Codeine Addiction Treatment Options

Codeine is an opiate that occurs naturally in the poppy, Papaver somniferum. It is used in a variety of pain medications for mild to moderate pain and is often found in prescription cough syrups. Codeine addiction can occur when people use codeine for long periods of time, abuse codeine, or use it in abnormally high amounts, despite adverse and negative consequences. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Codeine and other opioids present a high risk of fatal overdose due to their effect of depressing the central nervous system, which can slow or stop the heart and lungs.”

Codeine Addiction Treatment

Medication maintenance is often a part of codeine rehab.

Codeine can cause physical dependency where the person suffers withdrawals symptoms similar to the flu but with intense drug cravings that accompany these unpleasant symptoms. Increased physical and psychological effects are experienced in chronic abuse and addiction. The addict is at risk for many health risks and codeine addiction treatment can help. As with other opioid drugs, the person may begin using them as prescribed or occasionally in small amounts, but the effects that opioids have, after repeated use, can become complex. Beyond the need to detox from the drugs, the addict needs to be able to maintain sobriety. Often codeine addictions cause damage to family, work, and social relationships. Through counseling and therapy options the addict can learn ways of coping with their addiction, address underlying issues that “trigger” them to use, and live productive lives once they return home.

Codeine Addiction Treatment Options

There is a vast amount of codeine treatment options that vary by what the facility has to offer and the unique needs of the codeine addict. There are programs that provide clinical and safe detox with outpatient care for counseling and therapy. There are programs that are based on the 12-step approach, Christian values, or holistic methods. These programs may be effective for some, but, in general, the longer a person has been addicted to codeine and the more chronic the abuse, the more intense the treatment should be.

Inpatient treatment requires the individual to live in the facility 24 hours a day for durations of averaging 30-90 days. The codeine addict must be able to detox and participate in the programs as they are prescribed by professional staff in order to remain in these types of programs.

Some codeine addiction treatment options include medically assisted detox where medications such as are Methadone, Buprenorphine or Naltrexone are administered until the person has detoxed from codeine and other drugs they may have abused. Through a continued maintenance program, these drugs can be prescribed to help the person retain abstinence while functioning in their home, work, or other social environments. The benefits of using these drugs for a while after leaving a detox facility may ensure a greater outcome for long term recovery.