When someone with opioid addiction tries to quit, they often experience harsh withdrawal symptoms. Usually, these withdrawals cause so much pain that people resume using opioids to ease the symptoms. For most people, it is impossible to stop abusing opioids without the help of an addiction doctor.
In This Article
How Long Do Withdrawals Last?
While withdrawal symptoms are very unpleasant and painful, they usually begin to improve within seventy-two hours.
Within a week, there should be a significant decrease in the acute symptoms.
Longer-term symptoms are usually more behavioral and emotional, though there can be mild physical symptoms (such as withdrawal insomnia) that may take several weeks to resolve.
Opioid Withdrawal Timeline
Generally:
- Symptoms start sometime between 8 and 24 hours after you last use the drugs.
- You feel worst between 48 and 72 hours (2-3 days) after your last use.
- Symptoms stop sometime between 4 to 10 days after you last used.
As you might suspect, timing depends on the individual and factors such as:
- Length of time using the substance
- The substance itself (ie. the new drug ISO detox vs. heroin detox vs. prescription painkiller detox like oxycodone or hydrocodone)
- Method of abuse (ie. snorting, smoking, injecting, or swallowing)
- Amount taken each time
- Family history of addiction and genetic makeup
- Medical and mental health history
Withdrawal Symptoms Lasting Longer Than 10 Days
What Are the Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal?
Initial Phase Withdrawal Symptoms
Most people start to feel these symptoms after not using opioids for around eight hours.
- Muscle aches
- Excessive sweating
- Lethargy and excessive yawning
- Runny nose
- Anxiety
- Extreme cravings and thoughts of using
- Restlessness
- Agitation
- Insomnia
- Restless leg syndrome
Second Phase Withdrawal Symptoms
The second phase, which can be more intense, begins after the first day or so. Symptoms in the second phase include:
- Dilated pupils
- Rapid heartbeat
- Diarrhea,nausea and vomiting
- Chills and goosebumps
- Abdominal cramps
- High blood pressure
What Happens During Withdrawal?
The body produces natural opioids that control pain, anxiety and depression. But, if a person gets a broken leg, for example, the body doesn’t produce enough opioids to treat the pain. External opioids treat the pain.
Over time and prolonged use, opioid receptors in the brain, the spinal cord and gastrointestinal tracts become desensitized. Higher dosages are needed to achieve the same effect. The increased consumption creates a dependency on the receptors, and when the person stops taking the opioid, the body can’t cope with the lack of the drug.
How can I feel better?
There’s no need to feel so terrible. Suboxone clinics use buprenorphine to feel better right away and get through withdrawal while you live at home. Though there are more side effects of methadone, it is also an option that provides immediate relief.
Without medical supervision, withdrawals are uncomfortable, stressful and too often result in overdose. The physical and mental toll caused by opioid withdrawal can be addressed.
Symetria Opiate Detox Centers
If you’ve tried to stop, it’s easy to feel like there is no hope of overcoming opioid addiction, but thousands of people are living healthily and happily without feeling high or sick. If you’ve been able to get past the detox phase, joining an IOP program or using medications like Suboxone or methadone helps you stay healthy long-term.
79 Comments
I have been taking fentanyl for more than a few months and I am cold turkey quitting. Withdrawals are as explained, but I am also having mind fogginess, blurred vision and acute hallucinations. Is this normal?
I took Norco 10-325 after knee surgery for 28 days. I took 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours per day. I stopped taking them cold turkey 10 days ago. Today is day 11 and for the last 11 days I’ve experience insomnia ,high anxiety, depression, fear, sweating, brain fog. It’s awful. Is this normal? I had a professional weight lifting friend of mine who has used opioids and has had 10 surgeries tell me it could take up to 2 weeks to stop feeling these symptoms. True or false and is what I am experiencing normal?
Thanks –
Milk of Magnesia works on my stomach and cramp 16 years on perks stopped cold turkey. Having a problem eating anything heavy or I get cramps. Soup yogurt crackers
I have been prescribed oxycodone 7.5 mg four times daily for the last six years. How long does it take to get the oxycodone out of you and when do the horrible withdraws stop? I have a tumor on my spine and many other issues but I don’t want to be on oxycodone anymore.
I’ve been clean from Percocet for almost 1 weeks but I still don’t feel like my self still tired and week in my legs and wake up at night so you know when this will stop