It’s important to understand when you’re suffering from an addiction to drugs. For many people, drug habits often lead to deadly overdoses. Research from 2015 found that 52,404 deaths occurred because of drug overdoses, making it the leading cause of accidental death throughout the United States. Considering that, opiates are one of the most commonly abused drugs in America. Here are the symptoms of an opiate withdrawal and how to obtain treatment for this addiction.

Symptoms of Opiate Withdrawal

In certain situations, it’s difficult for someone to realize they’re addicted to opioids. It’s understandable to want to learn about opiate withdrawal symptoms. With that in mind, here are four signs someone is experiencing with opiate withdrawal.

  1. Trouble Sleeping

    When people take opiates, they often enter into a relaxed state. In fact, one of the most common side effects of opiate use is experiencing a state of drowsiness. With that in mind, many people will have difficulties sleeping after they stop taking opiates. This symptom is noticeably prevalent for those who rely on opiates to sleep throughout the night.
  2. Running Out of Energy

    Many people taking opioids experience heightened energy and happiness after using these medications for long periods of time. Therefore, it’s common for someone not using opiates to begin feeling less energy after they stop taking these medications. If you’re feeling less energy after you stop taking opiates, you could be dealing with an addiction.
  3. Feeling Sick to Your Stomach

    Opioid use takes away pain while making people feel calmer than normal. Considering that, people often report feeling less stomach pain and nausea after taking these types of drugs. With that in mind, people sometimes feel new or worsening pains after they stop relying on opiates. It’s also common for someone to begin throwing up after extended opiate withdrawal periods. Fortunately, treatments for opioid addiction can help people avoid dealing with this unpleasant withdrawal side effects.
  4. Experiencing Mood Swings

    Considering the high that opiate users feel, they can begin linking this medication to their state of happiness. Unfortunately, this means that someone addicted to opioids experiences mood swings or outbursts when withdrawals begin to take place. Oftentimes, opioid withdrawals often cause someone to be more angry or anxious than normal.

Receiving Treatment for an Opiate Addiction

There are several types of treatments for opioid addiction. However, many who are addicted to opioids prefer to receive methadone treatment. For over 50 years, methadone has proven to be the most effective treatment for people suffering from opiate addiction. In fact, research shows that methadone treatment maintains a success rate that ranges from 60 to 90%. Also, this percentage improves based on how long a patient remains in treatment.

In closing, it’s important to learn signs of opiate withdrawal. If you’re tired of living with this problem, there are several kinds of treatments for opioid addiction available. However, many people feel that visiting a methadone clinic is the most helpful solution to this problem. By visiting a methadone clinic, you’re able to receive treatment that might help you overcome your addiction to opiates.