Opiate addiction is a dangerous health problem that often ends in the same way for many people: overdose. The growing number of overdose deaths – and overdose injuries – make it critical to understand the opiate overdose timeline fully. Unfortunately, this element can be unpredictable and varies massively from person to person. Nonetheless, it is possible to get a better idea of what to expect, here, by understanding just how and why these variations occur in a person.
Timelines Often Vary
Just how bad as the opiate overdose epidemic become? Experts believe that 700,000 people have died of drug overdoses between 1999 to 2017. Additionally, they think that an average of about 68 percent of those deaths were from opioids. Even worse, the rate in 2017 was six times higher than in 1999. This statistic means that the problem is getting worse every year, as more and more doctors prescribe opioids.
Visualizing 700,000 deaths may seem too staggering for most people, so think of it as an average of 130 people every day. That’s about the same amount as a small high school class. Sadly, many of these deaths could be prevented if the individual affected by the overdose understood the timeline for this problem. Unfortunately, the opiate overdose timeline is not that easy to predict, even when in opioid addiction treatment.
What Causes This Variation
The opiate overdose timeline varies heavily based on many factors. For example, some people may overdose the very first time that they take opiates illicitly. Others may abuse opioids for years before they overdose. Drug tolerance, the size of the dose, and the state of a person’s health all affect the timeline. For example, someone with heart problems may be more likely to suffer from more extreme overdose symptoms or a quicker onset of an overdose. That said, a typical opiate overdose includes a myriad of potentially painful symptoms such as:
- Heavily decreased breathing process
- Much lower heart rate than normal
- Confusion, nausea, and agitation
- Extreme tiredness or sleepiness
- Chest pain and heart palpitations
- Heart attack or coma that may trigger death
You must treat these symptoms very seriously when they occur. Anybody addicted to opiates needs to get immediate care to avoid death. And then, they need to go to a rehab center to manage this problem correctly. Though it can be hard to admit that you have a problem, doing so can save your life and help you regain the sobriety that you thought you’d never get back again.
Ways Rehab Can Help
Those worried about the opiate overdose timeline and its unpredictable nature may want to seek out high-quality substance use treatment. This care option will provide you with the strength and guidance that you need to beat this disease for good. When you go to one of these facilities to get detailed treatment, you will:
- Focus on physical health – Avoid withdrawal pain and regain your physical strength
- Boost your emotional state – Enhance your mental health with various types of therapy
- Adjust your behaviors – Learn how to avoid the sometimes challenging cycle of substance use
- Receive family counseling – Heal together with your family in a caring environment
- Recover long after rehab with aftercare – Utilize various counseling options to stay focused in aftercare
Each of these unique care options helps to produce a potent level of recovery that should make your treatment much more comfortable. That said, we don’t mean to minimize the challenges that you’ll likely experience in rehab. The issues that it may cause are often immense and require you to work hand-in-hand with your abuse counselors to ensure that you are fully protected and safe.
Reach Out to Us Today
If you need to know more about the opiate overdose timeline or want high-quality treatment, please call 866.262.0531 today to learn more about how we can help. At Crestview Recovery, we focus on a patient-first philosophy that ensures you get the care that you need. Our extended 90-day program is acclaimed for its effectiveness and will help with all types of substance use. So please verify your insurance to take control of your addiction. Then you can walk through your life as drug-free as possible.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
