Drug addiction in the initial stages develops at the physical level. The body gets used to the constantly incoming toxins and, in the absence of a drug, signals this with unpleasant symptoms. In other words, the addict develops withdrawal. When is detox done after drug use? Cleansing the body of toxins is performed at the initial stage of treatment of any addiction. It helps to get rid of a pronounced withdrawal syndrome and alleviate the condition of a person. The goals of drug detox are:
- Purification of the blood from decay products and toxic substances.
- Stabilization of metabolic processes.
- Normalization of the body’s immune forces.
- Stabilization of the nervous system.
In patients with a long history of drug addiction, the procedure is mandatory. More often it is performed at the stage of providing assistance with overdose, breaking, and a sharp deterioration in the condition due to the development of dangerous complications.
Who needs a drug detox?
Almost every patient who comes to a drug treatment clinic undergoes a detoxification procedure. At the same time, it is possible to identify symptoms in which patients need to be cleansed:
- Severe slowing of speech. Often noted with the use of morphine, codeine.
- Excessive activity, talkativeness. Occurs with the use of cocaine, pervitin, methamphetamine, psych stimulants.
- Unstable mental state. Frequent change of aggression, depression, apathy. Possible signs of manic-depressive psychosis.
- Problems with coordination. It is noted with the use of almost any type of drug addiction.
- Redness of the eyes, change in the reaction of the pupil to light.
- Change in appetite, refusal to eat, or excessive appetite. Often noted with the use of marijuana.
- Skin scratching. The cause is itchy skin caused by drugs.
- Irritability. Especially in a situation where the effect of the drug ends.
It is worth noting that adolescents who are faced with drug addiction do not undergo detoxification. Their narcologist immediately after psychological preparation proceeds to treatment and rehabilitation. It is explained by the fact that a short experience does not cause pronounced changes in the body.
Contraindications for detox
Detox at the addiction center may be denied if the patient has HIV, viral hepatitis, or sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, possible contraindications are:
- Pregnancy.
- High risk of epilepsy.
- Acute conditions, such as internal bleeding.
Body cleansing procedure
When applying to necrology or during a house call, the doctor first of all examines the patient, determines the risks of complications, the type of substance used. Based on this, an effective detoxification method is selected. This will directly affect the price of the service. Most often, with any type of addiction, a dropper is used. It is used for drug addiction, alcoholism, substance abuse. It consists in the intravenous administration of drugs that help eliminate toxins and normalize the water-salt balance. In addition to saline solutions and adsorbents, diuretics are used to stimulate the diuretic effect. In addition, the doctor selects drugs based on the patient’s condition. These can be hepatoprotectors, analgesics, anticonvulsants, and so on. In addition, the following methods are used for drug addiction for detoxification:
- Enterosorption. Indicated if the drug is taken orally. It consists in washing the digestive tract with a probe and an enema. In parallel, a sorbent is used.
- Hardware cleaning of blood. It is indicated in severe cases in patients with a long history of drug addiction. Includes plasmapheresis. In this case, about 20% of the patient’s blood is passed through the device, after which the already purified blood is injected back. Continues up to an hour. Hemosorption is also used. In this case, blood is taken from a vein and filtered through filters with a sorbent. The procedure is effective, but can cause a decrease in blood pressure.
- UBOD. Indicated for the treatment of patients who use opiates. It consists in immersing a person into a deep sleep, which allows you to survive withdrawal without feeling unpleasant symptoms.
