Outpatient Opiate Detox

Opioid withdrawal is a very painful process if done without medical help. The Delray Center offers rapid outpatient opiate detox to treat withdrawal pain and cravings. 

Effective opiate detox options have been developed using newer agents such as Buprenorphine (Subutex/ Suboxone) and Naltrexone (ReVia, Vivitrol). The strategic use of these and other medications will diminish the intensity of opiate withdrawal syndrome. Most patients that are compliant and can follow the treatment plan properly can still work full time during this process. The cost of outpatient opiate detox is a fraction of what traditional inpatient detox would cost. There are even greater additional savings from not having to miss work, resulting in a lower opportunity cost.

A more methodical and slower detox pace more closely follows the body’s natural physiologic patterns, which is tolerated better than a rushed 3 to 5 day detox. The timely and effective management of post-acute opiate withdrawal symptoms (PAWS), further improves comfort and also reduces relapse rates. This is a sharp contrast from inpatient facilities where patients are discharged quickly, before the full extent of post-acute withdrawals symptoms are fully known. Patients usually experience the PAWS a few days later and are left with no recourse as far as how to effectively deal with them. This common scenario is unfortunately a frequent cause of relapse, due to the intensity of cravings that come with PAWS. Many patients who had just come out of an inpatient detox come to the Delray Center due to the debilitating post-acute withdrawal symptoms they have developed. Opiate withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, pain, nausea, night sweats, loss of appetite, and muscle spasms are specifically screened for and then managed appropriately. A detoxification process is not functionally complete until all of the withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal symptoms are resolved fully.

Opiate detoxification is frequently performed for patients coming off of oxycodone (Oxycontin, Roxicodone), oxymorphone (Dilaudid), methadone, heroin, morphine, meperidine (Demerol ), tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet), hydrocodone (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco), fentanyl (Duragesic, Actiq), meperidine (Demerol) and codeine. Appointments to meet with one our doctors and discussion acute or post-acute detox options are available at convenient times during the work week. In addition, we can accommodate urgent walk-ins at our center in downtown Delray Beach, Florida.