Cocaine is a highly addictive substance that makes withdrawal extremely challenging because it increases the intensity of a person’s craving for the drug once the body senses that the dosage is reduced or the substance is being rid of. In as fast as one and a half hours, withdrawal symptoms may start kicking in and this can last from 7 to 10 days.
Many factors affect the length of withdrawal a person can experience but usually, those who have extremely abused the substance for a long period are prone to suffer from withdrawal for months. Detox treatment for this condition must include a combination of prescription drugs and addiction therapies.
Factors That Affect Cocaine Withdrawal
When a person decides to quit using Cocaine, its power as a stimulant shifts to the opposite. Instead of energizing a person, it weakens them more – both body and mind. The severity of the withdrawal symptoms that anyone who is addicted to the drug can experience varies depending on the following factors.
Overall Health Condition
Individuals who have poor health conditions either physical or psychological are prone to complications brought by withdrawal. If a person suffers from hypertension or a heart attack, this can be triggered when the stimulant stops working in the body. The same thing happens with anxiety and depression.
Poly-substance Abuse
Poly-substance abuse means being involved in more than one kind of substance addiction. By beginning to withdraw from using Cocaine, multiple withdrawal symptoms can occur and these can be brought by poly-substance abuse. In this case, the body becomes too weak to handle several symptoms coming in all at once.
Duration of Using Cocaine
How long or how heavily did the user abuse the substance? This question is very important during assessment since withdrawal can be extreme when there is too much buildup of the substance in the body over a course of time. Not only that, symptoms can swing up and down for weeks, and levels of cravings can reoccur from time to time.
Environmental Factors
Easy access to the substance as provided by environmental factors can make withdrawal longer or difficult to take. An increased level of craving is the strongest and longest withdrawal symptom that can happen. This is mainly the reason why treatment becomes unsuccessful. Moreover, the surge of cravings can even cause relapse in the long run.
What Are The Phases Of Cocaine Withdrawal
The symptoms of withdrawal from Cocaine are less complicated if you compare them with those from other substance addictions. However, it still can be challenging. The tendency to fall short from detox treatment is very likely as individuals find it extremely difficult to get over the cravings.
Once withdrawal of the substance begins, this can seriously affect a person’s mental health. As the substance dissipates in the body, the brain shuts down its ability to make the person feel good, motivated, and energized. As a result, negative feelings appear such as despair or restlessness.
These instances can lead to depression, a condition that causes suicidal thoughts, a life-threatening act. Other symptoms include lethargy or fatigue. These symptoms can also lead to irritability, sleeping too much, and an increased appetite. As withdrawal progresses, the symptoms can also change.
A person might have trouble sleeping or experience insomnia. This can be accompanied by instances of nightmares. All these can contribute to fatigue. While tremors are also likely, intense feelings of anger and the difficulty of concentrating can also manifest during the withdrawal phase.
You can expect withdrawal symptoms to occur in the following timeline:
First Week
In the first week, expect the highest level of cravings to occur. As the body is initially adjusting to the changes in the amount of substance it usually consumes, a person can experience mood swings. Feelings of irritability could be intense and having trouble sleeping can also happen.
One can also expect relapse during the first week. This is the reason why detox treatment requires the help of medications. It makes treatment more effective and successful. Relapse can be intense in the first week and may still recur anytime beyond treatment. A supportive environment is a great factor that prevents this from happening.
Up To 10 Weeks
Detox treatment can last up to 10 weeks and it is expected that within this period, the body has slowly stabilized from substance addiction. Symptoms of withdrawal must have improved although cravings for the drug continue. Mood swings are also likely and the difficulty to concentrate can still be experienced significantly.
Beyond 10 Weeks
As previously mentioned, people who have extremely abused Cocaine for longer periods require a longer detox treatment. In some cases, individuals can be free from experiencing physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, although cravings for the substance continue to be there. This is when interventions of therapies can be of great use.
Detox Treatment For Cocaine
Some cases require treatment to be medically assisted. For instance, people whose medical conditions are identified to be compromised during withdrawal can be safely treated with prescribed medicines. The same goes for people who have previously undiagnosed mental health disorders. However, in most cases, medications may not be necessary.
Allowing oneself much time to heal is the greatest step to recovering from Cocaine addiction. Since craving for the substance is a long-term enemy to battle against even beyond detox treatment, it is important to strengthen oneself with a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keeping away from conditions that allow access to the substance is also important.
Quitting cold turkey with Cocaine is not as fatal as other substances. However, a doctor’s supervision in detox is valuable to make the treatment more successful. Doing it all by oneself can be ineffective especially when the cravings become too intense to resist. This is the reason why external support is also highly needed upon treatment.
Overall, by nourishing one’s physical self and keeping external support towards recovery, it is possible to get past one’s substance addiction. You also need to consult with a doctor for your rehab program.
