Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Detox

Restoril Detox and Recovery

Detox is your first step toward recovery. It lets you break free from the influence of Restoril so you can do the work that will keep you free. Detox isn’t treatment in and of itself, but it lets treatment begin. And when you choose comprehensive treatment programs like those at Michael's House, time spent in detox is also time spent healing physically, mentally and emotionally. You can get to the heart of recovery sooner by integrating detox and early treatment.

How does detox begin?

You have choices when it comes to detox. Depending on your mental and physical health, you and your treatment team may choose abrupt detox, substitute medications or a tapering scheduling. You may choose a combination of different methods. Every step of recovery is unique to you and your individual needs. Michael's House recognizes the importance of this personalized care.

When you are physically dependent on a benzodiazepine like Restoril, detox typically begins by working with your medical care provider to develop a tapering schedule. Again, this may not be the case for you, but it is a typical first-line approach to Restoril detox.

Another promising option is using a substitute medication and then tapering use of that medication. For example, European Psychiatry shared a study that found that “Zopiclone has a useful role in benzodiazepine withdrawal, and that immediate substitution is the best method.”1 This medication helped patients sleep better, feel alert and manage withdrawal symptoms. It may not be the right method for you, but it shows that medications may play a helpful role in your recovery. They may influence how long detox takes and how you feel during detox.

Detox and Recovery Options

Medications aren’t the only way to change your detox experience. Sleeping well, eating right, staying active and getting emotional support all help. Michael's House offers a quiet, safe and peaceful environment. We have chef-prepared, nutritious meals to fuel body and mind. We even offer nutritional counseling so you can learn how to cook great food for yourself at home! We also offer both classic and new ways to strengthen yourself.

You may want to try yoga or an adventure program. Therapists will help you develop healthy sleep habits and practice relaxation and stress management techniques for more restful nights. This may involve supplementing your treatment plan with alternative methods such as meditation. Harvard Health explains, “A mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped quell anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability. People in the control group — who also improved, but not as much as those in the meditation group — were taught general stress management techniques.”2

Give Yourself the Time You Need

Give yourself and your recovery every boost you can. This ultimately means less time in treatment! And more time in recovery. Michael's House helps you supplement your recovery and flow as easily as possible from detox to the next step towards wellness. Our proven programs blend science-based therapies with alternative methods of healing.

You don’t have to finish detox in any set amount of time. You don’t have to do it any certain way. Just make sure you get professional medical support and are working with an experienced treatment team. Make sure you follow detox with comprehensive, integrated addiction treatment. Learn more by giving Michael's House a call. We offer this healing in a safe, peaceful and luxurious setting.

How Long does it take to detox?

You’re ready to stop taking Rohypnol or another benzodiazepine drug like Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam) or Xanax (alprazolam). You know recovery begins with detox. You know this detox needs to be followed with treatment and therapy. While you understand the basics, you probably have some questions about the specifics. One of your first questions may be, how long will detox take?

Taking Time for Detox

You need to give yourself the time you need to heal. Detox and treatment should never be rushed. However it’s good to have a general idea of how long each stage of recovery takes. So how long should you take off work? Do you need to arrange care for family members? Treatment centers like Michael's House help you with this planning. You don’t have to have every detail figured out on your own. We’ll help you talk with your employer, arrange travel to treatment and find childcare. No matter your concern, we’re here to help smooth the way to detox and treatment.

What happens during detox?

You have several options when it comes to detox. The best detox method will depend on your individual recovery needs. It will depend on your physical health. It will depend on your mental health and if you have any co-occurring mental health issues like anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. If you do have one of these co-occurring concerns, detoxing the right way becomes even more important. Medscape explains, “Without appropriate discontinuation of benzodiazepines, psychiatric symptoms (ie, rebound anxiety or insomnia) may be more severe than before treatment and may persist for an extended period. Therefore, a well-planned protocol for discontinuation of benzodiazepines is paramount to minimize adverse events associated with withdrawal.”3 Detox isn’t scary or unmanageable if you get the right help. You can detox from Rohypnol in a safe, supported manner and with minimal withdrawal symptoms.

Because Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine, detox will probably involve gradually tapering use. This ensures your health and safety and minimizes withdrawal symptoms. “In order to detox from benzodiazepines, the general approach is to gradually reduce the patient’s intake of benzodiazepines,” a writer for The Huffington Post explains. “Detoxing from benzodiazepines is typically a much lengthier process than detoxing from alcohol, often taking place over the course of weeks or several months.”4 This doesn’t mean you have to wait several months to start feeling better. You don’t have to put life or recovery on hold. You can start the real work of recovery while still gradually reducing your benzodiazepine use and working on completing your detox.

