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Opioid Withdrawal and Addiction Treatment

At Granite Recovery Centers, our opioid abuse experts bring both compassion and proven methods to help you through withdrawal and the journey to recovery that follows.

What Is Opioid Addiction?

When pain pills become something you can’t live without, that’s an opioid addiction or opioid use disorder. This addiction rewires your brain to the point where using opioids is non-negotiable despite any harmful effects. The opioid epidemic in America remains a problem, with opioids being involved in about 76% of drug overdoses in 2022 alone.

Many people started with legitimate prescriptions from their doctor. Over time, the body fights back against these medications, building an opioid tolerance that demands more and more to feel relief. When prescriptions end, some turn to street-sold opioids, opening the door to even greater dangers.

Different Types of Opioids

Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline

When your body gets hooked on opioids (opioid dependence), stopping can feel awful. Withdrawal symptoms can vary, depending on where you are in the process.

Later stages include more intense symptoms, such as:

At first, you might struggle with:

Additionally, if a mother uses opioids while pregnant, the baby can experience withdrawal. Newborns’ struggles can involve digestion issues, vomiting, and even seizures.

How Long Does Opioid Withdrawal Last?

Withdrawal durations depend on the substance you take. On average, you’ll feel sick within 6-12 hours after stopping use of a short-acting drug. Longer-acting drugs take 30+ hours until the symptoms begin. The most challenging part usually lasts 3-5 days, with some cases going on for a few weeks.

Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) eases withdrawal struggles, blocks cravings, and can help limit opioid overdose. Some medications partially work like opioids without the high, and others block opioids completely. They keep people alive long enough to safely start longer-term recovery.

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, stopping cravings and withdrawal. It’s not typically dosed enough to get you high, making it great for treatment. Available options include Suboxone (e.g., buprenorphine), Brixadi (extended-release buprenorphine), and more.
Naloxone kicks opioids right off your brain receptors when someone’s overdosing. It’s not something you’d take every day—it’s the emergency medicine that reverses overdoses and most commonly comes in the form of the nasal spray Narcan. Naloxone, in certain forms, helps prevent misuse. If you try to inject it, the naloxone blocks the high.
Methadone prevents withdrawal symptoms and prevents the high from other opioids. Methadone treatment options include dissolvable tablets, oral concentrates, and oral liquids. At first, doses are provided at a specialized clinic daily, and once you’re stable, you might get take-home doses.
Naltrexone is a complete opioid antagonist. You won’t feel any effects from opioids if you use them while on this medication. This helps prevent cravings and relapse. The most common form is Vivitrol—a monthly injection.

Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

At Granite’s drug rehab, we offer expert-led levels of care for opioid recovery.

Medical Detox

If you think medical detox may be necessary, we can help. Our staff checks on your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure throughout.

Inpatient Care:

On-site, intensive support is a common step after a successful detox.

Outpatient Programs:

From IOP to regular outpatient care, you can maintain support and progress.

Veteran Support:

Our Rally Point Recovery program allows veterans to stay with us or just come for daily help that suits their lives.

Holistic Therapies and Approaches

Our New Hampshire treatment centers offer several proven approaches to help you stay opioid-free:

Find Healing With Granite Recovery Centers

Recovery is hard work with ups and downs. At Granite, we offer understanding and a safe space to treat an opioid addiction. Our staff knows the challenges of detox and recovery and can lead you through them. If you or your loved one are ready to start with a clean slate or want to learn about our programs, reach out to us today.

FAQs

Many mix these terms up all the time. Opiates are the drugs that come straight from the poppy plant—think morphine and codeine. Opioids cover everything else, like natural opiates, semi-synthetic pills, and synthetics like fentanyl. They all mess with the same brain receptors, just to different degrees.

Ever notice how everything slows down when you take pain pills? The gut muscles that normally squeeze food through your system slow down when on opioids. That’s why people experience the common side effect—opioid-induced constipation.

Unlike alcohol withdrawal, opioid withdrawal doesn’t tend to be outright deadly. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe to go cold turkey alone. The non-stop vomiting and diarrhea can dehydrate you dangerously fast. Detoxing with medical backup isn’t just more comfortable, it can prevent dangerous outcomes.

Most opioids show up in urine tests for 1-4 days. Blood tests catch them for about a day, while hair tests can identify them in your system for up to 3 months.

Kappa is one of several brain receptors that respond to opioids, affecting pain, mood, and addiction.

Nope. Xanax is a benzodiazepine. Both drug classes can hook you, but they work differently in your brain.

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