Helping to restore people to wholeness is really what our business is. For those who have taken a detour on their road to being the best version of themselves, we offer hope.
We get people off opioids. When the brain has been abducted by the unnatural and indescribable need for opiates to flood their brains, it is difficult to think of or about anything else. The wake of destruction that can follow an addict’s actions can be immense: broken relationships and commitments, financial travesty, and deep shame.
The first step is to get off the opioids. Many of the people who call us at The Coleman Institute have attempted to detox themselves in the past--often successfully, but brutally. The anguish of relapse and having to go through another detox keeps many people frozen in inaction.
Having gone through a difficult detox in the past, many people are seeking a more compassionate approach. The words ‘Rapid Detox’ and ‘Ultra Rapid Detox’ are frequently searched for online, and that is one-way people are led to The Coleman Institute.
But our Rapid Opiate Detox, (aka
Accelerated Opiate Detox) is quite different from the Ultra-Rapid Detox available in other clinics.
Anesthesia and Ultra-Rapid Detox
An ultra-rapid detox requires true anesthesia. These patients are actually given such powerfully sedating drugs that an anesthesiologist must be present to administer them and keep track of potentially life-threatening situations that can affect the most important bodily functions: breathing and circulation.
The theory behind this type of detox makes sense from the perspective of the doctors who do them: let’s get the opiates off the brain quickly while people are ‘asleep’ so they won’t feel any discomfort.
UNDERSTANDING ACCELERATED OPIOID DETOX
Unfortunately, reality doesn’t necessarily match the theory. That’s the reason Dr. Coleman switched from doing Ultra Rapid Detoxes in a hospital setting over fifteen years ago to the model we have been using ever since.
3 Reasons to Switch from URD to Accelerated Detox
There were three main reasons he switched from ultra rapid detox to our accelerated detox: Safety, Comfort, and Cost.
Safety: It’s simply more dangerous to go under anesthesia for a detox. Anyone who has had any procedure requiring general anesthesia is aware of the extensive warnings that must be acknowledged and signed. Imagine what stress the body is going through: not only are all the opiates being swept off in a matter of a few minutes, but all other organs are being affected by the sedating medications. The risk for complications rises dramatically. That’s why an Ultra Rapid Detox must be done in a hospital setting.
At The Coleman Institute, our
Accelerated Opiate Detox is safe enough to do in an outpatient setting. Our method, cultivated and improved over many years, provides concise instructions for our patients’ support person to dispense comfort medications on a simple-to-follow schedule. For most people, there is absolutely no reason to be subjected to the risks of anesthesia to simply get off opioids like Vicodin®, Percocet®, or Oxycontin®.
Comfort: I remember talking to some recovery room nurses who worked with Dr. Coleman when he did the Ultra Rapid Detoxes in the hospital. They recalled that when patients came out of anesthesia, they were vomiting, having diarrhea and basically experiencing excruciating withdrawal symptoms. One nurse even said she remembers a patient grabbing an EKG monitor and hurling it across the room! No wonder. Just because the opioids have been quickly removed from the brain doesn’t mean the withdrawal is over.
By extending our Rapid or Accelerated Opiate detox over several days (3-8, depending on what a patient is taking), we are able to keep our patients relatively comfortable. There is no need to push all the opiates out at once; as I often tell my patients, “we aren’t trying to torture you!” Our entire staff of doctors and nurse practitioners is well trained in utilizing the most effective medications to mitigate withdrawal symptoms. Each person’s detox is treated individually and if we need to adjust the medications to enhance the detox experience, each practitioner is prepared to do so.
Cost: As you might imagine, the cost of our Accelerated Outpatient Detox program is significantly less than an Ultra Rapid Detox because our patients do not have the costs of anesthesia or hospital services. Some patients who are on chronic pain medications as the result of treatment for a work-related injury are able to get their Workers’ Compensation to cover the cost of their detox.
We have had countless patients who have turned to our services for a kinder, gentler detox after experiencing an Ultra-Rapid Detox followed by a relapse. Dr. Coleman has performed both types, and he and his team are convinced that our Accelerated Opiate Detox is a far superior method.
If you or a loved one would like more information, please give us a call at 888.736.1720.
Joan R. Shepherd, FNP
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