So, what is this real work of recovery? Just as your treatment provider helped you arrange everything before treatment, they’ll help you arrange everything during as well. When you choose treatment at Michael's House, we integrate detox, addiction treatment and mental health care. Medscape explains that any detox needs more than just medical management: “Regardless of the chosen method, providers should consider augmentation with cognitive-behavioral therapy to improve the likelihood of success with tapering regimens. A comparison of the efficacy of tapering benzodiazepines plus cognitive-behavioral therapy with tapering alone showed that a combination of these two different therapies was superior to tapering alone, with benefit sustained for up to 1 year.” We include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other proven, effective treatment methods as part of your overall treatment plan. We incorporate therapy, mental health care, physical health care and more into your treatment experience. Because you are integrating these elements of treatment, treatment is both more effective and more efficient.

We will never rush your treatment process, but we understand the importance of feeling better and getting home. Let us help you do both. Call Michael's House to learn more about detox, treatment and recovery.

Rohypnol Withdrawal and Treatment

Rohypnol is not manufactured or sold legally in the United States but is available by prescription in Europe and Latin America. It is similar to Valium but is up to 10 times more potent. The drug is used as a sedative and muscle relaxant, and also to reduce anxiety.5 It is abused by college students, rave party attendees, gang members and drug addicts to intensify the feeling of intoxication, boost the effects of heroin, and modulate the effects of cocaine.6

Chronic use of Rohypnol can result in dependence and withdrawal. Withdrawal is used to describe the group of symptoms that occur when there is an abrupt discontinuation or decrease in the intake of a drug. When you stop taking Rohypnol, you may experience symptoms similar to those of alcohol withdrawal, such as tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.

Rohypnol withdrawal symptoms may also include:

  • Headaches
  • Muscle pain
  • Tension
  • Numbness
  • Tingling of Extremities
  • Delirium and Loss of Identity
  • Shock
  • Cardiovascular distress

Withdrawal from Rohypnol can also cause seizures, which may occur for up to more than a week after the drug is stopped.

Start with Drug Detox

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Safe Rohypnol Withdrawal

If you or a loved one struggles with Rohypnol addiction, it is important that you work with your doctor or a professional drug rehab counselor on a strategy for withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms can be very severe, which is why the safest way to go through the process is at a rehab facility that offers medically-supervised detox.

Medically-supervised detox allows the patient to withdraw from Rohypnol in a safe environment under the watchful eye of trained rehab personnel. Round-the-clock medical monitoring and management of withdrawal symptoms are just two of the many reasons medically-supervised detox is the safest choice.

Statistics prove that when an addict attempts to stop using the drug on his or her own, the results do not last long. That’s why inpatient treatment in a rehab facility following detox is the best way to break the cycle of addiction to Rohypnol. Spending time in a safe and structured environment, surrounded by the support of therapists and other rehab personnel, allows you or your loved one the opportunity to fully focus on getting better.

Rohypnol Treatment

After withdrawing from Rohypnol in a facility that offers medically-supervised detox, the next step in the treatment process is the diagnosis of any underlying mental health issues. Addiction to any drug can often be caused by or contributed to by a personal or family history of mental illness. Once a diagnosis is reached, an appropriate treatment plan is designed to simultaneously treat both issues.

With or without co-occurring disorders, treatment for addiction usually involves a combination of the following:

  • Individual therapy
  • Group counseling
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Family therapy
  • Holistic options like yoga, meditation and spiritual counseling
  • Life skills training and career counseling7

Once treatment has ended, appropriate aftercare is essential for continued recovery. Your rehab facility will help connect you with support groups, accountability partners, sponsors and ongoing counseling services to keep you on the road to a drug-free life.

Getting Help for Rohypnol Addiction

Withdrawal can be a painful part of breaking an addiction, but it is necessary in order to begin your road to recovery. Entering a treatment center could be the best decision you’ve ever made. There is hope. Addiction treatment can help you get your life back.

Call our toll-free number, 760-548-4032, today to speak with an admissions coordinator about available treatment options. We are available 24 hours a day, so call us now.

By Patti Richards, Contributing Writer

Sources

Substance Abuse

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