Codeine abuse and addiction can develop in people taking this medication for medical or recreational purposes. Even though doctors maintain safe prescribing methods and observe patients for the development of drug dependence, most users still end up abusing the drug. Codeine is an opioid drug, so it is habit-forming in the user.
Opioid abuse poses a high risk to the affected user because these drugs trigger the brain’s reward system. They block pain signals from being transmitted all through the body while producing a feeling of reward or euphoria, which causes people to misuse opioids.
Studies indicate that addiction influences each individual differently. Factors such as genetics can impact the symptoms experienced by an individual and the intensity of these symptoms. Other factors that can influence the intensity of an individual’s codeine withdrawal experience include the following:
- A history of physical or mental disorders
- The user’s weight
- Whether the person abused codeine with other drugs
- The frequency and duration of use
- The amount of codeine typically used
These factors can impact the user’s experience with psychological cravings and physical withdrawal after codeine detox. Environmental factors can also play a significant role in combating codeine abuse or addiction. If someone with a codeine addiction finds themselves in the company or environments that fuelled their drug use, they might get cravings.
Other people can also experience behavioral withdrawal, where they want to use codeine during unpleasant or stressful situations that caused them to use it in the first place. In such cases, counseling, and behavioral therapy can help the individual find alternative coping mechanisms for their problems and triggers.
Medical Codeine Detox Duration
Medical detox is an alternative term for intensive, medically supervised inpatient treatment that involves 24-hour care typically lasting for 7 to 10 days. During medical codeine detox, the patient receives treatment from highly skilled medical professionals with experience in substance abuse treatment.
This treatment program is recommended for people likely to get significant withdrawal symptoms during codeine withdrawal. Certain drugs exhibit life-threatening and severe withdrawal symptoms, but as an opioid drug, codeine doesn’t cause lethal symptoms. However, codeine withdrawal is still unpleasant for the user. Codeine detox can effectively help you overcome withdrawal while reducing the likelihood of relapse.
Medical detox can also help the patient manage other common psychological and medical needs besides withdrawal symptoms. Even though codeine detox usually lasts 5-10 days, the overall timeline of the program will depend on the individual’s needs. Detox is crucial to recovery from substance abuse and addiction, but it is just the first step in treating this condition. After completing a detox program, the patient can progress to other stages of addiction treatment.
Withdrawal Timeline
Withdrawal from codeine usually differs with each individual, but the worst part usually fades away after one week.
During the first four days of codeine detox after the last dose, the individual will experience common symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, nausea, insomnia, headaches, and muscle pain.
In the next 5-7 days of codeine detox, the physical symptoms will start fading away, while the psychological symptoms like depression will occur approximately one week after the treatment program.
Within 8 to 30 days into the codeine detox program, the physical symptoms will have subsided completely. However, the person may keep experiencing drug cravings and depression for a few weeks after completing the detox.
Codeine withdrawal symptoms typically start about 8 to 24 hours after an individual takes their last drug dose. For some users, the symptoms might not occur until after this period. The duration and severity of codeine withdrawal during detox varies from each person. Some individuals may only experience mild symptoms, and others can become severely ill.
Other users can become so overwhelmed by codeine withdrawal that they opt to resume codeine use to alleviate their withdrawal symptoms. However, this resets the user’s period of codeine withdrawal, which can make their symptoms more severe or last longer.
In cases of acute opioid withdrawal, the symptoms can even last up to 6 months. During this period, the person will experience codeine cravings and feel ill. Since the withdrawal process is unique to each person, there is no guarantee of an exact timeline for codeine detox. However, for the significant stages of detox, there is an approximate timeline to expect during codeine detox.
The initial withdrawal symptoms usually show within hours of the individual’s last codeine dose. They will peak within 48 to 72 hours and gradually reduce intensity after this period. For most recovering codeine users, the symptoms experienced during codeine detox will be most unpleasant for approximately one week and resolve entirely within two weeks.
The physical withdrawal symptoms are usually the most troublesome part of the detox process, and rightfully so because they can be pretty unpleasant. However, psychological withdrawal symptoms can be the most difficult, with drug cravings, depression, and anxiety that can persist for months or years after stopping codeine use. This is why a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program involves behavioral therapy.
After Codeine Detox
People who suffer from codeine dependence or abuse risk experiencing opioid withdrawal. As such, they can benefit from pharmaceutical withdrawal management and medical detox efforts to make sure their overall treatment proceeds as comfortably, safely, and smoothly as possible. Even though withdrawal management and professional medical detox are essential to addiction treatment, it is just the first step toward long-term recovery from opioid use.
Enrolling in a comprehensive addiction treatment program is advisable to attain sobriety from codeine abuse and addiction. This will include family therapy, addiction education, relapse prevention, life skills, and behavioral therapy. Once you complete codeine detox and addiction treatment programs, you’ll be on your way toward long-term recovery.
