last more than 8 days. Typically, you will notice withdrawal within 8 hours of your last dose. During the first day, relapse happens most commonly because of how intense the withdrawal is felt. The first few days are the most painful physically, but the days that follow are extremely psychological.
Common oxycodone withdrawal symptoms include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings and irritability
- Muscle pain
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
One of the many dangers of Oxycodone withdrawal is that of similar opioids: the potential of relapse due to how difficult withdrawal is. Without professional help, many people suffering from the sickness of withdrawal end up relapsing just to feel normal again.
Dependence on Oxycodone can be alleviated with much less pain and suffering through the assistance of a professional and accredited detox facility, such as Royal Life Detox. Understanding the dangerous effects of withdrawal will help you to prepare yourself for what is to come.
Medical Detox from Oxycodone
In Oxycodone withdrawal, relief during the five to ten days of these symptoms can be provided through various medications including:
- Clonidine
- Buprenorphine
- Buprenorphine with naloxone
These detox medications aim to ease the physical discomfort and help the user get some rest and relaxation. Warm baths, mild exercise, electro-chemically balanced nutrition, and the compassionate support of recovery-sensitive physicians, nurse, and counselors help ease a person through withdrawal. The last item is the most important, because your drug counselor will facilitate your entry in the most important part of Oxycodone withdrawal, recovery-sensitive therapy, once you are able to attend. At Royal Life Detox, we make sure that all of our guests are given the same level of love and care so that they can start their life of sobriety with success.
Oxycodone detox medicine such as buprenorphine should be discontinued as soon as possible because buprenorphine maintenance can change into buprenorphine addiction, just like how Oxycodone maintenance turned into Oxycodone dependence or Oxycodone addiction.
What Happens After Medical Detox?
Following medical detox at Royal Life Detox, guests will begin a comprehensive, collaborative approach to substance abuse treatment designed to support physical, mental and spiritual wellness. We offer a variety of detox options for treating drug addiction beyond just Opioids. Our program helps to promote a lasting, sober lifestyle through sobriety and beyond. Our addiction specialists, from our therapists and case managers to our facility staff, are dedicated to providing the best in care and support. Our holistic, evidence-based approach to psychotherapy incorporates individual and group sessions. We use other holistic methods, such as art, music and animal therapy to help our guests to learn to express themselves and communicate. At Royal Life Detox, we believe that emotional healing is just as important as physical healing. Our treatment features state-of-the-art activity, movement, and adventure therapies to create one program that treats mind, body, and spirit.
Guests may begin their recovery journey in our residential inpatient program and continue with us through PHP, IOP, OP, and sober living at our graduate housing residences. At Royal Life Detox, the guest is always our top priority, and we consistently do all we can to effect lasting change, that they might continue to lead healthy, sober lives long after they have left our care. This is not just our goal, but our mission.
Oxycodone Detox in Arizona
At Royal Life Detox, we specialize in offering compassionate and comprehensive opioid addiction treatment options for those struggling with oxycodone dependence and addiction. Recognizing that each individual’s road to recovery is unique, we tailor our programs to meet the specific needs of our guests.
If you or a loved one has a dependency or addiction to Oxycodone, or any substance use disorder, please reach out to us about your detox and treatment options. Royal Life Detox admissions staff is available 24/7 to answer your questions and address your concerns. Because We Care.
