The Dangers of One Day Rapid Detox

What Is One Day Rapid Detox?

First and foremost, it is important to understand that although rapid detox can be a viable and safe option to detox from opioid drugs, it should not be a one-day procedure.

Rapid detox is an alternative option to conventional opioid detoxification techniques. Using an appropriate health evaluation, premedication protocol, and intensive supportive care during the procedure is the best way to ensure a safe and effective detox result.

Because rapid detox allows patients to achieve complete opioid detoxification, the total number of patients beginning recovery is much greater than traditional techniques. This success may prove a significant advantage in the treatment option for patients struggling with opioid addiction.

Tolerance leads to physical dependence and often risky behavioral characteristics associated with opioid use disorder. Painful withdrawal symptoms that occur when individuals attempt to reduce or stop their opioid use directly result from physical dependence and are the critical driver behind long-term addiction. Drug addiction is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States.

How Does One-Day Rapid Detox Work?

One-day rapid detox is insufficient to ensure a safe and satisfactory physiological stabilization. Clinicians must have a clear understanding of the neurobiological and physical effects of opioid dependence. This knowledge gives treating providers insight into current patient issues and clarifies the treatment plan and goals.

It is dangerous, irresponsible, and cruel to offer a one-day rapid detox or the promise of an overnight cure and should never be acknowledged or endorsed by a medical professional. The risks far outweigh any possible benefits.

What are the Risks?

Here are some of the experiences patients reveal after undergoing one-day detox procedures:

• Medical issues were not detected before the procedure, compromising patient safety during sedation and causing major medical crises.
• Other unknown substances were still in the patients’ metabolism during detox, which led to dangerous drug interactions and adverse effects during the detox procedure.
• More medical evaluations were necessary to ensure an individual’s candidacy for sedation-assisted detoxification.
• Pre-detox needed to include additional time for hydration and vital stabilization.
• There was no plan B. Patients were discharged with no resources for treatment when they were not medically cleared for detox under sedation.
• Discharge post-detox was too soon, and the patient was not physically stable.
• The patient was overly sedated in hotel rooms and was at high risk of falling.
• Individuals continue having severe diarrhea, which can easily lead to dehydration and other serious medical consequences.
• Extreme anxiety and unfair responsibility are placed on a loved one’s shoulder without experience caring for patients.
• Emotionally unstable patients lead to fear, bouts of anxiety, outbursts of anger, and other preventable crises.
• Relapse due to the lack of immediate professional care and adequate support post-detox.

Although detox under sedation avoids many painful withdrawal symptoms, it must be provided responsibly, with adequate inpatient time before and after detoxification.

Those offering one-day rapid detox do not understand its limitations, risks, and benefits. Unfortunately, some detox clinics use the terms “rapid” and “accelerated” beyond their scope, jeopardizing patients’ health for advertising tricks and higher profits.

Detox under sedation is a serious medical procedure that is as effective and as safe as the extent of honesty, experience, and responsibility of the treating doctor.

The Unnecessary Risks of Overnight Drug Detox

Unfortunately, the current opioid crisis, combined with the lack of qualified physicians, gives way to a few less than ethical physicians making unrealistic promises to those struggling with addiction. Safety guidelines should not be dismissed to accommodate time constraints, despite rapid alternatives for opioid detoxification. Furthermore, there is not a one-size-fits-all adequate treatment protocol for all patients.

Detox centers should offer several options based on patients’ unique health needs. This way, a patient will not feel compelled to undergo a medical procedure that is not medically indicated for them.

Here is a shortlist of the particular evaluation factors:

• Age
• Physical health
• Current physical status
• Emotional history
• Currently used medications or substances
• Social environment
• Length of use
• Method of use

Opioid Withdrawal Treatment Options

For many individuals struggling with opioid physical dependency, the fear of withdrawal is a barrier to seeking treatment. Several medical treatments are available to mitigate withdrawals during the acute detoxification phase. However, the patient and a qualified physician should be the ones to decide on the use of any specific protocol. There is an ongoing need for medical interventions and supportive care roles in delivering effective opioid detoxification.

