Heroin withdrawal symptoms may be experienced by people who snort, inject, smoke or ingest heroin. These symptoms, though uncomfortable, are most often not life-threatening. Heroin is an opiate.
Opiates are a family of highly addictive drugs which alter brain chemistry and create strong physical dependence. Because of this, people who abruptly stop using the heroin begin experiencing heroin withdrawal symptoms approximately twelve hours after their last use. In the early stages of withdrawal, they may experience fatigue and aching muscles, yawning and tearing eyes, difficulty sleeping, runny nose, irritability and nervousness. After several hours, symptoms may also include stomach pain or cramps, diarrhea, goose bumps and pupil dilation.
In addition to these physical symptoms, people who are withdrawing from heroin experience a strong psychological craving for the drug.
This combination of physical and psychological effects results in many people seeking out more of the drug to lessen symptoms and to get “high.” Over time, people who use heroin require greater amounts of the substance not only to get “high” but to avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
For people looking to withdraw from heroin, medications such as methadone and buprenorphine will often be prescribed. Methadone is an opiate which is given in controlled doses to people in recovery, who often go daily to a clinic to receive their dose. The dose may be decreased over time until recovery is realized, or a person may continue to take methadone for months or years. Buprenorphine is a pill prescribed by specially licensed doctors. It acts as an opiate blocking agent to prevent withdrawal symptoms, physical cravings, and psychological dependence.
Less common treatment methods for heroin withdrawal include “detox under anesthesia” or “rapid opiate detox,” where a person is sedated and given large amounts of opiate-blocking drugs. Each method of withdrawal requires careful monitoring by a health professional.
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