How Does Heroin Impact the Body?
Heroin is one of the most addictive substances. It can be impossible to quit alone because of how heroin impacts the body. Thankfully you can deal with heroin withdrawal symptoms and overcome the heroin effect on the body with a medication-assisted treatment plan.
Centric Behavioral Health is a group of top-rated addiction treatment centers. To learn more about our addiction treatment services in Florida, contact Centric today.
Why is Heroin Addictive?
So how does heroin impact the body, and why are heroin’s effects on the body and brain so intense?
Heroin binds to specific opioid receptors in your brain. Under normal circumstances, these opioid receptors help release feelings of well-being and hormones and regulate pain. They are responsible for stimulating the release of things like dopamine and activating the reward center in your brain. When you use heroin, you have a heroin effect on the body that activates the same regions but in a much more robust fashion.
How Does Heroin Impact the Body?
Heroin effects on the body and brain can depress breathing by altering that same neurochemical activity. It can block messages of pain sent between your body and brain, and it can reinforce addictive behavior by changing your emotional control and your reward system.
Heroin effects on the body come in physical forms like:
- Teary eyes
- Severe bone pain
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Cravings
- Respiratory issues
- Frequent runny nose
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Skin abscesses
- Needle marks
More than physical, there can be a psychological heroin effect on the body. This can include:
- An inability to control your drug use
- Continuing to abuse heroin in spite of how harmful it is
- Problems with school or work performance
- Financial difficulties because all of your money goes to heroin
- Problems with your relationships
- Neglect of your personal or professional responsibilities
- Neglect of your hygiene
What Are Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms?
If you have asked, “how does heroin impact the body,” then you have probably asked, “what are the withdrawal heroin effects on the body.” Withdrawal is also known as detoxification. It is what happens when you quit using heroin or cut back on how much you use. Someone addicted to heroin who can only afford a small dose might still experience withdrawal symptoms if it is a smaller dose than they normally take.
During this phase, it is common to experience physical symptoms within the first six hours of your last dose, including:
- Flu-like symptoms
- Chills
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Watery eyes
- Running nose
- Excessive sweating
- Muscle and bone pain
- Severe abdominal cramps
- Excessive restlessness
- Anxiety
- Headache
All of these symptoms can increase during the first few days of treatment, reaching a peak in severity between forty-eight and seventy-two hours after withdrawal begins.
One of the most significant risks during withdrawal or relapse is overdose. Overdoses are serious and, if left untreated, can lead to death. The strength of a heroin effect on the body can lead people to use higher and higher doses the longer they go untreated, use more than their bodies can handle, or use heroin mixed with other drugs.
The withdrawal symptoms from heroin are so uncomfortable, and the cravings are so severe that many people who try to detox on their own relapse very quickly, and it’s during these moments of relapse, the risk of overdose is high. That is why it is essential to find a heroin detox program where you can undergo withdrawal symptoms under medical supervision with FDA-approved medication.
How to Find Heroin Detox Programs Near You
Centric Behavioral Health can help you get answers to questions like “how does heroin impact the body” and “what treatment plan is best.” With Centric Behavioral Health, you can find heroin detox programs in your area that offer the right combination of FDA-approved medications and ongoing therapy.
Heroin requires medication-assisted treatment or MAT for detox. This type of detox program gives you FDA-approved medication in addition to ongoing therapy. The medication prescribed can be used in one of two ways.
- It can be used to alleviate the severity of your symptoms during withdrawal and keep you more comfortable.
- It can be used to alleviate the severity of your cravings long term.
In addition to FDA-approved medication, a heroin detox program means access to twenty-four-hour medical supervision. Medical staff will monitor your vitals throughout the withdrawal period, and provide IV support to overcome dehydration from things like diarrhea or vomiting. You can also receive over-the-counter medication to quell serious outbursts of things like headaches, abdominal pain, shaking, nausea, and diarrhea.
In the event of any medical complications, staff members at a heroin detox program near you can provide emergency treatment.
Let Centric Behavioral Health help you start a heroin detox program today. Contact Centric Behavioral Health today to learn more about what we treat, our levels of care, and our locations.
