5 Normal Side Effects of Meth Detox and What Intensive Outpatient Programs are Being Carried Out

Methamphetamine, or simply meth, is a potent drug that can cause addiction in individuals who are continuously using it. More often than not, the use of meth leads to addiction and dependency but there are a few users who don’t reach that point. Nonetheless, removing the remaining methamphetamine in the body can lead to side effects. Hence, a meth detox is necessary.

What is a Meth Detox?

Meth detox is similar to the other forms of drug detoxification but this treatment is specifically designed for those under the influence of methamphetamine. What this type of treatment does is help keep the patient’s health regulated and cared for as they go through a withdrawal phase of the drug.

The first step in meth detox is a medical assessment. A doctor will be assessing a person’s dependency on the drug. Their health, both physical and psychological, will be assessed in the process. The main goal for this one is to know the medical history and the current situation of the patient. This enables the doctors to create a detox program specifically designed for the patient.

As the start of the detox process begins, a patient can experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are side effects that affect a person’s physical and mental states. This is primarily because the body has been used to the existence of meth. Removing it will cause the body to react.

5 Normal Withdrawal Symptoms of Meth Detox

As a patient goes through meth detox, there are certain side effects that are normally experienced. They are the following:

1.Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of meth withdrawal. Those who are suffering from dependency and addiction will notice that they easily feel tired and sleepy. Some feel that they are excessively tired even when they are not doing anything strenuous.

2. Nausea

Nausea is another common side effect as well. When a person stops taking meth, they tend to feel dizzy and sick that they want to vomit. However, there are some that don’t reach the vomiting stage. Nonetheless, nausea can make a person feel very uncomfortable. Normally, this side effect is experienced during the first 1-2 days of detox.

3. Anxiety

Detox patients often show signs of anxiety during the first few weeks. Anxiety can manifest in stomach aches, alertness, paranoia, and other physical aches that aren’t normal. Some become more stressed during this period so they turn to cravings of meth to ease their pain.

4. Depression

While depression is not common in all meth detox patients, it is a normal side effect for removing the substance in the body. This is mainly because there are a lot of hormonal and bodily changes happening to the patient which can cause their mood and mental stability to change.

5. Intense cravings

Cravings can be for meth or for food. Most of the time, patients who go through a meth detox will crave the substance because their body notices the lack of it. During these times, the patient can become irritable and anxious.

On the other hand, some patients will be craving food, specifically carbohydrates, and sweets. These foods are considered “comfort foods” which is why a lot of patients tend to crave them. The cravings usually last for 2 to 3 weeks.

Depending on the severity of the dependency, some side effects last from 1-3 weeks. There are some side effects that show only on the first week of withdrawal and there are others that last for the whole period of detoxification.

Meth Detox Programs that Aid in Withdrawal Symptoms

The main purpose of any drug detoxification and the intensive outpatient treatment is to aid in the physical health of a patient undergoing the treatment. It is believed that a person who is physically unwell can have mental health problems due to instability of their bodily functions.

One of the main treatments of meth detox programs is medication. Despite detoxifying the meth substance, medical practitioners will still give a patient several medications to help ease the withdrawal symptoms. However, these medications are not meant to remove the symptoms altogether.

Meth detox also has a 24/7 support and care designed to monitor and help the patient through their whole detox journey. This is beneficial for patients as they are often in need during times of withdrawal symptoms.