Withdrawal symptoms in drug addiction treatment

When an individual is getting treated for drug addiction, it means that they may not have access to drugs as they would.

Hence, they are likely to go through some tough periods in their lives because of the absence of drugs. This condition is known as withdrawal, and it is a combination of the mental and physical effects that someone experiences when they reduce or stop their drug intake.

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Some of these effects or symptoms can be medically controlled under the supervision of their healthcare provider.

In some cases, withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and even prove to be deadly. This is why both the individual and the healthcare professional should work closely together during this phase.

Physical symptoms

When the addict is unable to use drugs for some time, they are likely to experience some physical withdrawal symptoms that people around can notice. Some of these physical effects include tremors, chills or shivering, runny nose, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, hallucination, seizures, dilated pupils, etc.

Healthcare professionals need to pay attention to some of these physical symptoms because they are usually the first things you will notice during the withdrawal phase.

Changes in appetite

Another common symptom that people experience when they don’t have access to drugs is their changes in appetite. This suggests that they are likely to eat too much or eat too little.

Either way, you will observe that they are at both extremes when it comes to eating food. Changes in appetite are one of the body’s ways of responding to the absence of drugs.

Mood changes

When an individual is not able to use drugs for a while, their mood is likely to change. They will experience mood swings and irritability, which will be noticeable to people around them. For instance, they might be in a jolly mood this minute, and the next, they are down and depressed.

Sleep disorder

Sleep disorder is another withdrawal symptom that individuals experience in drug addiction treatment. They might struggle with insomnia- inability to sleep, or hypersomnia- sleeping excessively.

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