Author: James Anderson

Precipitated Withdrawal Symptoms Causes And Treatment

This drug category includes medicines like buprenorphine which also bind to the same receptors as heroin and naloxone but partially affect it. In other words, it partially activates the opioid receptors, leading to euphoria and analgesia, but with lesser intensity than the effects felt after using heroin or codeine. Moreover, the effects of buprenorphine are capped and reach a ceiling even if a person keeps increasing its dose.

This is why it’s important to use them with with the guidance of a healthcare professional. If your doctor determines that you are in the midst of withdrawal from opiates and then administers an appropriate dose of buprenorphine, your symptoms will rapidly diminish. If, however, the buprenorphine is administered too soon after your last dose of opioids, before you are in withdrawal, the buprenorphine will act as an opioid antagonist and cause precipitated withdrawal. Precipitated withdrawal is withdrawal that is induced by an opioid treatment medication. It is most commonly seen in cases where a drug containing naloxone, naltrexone, or buprenorphine is given to an individual with an opioid use disorder.

If someone is overdosing, it is important to give them an opioid antagonist like naloxone right away to save their life. However, some antagonists, like naltrexone, should only be used after you have not taken opioids for 7 to 10 days. Others drugs, like buprenorphine, depend on which opioids you were taking. Based on your current situation, your doctor will be able to advise you on the safest antagonist to take and when you should start taking it. If you experience precipitated withdrawal while starting treatment, try not to get discouraged. People who use medication for opioid use disorder as part of their recovery tend to have better results and experience fewer overdoses than those who don’t.

What Is Precipitated Withdrawal?

People usually don’t die from precipitated withdrawal, but they may need hospitalization. Our science-backed approach boasts 95% of patients reporting no withdrawal symptoms at 7 days. In many cases, a low dose of buprenorphine is prescribed during the initial phase of detox. The primary cause of precipitated withdrawal is taking an opioid antagonist before all opioids are out of the system. Unlike withdrawals from substance dependencies, precipitated withdrawal is caused by the use of medication and not the deprivation of a substance. Claire Zagorski earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

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2. If you develop any of the signs or symptoms mentioned above, seek immediate medical attention and contact your doctor.
3. Naltrexone binds to the opioid receptors in the brain for either hours or days, depending on the dose and formula.
4. The most direct way to stop precipitated withdrawal is to consume an opioid, which is what makes this a tricky situation if you’re trying to stop using opioids.
5. Here’s a closer look at the symptoms of precipitated withdrawal, why it happens, and how to manage it.

If the withdrawal is making it hard to eat or drink, consider freezing a sports drink or juice in an ice cube tray and sucking on the cubes. Each withdrawal symptom is scored on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 meaning “not observed” and 4 meaning significantly occurring. The highest score is 44, and a score of less than 10 is preferred before beginning detox or other treatment.

Common Precipitated Withdrawal Symptoms

People have gotten POW when they did not tell their doctor they were taking illicit opioids, and the doctor prescribed a medication that inadvertently caused POW. By doing so, the pharmacist will have a record of all your medications in their computer. The pharmacist can then check for drug interactions and advise you on the best way to take your medications to avoid precipitated withdrawal. A possible reason for this reaction is that all the opioid receptors are blocked all at once in POW. Therefore, acute withdrawal symptoms may have a slower start before they fully kick in.

Individuals with a pre-existing history of health conditions or issues are more likely to develop severe complications secondary to a precipitated withdrawal. Hence, they need stricter monitoring to ensure that no unnecessary risks occur. If a prescriber does not give you naloxone or buprenorphine, ask them about any other medications that may help ease the symptoms. They may give you an alternative that helps with anxiety, restlessness, nausea, and other symptoms. You should wait at least 12 to 24 hours after your last use of a short-acting opioid, such as oxycodone or heroin, before starting Suboxone. If you’re using a long-acting opioid, such as Oxycontin or methadone, you should wait at least one to two days.

The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. The simplest and the most direct way to halt a precipitated withdrawal is by consuming an opioid which may feel absurd, especially when a person is trying to stop their opioid use.

Alcoholism and Personality Changes

As a partial agonist, it won’t replicate the effects of a full agonist, like heroin. But its partial activation of the opioid receptors will be enough to ease your symptoms without the risk of an overdose. Buprenorphine, despite not being an opioid antagonist, can also cause precipitated withdrawal. That’s because buprenorphine falls into a third group known as partial opioid agonists.

Dehydration is likely to be one of the most dangerous symptoms of this withdrawal. Hence, most people in hospitals begin treatment on IV fluids as experts monitor them for any additional health threats during the course of this withdrawal. Some doctors may also consider administering small doses of buprenorphine or Suboxone as it may override the existing withdrawal symptoms or lessen the overall severity.