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What is Rapid Detox? How Can It Be Done More Safely?
By Thomas Yee, MDClinical Assistant Professor University of Nevada School of MedicineMedical Director of Las Vegas Rapid Detox Center What is Opioid Withdrawal?The withdrawal syndrome is what holds people back from quitting addiction tonarcotics or opioids. It is not that a person addicted to Oxy-Contin or Heroin not desiringa life without opioid drugs, rather it is the painful withdrawal syndrome that makes themso apprehensive that they refrain from trying. The syndrome resembles an extremelysevere case of the flu, and uncontrollable tearing, nasal discharge, yawning, sneezing,anorexia, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, itch, and aches.For patients who are debilitated or dehydrated, there could be serious complications.What is Rapid Detox?Traditionally, without the help of any medications to temper the effect of opioidwithdrawal, patients go through an extremely difficult 5 to 6 days of withdrawal whenthey try to quit narcotics “cold-turkey” fashion. The extreme discomfort prompts most patients to give up before the can quit the addiction. By some definition, “oral medicationrapid detox” is a 3 to 5 day course treatment using primarily pills, such as Clonidine and Naltrexone. Patients still experience significant opioid withdrawal. Ultra Rapid Detox,also known as Rapid Detox, actually is a one day treatment where patients receiveintravenous naloxone medication under deep sedation or general anesthesia. Essentially,Rapid Detox concentrates 6 days of narcotic withdrawal into 10 hours. The discomfortwould be too great for an awake patient to bear, thus the general anesthesia. Theadvantage is that patients wake up from the anesthesia and the Naloxone intravenousinfusion, with most of the physical component of the addiction eliminated.Possible complications for the true Rapid Detox or Ultra Rapid Detox:Rapid heart rate, hypertension, diarrhea, aspiration, pulmonary edema, and post- procedure feeling of exhaustion lasting 7 to 10 days.Prevention of complications related to Rapid Detox:In order to prevent the complications related to rapid detox, it is imperative thatthe procedure be performed by a board-certified anesthesiologist with more than 10 year experience in giving general anesthesia to patients with multiple medical problems. Alsothe doctor should have more than 10 year experience in pain management withknowledge of narcotic medications and their effects.
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