Oxycodone
Detox

Oxycodone is a powerful narcotic. It’s found in prescription painkillers, such as Percocet and OxyContin. The substance can be effective for managing physical distress at first. However, as you become dependent on it, you may need higher doses to produce the pain-relieving effects. If you’ve become addicted to the drug, you will need to go through oxycodone detox as a first step toward recovery.

What is Oxycodone?

When you take opioids, you feel euphoric effects as the drugs bind to specific receptors in your brain. If you use these types of drugs for a long period of time, your body stops making its own feel-good neurotransmitters. You end up being reliant on the drugs to make you feel normal and balanced.

However, you develop a tolerance. Your brain becomes used to having opioids in its system, and it begins to need more to feel intense effects.

Oxycodone is an opioid. It binds to the same receptors in the brain as heroin, morphine and fentanyl. The chemical blocks pain. It also triggers a release of dopamine, which floods the body with a euphoric feeling.

The opioid receptors are part of the body’s reward pathways. Whenever this system is triggered, the body tells you to do more of the activity that made it feel good. That’s why you might keep using drugs even though you know they’re not good for you.

Doctors often prescribe oxycodone for moderate to severe pain that doesn’t respond to treatment with other medications. Many people begin using this substance safely and under the supervision of a doctor. They may misuse the substance when it stops working as well as it once did. Some people use oxycodone recreationally to achieve a high.

Why is Oxycodone detox necessary?

Your body naturally produces chemicals, such as endorphins, that make you feel good. Those neurotransmitters bind to your opioid receptors. When you take opioids, your body decreases its production of those chemicals. It begins to rely on the drugs to improve your mood and keep aches and pains at bay.

The prescription medication eventually stops working as well as it once did. By that time, your body isn’t producing mood-enhancing chemicals anymore. If you try to stop using the drug, you feel terrible. You may think that there is no other option available, and you continue taking the substance.

Oxycodone detox is necessary because you cannot regain equilibrium while the drug is still in your system. Because the chemicals mess with your central nervous system, they make you feel as though you need them to survive.

The likelihood of using opioids for a long-term period increases after you take a narcotic such as oxycodone for just three days. You have to go through oxycodone detox to release your body’s dependency on the drug. After the substance is out of your system, you can begin to recover from physical and psychological addiction.

Oxycodone detox withdrawal symptoms

The oxycodone detox process can be long and complex. Once you stop using the drug, levels of noradrenaline in your system increase. This is what causes some of the oxycodone withdrawal symptoms, such as:

• Rapid heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sweating

Other oxycodone withdrawal symptoms include:

• Muscle and joint pain
• Sleeping difficulties
• Anxiety
• Cold flashes
• Leg tremors
• Cramping

These symptoms can be severe and feel worse than the flu. Severe vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, which can make matters worse. Withdrawal symptoms should be monitored by a medical professional.

That’s why home detox is so beneficial. You’ll have the attention and support of a care provider as you go through the process. Home detox allows you to stay comfortable in familiar surroundings, which can make you feel more at ease and prevent unnecessary anxiety.

Moreover, your care provider can help you understand what you’re going through. If you’ve been taking a long-acting form of oxycodone, you might not experience withdrawal symptoms for a day or two after your last dose.

Shorter-acting forms of oxycodone produce withdrawal symptoms more rapidly. Those types of substances are also eliminated from the body faster than long-acting kinds of oxycodone.

Symptoms usually peak two to five days into detox. You may still experience digestive problems, loss of appetite and co-occurring mental disorders after a week. It can take a long time to experience a full recovery.

That’s why the initial oxycodone period is so important. Without the right support and medical supervision, you could be more likely to relapse.

In some cases, you may be able to taper off of the drugs gradually to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Additional medications can be prescribed to help you stay comfortable and reduce psychological distress.

Our professionals tailor their home detox plans to your needs. We offer the support that you require and the care that you need to launch yourself into a long and successful recovery.