Rapid Detox and How It Works

What is Rapid Detox?

With a rapid detox program, a person is put under anesthesia for 4-6 hours while opioid antagonist drugs (like naltrexone) essentially “kick” the opioid drugs, such as heroin or prescription painkillers, out of the system. In effect, this method is meant to circumvent the pain and suffering of opioid withdrawal since the person is sedated during the process. The idea is that when the individual is awakened, the drugs will be flushed from their body and withdrawal will therefore be minimized. The person is then monitored, usually overnight, before being released.

Detox is not a cure for the brain disease of addiction, however. The National Institute on Drug Addiction reports on several studies that have shown that this method does not actually work to sustain recovery. In fact, rapid detox is not recommended by treatment providers and professionals, and it is not considered to be an effective form of detox.

Around 2.5 million people ages 12 and older in the United States battled opioid addiction in 2015, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) publishes. Opioid withdrawal can be intense, and individuals may be hesitant to enter into a long-term treatment program as recommended by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA,) which states that ideally an addiction treatment program should last at least 90 days. In answer to this issue, the idea of rapid detox, or ultra rapid detox, was introduced over 25 years ago.

Rushing through any process, as with most procedures in life, can prove to be ineffective. The same holds true for those with an addiction to opioids when using rapid detox as a solution. American Addiction Centers uses the most effective forms of detox within a supportive environment under the close supervision of medical professionals. The proper care and safety of our patients outweigh the speed of the detox itself. If you’re battling an addiction, please connect with one of our admissions navigators at to get help today!

Rapid Opiate Detox Risks

ASAM recommends against rapid opioid detox, warning that the possible benefits (which are currently unclear) do not outweigh the risks, and it should therefore be avoided. Rapid detox can be potentially dangerous and even life-threatening, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports on several fatalities that were a result of this method of opiate detox.

Other possible side effects of rapid detox, as published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), include:

• Respiration issues
• Renal failure
• Pulmonary distress and possible failure
• Thyroid hormone suppression
• Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system
• Heightened levels of cortisol, catecholamines, and corticotropin
• Irregular cardiac functions
• Psychosis
• Delirium
• Elevated rate of suicide attempts
• Death

Withdrawal symptoms may still occur after rapid detox is complete

Withdrawal Symptoms After Rapid Detox

Withdrawal symptoms may still occur after rapid detox is completed. It’s never recommended to stop opioids “cold turkey,” or suddenly, once a person is dependent on them because of the difficult withdrawal syndrome that begins after the drugs process out of the body. Opioid drugs flood the brain with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is related to emotional regulation, movement, memory and learning functions, and the way a person processes pleasure and reward. With regular use of these drugs, the brain expects their disruption and no longer produces and absorbs dopamine at normal rates. Then, when the drug wears off, withdrawal symptoms often appear.

Physical Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

Physically, opioid withdrawal is like a particularly intense case of the flu, as heart, blood pressure, and respiration rates are elevated, body temperature spikes, and chills are interspersed with sweats. Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, yawning, runny nose, watery eyes, muscle aches, and joint and back pain are common. Depression, restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, trouble thinking clearly, and focusing difficulties are also symptoms of opioid withdrawal. While rapid detox attempts to bypass all of these side effects by inducing them while a person is under anesthesia, it is an expensive procedure that comes with many risks.

Opioid Relapse & Overdose Risk

It is also merely a method of trying to force opioids out of the body, and it does not address any of the social, behavioral, or emotional issues that result from opioid abuse and addiction. Relapse and potential overdose are real concerns of this method of detox since these issues aren’t addressed.

According to NIDA , relapse rates for drug addiction are between 40 percent and 60 percent, as high as they are for other chronic diseases like type I diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. The danger of a relapse after a period of abstinence that is attained through detox is the risk for a fatal overdose. Drug overdoses are at record highs in the United States, as over 50,000 Americans lost their lives to one in 2015, the CDC publishes.

When a person undergoes detox and drugs are processed out of the body, their brain may begin to reset, and they may no longer be tolerant to the same amount of the drug as they were before. This means that if they then take the drug at similar amounts as they were used to before, an overdose can occur. This is because tolerance is lower, and levels can become toxic so much faster.

Detox should always be viewed as part of an overall addiction treatment program and not as a standalone method of care. Rapid detox is not a “cure” for opioid addiction. Instead, it may offer false hope for a “quick fix” that will likely not be effective. Instead, a medical detox program followed by a complete addiction treatment plan can help to sustain long-term recovery and reduce instances of relapse.

Optimal Detox Methods

Detox may be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis, and for opioid drugs, in general, a medical detox program is considered ideal. Medical detox programs are usually offered as residential programs that provide around-the-clock medical care and supervision for an average of 5-7 days. During this time, vital signs are continually monitored, and medical needs are addressed.

Medications are also often dispensed. For opioid detox, instead of stopping the opioid drug suddenly, opioids are often slowly tapered off to avoid the shock of sudden withdrawal. Shorter-acting opioids (like heroin) may be replaced with methadone or buprenorphine, which are both longer-acting opioid drugs. Buprenorphine is also a partial opioid agonist as opposed to a full agonist, which means that it doesn’t produce the same “high” even if a person attempts to abuse it. After a certain level of the drug is present in the bloodstream, it stops working, reaching a plateau of effectiveness. This works as a deterrent for abuse.

Buprenorphine is also commonly combined with a dormant dose of the antagonist drug naloxone. With buprenorphine combination products, the antagonist component doesn’t activate unless the medication is altered for abuse, serving as another layer of abuse deterrence.

Medical detox also often uses other medications to work on specific symptoms of withdrawal, such as sleep aids for insomnia, mood stabilizers for depression, non-steroidal analgesics for pain, and clonidine for sympathetic nervous system irregularities.

The Recovery Process

• Intervention
• Detoxification
• Intensive Outpatient Programs
• Partial Hospitalization Programs
• Residential Treatment
• Therapy & Counseling
• Outpatient Services
• Alumni & Aftercare Plans

A detox program also provides supportive care and encouragement as well as a safe place to allow the drug to process out of the body. Individuals can then be transitioned into an addiction treatment program directly following detox where they can receive education, life skills training, and tools to avoid relapse. Behavioral therapies, support groups, and counseling sessions further help to promote recovery, as do holistic and adjunctive measures, such as massage therapy, nutrition planning, yoga, mindfulness meditation, art therapy, exercise programs, and more.

A detailed medical and mental health evaluation upon admission to treatment can determine if there are any co-occurring disorders that will require integrated and simultaneous care. Addiction is a brain disease, and the whole person needs to be cared for to promote sustained recovery and an improved overall quality of life. If you or someone you love are struggling with addiction and are interested in a medically supervised detox facility in New Jersey, then Sunrise House Treatment Center may be right for you. Contact us to learn more.