Demerol Withdrawal

Meperidine is a generic drug more commonly known as Demerol, a profoundly effective painkiller used to treat intense pain. Demerol works by binding with receptors in your brain and nervous system, receptors that usually communicate the experience of pain. By blocking these receptors, you experience a hazy, relaxed euphoria rather than suffering. Unfortunately, this same action starts another phenomena rolling: the build-up of tolerance for Demerol and, subsequently, a Demerol addiction. Try to break this addiction by quitting and you'll find yourself in the depths of a Demerol detox characterized by staggering withdrawal symptoms.

What is a Demerol Withdrawal?

Opiate medications like Demerol are highly addictive. It takes as little as a few weeks of regular use to build up a tolerance to the drug, needing more to achieve the initial painkilling effects. As your dosage increases, so too does your degree of addiction: the more you take, the harder it is to quit and the longer it will take you to detox off of the drug. If you've never experienced an opiate painkiller addiction, than even after just a few weeks, the pain of withdrawal can be shocking.

Treating your addiction to Demerol is commendable, but it is far safer to do it with a medical detox under the supervision of an addiction specialist. At Meditox, we are staffed entirely by physicians certified to provide you with a medical detox using Suboxone, each one specializing in opiate addiction and treatment. With Suboxone, you can break your addiction to Demerol while experiencing only a modicum of Demerol withdrawal symptoms.

What are the Symptoms of a Demerol Withdrawal?

There are a number of symptoms that define a withdrawal from an opioid-based prescription medication of the caliber of Demerol. Within four to six hours of your last dose, you will begin to feel uncomfortable in your body, a creepy sensation in your skin, and develop a dull headache and muscle aches. Over the next 48 to 72 hours, these symptoms will increase in intensity and expand to include insomnia and paranoid anxiety, stomach and muscle spasms, simultaneous shivering, sweating and shaking. If it sounds horrible, it is. This state of health will last for at least 10 days and some will experience lingering symptoms for as long as a month. If you have co-occurring illnesses, an unsupervised Demerol detox and withdrawal can be fatal.

What are the Treatments Options for Demerol Withdrawal?

For Demerol withdrawal, there is only one treatment option that makes sense: a Suboxone detox and treatment. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. It binds to the same receptors that would ordinarily bind to Demerol, which allows you to stop taking your Demerol prescription immediately without experiencing the magnitude of withdrawal symptoms that accompany an unaided detox. Though Suboxone is an agonist opiate just like Demerol, it is a partial agonist where Demerol is a full agonist. This means that the discombobulation you feel on Demerol is not a factor with Suboxone. You will notice an almost immediate clearing of the mind that allows you to focus on day-to-day activities like caring for your family and attending to work. You can procure a Suboxone treatment at Meditox.

How Does Meditox Treat Demerol Withdrawal?

Meditox treats Demerol withdrawal and any opiate addiction with a personalized treatment plan utilizing Suboxone. Meditox is an outpatient drug treatment program, which means that you are required to attend only one meeting with the Meditox clinical team. During this single encounter, you will undergo an evaluation and you and your Meditox doctor will determine whether or not a Suboxone treatment is right for you. If so, you will then work with your Meditox team to create a schedule in which you will steadily and safely decrease your Suboxone dose until you are free from drug addiction. For more information, call Meditox today.

If you feel that Meditox might be the right solution for you or your loved one, please call us for a toll-free and private consultation:

Additional Resources

SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment: Medical Assisted Treatment Medical Community Bulletin
Drug Abuse Help: Demerol Withdrawal
Food and Drug Administration: Demerol Information

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“Today is week #5! I have my life back, this morning my husband told me he hadn't seen me like this in three years! My daughter told me "your back Mom"! My Fybromyalgia is down to 2 to 3 percent of what it was, I am fully able to live with the Joy and Love and Laughter which has always been my way.”

Mother, Real Estate Agent, 49
August 11, 2006

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