When Do Heroin Detox Symptoms Start?
Detox and withdrawal from heroin are some of the most painful parts of the recovery process. Knowing when heroin detox withdrawal symptoms start will be helpful if you or a loved one have a heroin addiction.
Heroin is an extremely addictive and illegal drug that is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the poppy plant. Heroin normally comes as a white or brown colored powder. It also comes as black tar heroin, depending on which country it has originated from. Heroin can either be snorted, smoked or injected into the veins, all of which are extremely dangerous and deadly. The CDC reports that almost 130,000 people have died from heroin overdoses between 1999 through 2019. They stated,
In 2019, heroin-involved overdose death rates decreased over 6% from 2018 to 2019. However, more than 14,000 people died from a drug overdose involving Heroin in the United States, a rate of more than four deaths for every 100,000 Americans. The number of heroin-involved overdose deaths was more than seven times higher in 2019 than in 1999. Nearly a third of all opioid deaths involved Heroin.
How Quickly Can You Get Addicted to Heroin?
There is an obvious reason behind the saying; all it takes is one time within the drug use and addiction community. Heroin is one of, if not the most, addictive drugs that a person can use. Your brain begins to change after using Heroin just one time. When you use it, it quickly binds to the opioid receptors in your brain nearly instantaneously. These receptors control your body’s pain and pleasure responses. Not only will you become numb to pain when high on Heroin, but you will also feel a warm euphoria. The feelings that Heroin creates are very pleasurable but extremely addicting. After even just one use, it will leave your brain wanting more and more until you no longer have the ability to stop on your own.
When Does Heroin Detox Start?
Detox and withdrawal from heroin are some of the most painful parts of the recovery process. It will involve various symptoms ranging from mild to severe, depending on your length of use and other variants. During the detox process, the most common withdrawal symptoms are chills and sweating, body tremors, body aches, cramping, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, depression, and intense drug cravings.
The length of time in which heroin detox will last is a bit different for every person. It can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for acute withdrawal. However, post-acute withdrawal syndrome can linger on for months. Therefore, the timeline for heroin withdrawal looks something like this:
- 6-24 hours – The symptoms of detox and withdrawal can start as soon as six hours from your last dose of Heroin. These symptoms will include tremors, muscle aches and pain, diarrhea, cold sweats, anxiety, and drug cravings.
- 1-3 days – Detox and withdrawal from Heroin will usually peak within the first three days of the timeline. During this time, the symptoms from the first 24 hours will increase in severity, and new symptoms like irritability, fatigue, and vomiting will happen.
- 4-7 days – During this time, the physical symptoms will start to decrease gradually. The symptoms will mostly be over by the end of the first week, but you will still have to deal with the psychological symptoms.
Evoke Waltham Has Specialists Ready to Help with One Phone Call
It doesn’t matter how long you have been using Heroin or even how much; getting off is uncomfortable for everyone, but it isn’t impossible. We always recommend you participate in a medically assisted detox where doctors will treat you to help alleviate some of the symptoms and make you more comfortable. We never advise that you try to detox on your own. However, if you want to get the help you need, we are available to help you.
