Opioid Abuse Treatment services offered in Port Hadlock and Port Angeles, WA
Opioid abuse is widespread, causing worsening mental and physical health and threatening millions of people’s families, homes, and livelihoods. If you need help with opioid abuse, Olympic Peninsula Health Services in Port Hadlock and Port Angeles, Washington, offers expert opioid abuse treatment. The practice’s addiction medicine specialists use carefully selected medications to reduce the withdrawal effects of quitting opioids, including prescription painkillers. These medications are commonly now called medications for opioid use disorder or MOUD.
Call your nearest Olympic Peninsula Health Services office today or book an appointment online to learn more about effective opioid abuse treatment.
What is opioid abuse treatment?
Opioids are prescription pain-relieving medications used to reduce moderate to severe pain. They’re derived from or are synthetic versions of opium and closely related to heroin, an illegal narcotic. Heroin and other opioids are highly addictive because they satisfy the body’s reward system and assist people who want to escape reality. Opioid misuse has become a serious problem across the United States, with an estimated 10.1 million people age 12 and older misused opioids in 2019 with 3 million citizens with current or past opioid use disorder.
There is a specialized treatment for people addicted to opioids called medication-assisted treatment which combines medication and talk therapy to give you the tools to overcome addiction and regain control over your life.
Why would I need opioid abuse treatment?
You would benefit from the Olympic Peninsula Health Services team’s treatment program if you depend on or are addicted to opioid medications or heroin. There are numerous forms of opioid medicines, including:
- Codeine
- Hydrocodone
- Hydromorphone
- Tramadol
- Morphine
- Oxycodone
- Oxymorphone
- Sufentanil
- Fentanyl
Some of these drugs, like codeine and tramadol, aren’t as powerful as morphine, the original opioid painkiller. Others, like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid are significantly more potent. However, they can all lead to misuse and addiction.
Prescribing these medicines for pain can help people with severe pain when other treatments don’t work, so they’re invaluable if used appropriately. However, long-term use carries a significant risk of addiction and misuse. The dose needed to achieve the same effects usually increases over time, and people often turn to illegal sources to get extra supplies.
If you find yourself misusing opioids, call Olympic Peninsula Health Services to ask about treatment.
What opioid abuse treatments are available?
The leading treatment for opioid use disorder is medication-assisted treatment (MAT) or simply medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). MAT and MOUD both address the main barrier to quitting drugs — withdrawal and cravings. During withdrawal, your body is adjusting to not having the substance it’s so used to, which causes some distressing and severe side effects.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and muscle cramps are common during withdrawal. You might develop chills, sweating, and uncontrollable shaking. Headaches, a racing heartbeat (palpitations), and difficulty sleeping also frequently develop during withdrawal.
The Olympic Peninsula Health Services team specializes in using medications like Suboxone®, which help you through withdrawal. Suboxone® contains buprenorphine and naloxone, substances that safely replace the opioids in your body and prevent overdoses.
To complement these medications, attending regular drug counseling and behavioral therapy sessions is beneficial. The Olympic Peninsula Health Services team works closely with chemical dependency agencies and a local in-patient treatment center to provide direct referrals and assist with this process when needed.
To benefit from exceptional opioid abuse treatment, call your nearest office or book an appointment online today.