The Importance of Adequate Time for Inpatient Care

Providing treatment for those in need is becoming increasingly challenging as the opioid crisis, and the influx of fentanyl intensify.

Opioids are highly addictive substances due to their powerful effect on the brain’s reward center, triggering the discharge of endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. Endorphins decrease your perception of pain while increasing the feelings of pleasure. This pleasurable sensation creates a temporary but powerful sense of well-being which compels people to continue opioid use.

After continued opioid use, the body starts reducing responsiveness, leading the individual to increase the dosage to achieve the desired effects, a condition called tolerance. Given this condition’s vast, complex biological and psychological aspects, medically assisted detox options should be available for every individual in need.

The treating doctor must clearly understand the neurobiological and physical effects of an opioid use disorder, which will allow insight into patients’ issues and clarification of treatment plans and goals.

Rapid Detox and Sedation Assisted Detox Differences

Let’s start by clarifying the definition of rapid detox. Rapid detox is a procedure that uses antagonist medications to precipitate a withdrawal while the patient is under sedation. What anesthesia, how long the process lasts, and even what antagonists are used differ from center to center.

Some centers advertise that they no longer use rapid detox or have a more advanced or miracle response to addiction. Although those are catchy advertising tactics, they are mostly false and dangerously misleading. A reputable medically assisted detox program should consider each patient’s health needs first.

If you encounter a treatment program that promises results within a specific time frame or uses a one-size-fits-all protocol, avoid it at all costs.

When programs have only one protocol to offer, they might disregard patients’ medical restrictions. Although several scientific studies have shown that opioid detoxification under sedation is a safe and effective option for getting off opiates, doctors should always meet basic safety requirements.

Even though rapid detox can be a safe and effective option to overcome opioid withdrawal, one-day or overnight programs are not. If you consider the level of physical vulnerability and emotional instability opioid dependence causes, you will understand that overnight expectations of treatment are unrealistic and dangerous.

Providing around-the-clock professional inpatient care before, during, and after detox is a necessary measure to maximize comfort and ensure safety.

How to Choose a Safe Rapid Detox Center?

Michael H. Lowenstein, MPH, M.D. – Waismann Method Medical Director and Top Rapid Detox Specialist in the U.S.A.

A quality rapid opioid detox center provides treatment within a full-service JCAHO Accredited Hospital and is overseen by board-certified specialists in anesthesia and addiction medicine.

Safe Rapid Detox Centers Provide:

• Admission to a private room in a full-service accredited hospital allows patients access to numerous specialists and the undivided attention of the treating physician.
• A board-certified anesthesiologist with extensive experience in sedation-assisted detoxification and addiction medicine oversees the opioid detox.
• The patient undergoes an inpatient comprehensive physical evaluation and stabilization the day before detox under anesthesia.
• There are several medically assisted detoxification options available that are tailored to each patient.
• The patients’ condition and not a preset protocol should determine discharge from the hospital.
• Option of Vivitrol and Naltrexone therapy for craving control.
• The patient is discharged to a specialized post-detox recovery center for a few days of stabilization.

Unfortunately, one-day rapid detox is dangerous, and the risks of an overnight detox treatment vastly outweigh the benefits. Humans are naturally complex beings, and addiction dramatically adds to that complexity. Underestimating the physical and emotional effects of opioid use can be extremely dangerous.

Top medical professionals review patient and medical data to decide the best treatment protocol. The practice allows adequate time to receive additional information needed for treatment. This information allows the physician to identify areas of concern and improve the patient’s overall care and treatment results. The goal of a successful medical detox should be improving patient outcomes, reducing risk, and achieving efficiency in the delivery of medical care.

Sources

• Wiley Online Library: Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
• The Joint Commission: Accreditation and Certification

Reviewed by Clare Waismann, Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS), Substance Use Disorder Certified Counselor (SUDCC), founder of Waismann Method® Advanced Treatment for Opiate Dependence and Domus Retreat®. Clare Waismann as an authority and expert on opioid dependence, opioid use disorder, substance dependence, detoxification treatments, detox recovery, and other topics covered on RapidDetox.com.