What Drugs Have the Worst Withdrawal?

Knowing the Substances That Involve the Hardest Detox

One of the biggest obstacles to recovery from substance use disorder is the fear of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal looks different for everyone—but what drugs have the worst withdrawals? The answer is relative, it depends on the user. What hurts more—psychological withdrawal or physical?

Knowing what drugs have the worst withdrawals—and why–can be crucial to being prepared and setting the stage for long-term recovery.

Opioids, benzos, alcohol, and crystal meth are generally the hardest to quit long-term. We look at the side effects of heroin addiction, benzo dependence, alcoholism, and stimulant abuse.

You’ll learn why these substances are so hard to turn away from so you can help yourself or a loved one through the recovery process with Purpose Healing Center.

Withdrawal Symptoms and Determining Factors

What are the hardest drugs to quit? Understanding what happens during drug withdrawal after long-term alcoholism and drug dependence is the first step in preparing for addiction treatment.

Let’s break down some of the toughest drug withdrawal scenarios.

Overcoming Substance Use Disorders

Withdrawal happens when the body reacts to the sudden absence of a substance after long-term drug use. During the detox process, symptoms vary wildly depending on the drug.

However, withdrawal includes physical and psychological side effects and the severity depends on the brain and body.

Factors That Affect Withdrawal

Several things impact physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Some of those are:

• The drug
• Length of use and dose
• Overall health

Substances that affect brain chemistry causing mood imbalance, lack of motivation, and stress—cause more painful withdrawal symptoms.

Using multiple drugs or having a history of mental health issues can also make it harder to quit certain substances.

Why Medical Support is Important During Withdrawal

When you’re going through withdrawal during drug detox, it’s recommended you get medical support.

Severe cases like alcohol withdrawal symptoms, opioid withdrawal, and benzo withdrawal can be life-threatening without medical support.

At Purpose Healing Center we offer medical detox for drug addiction to manage physical and mental health symptoms. This is much safer, so much so that medically supervised detox is the gold standard for withdrawal before addiction treatment.

The Challenges of Each the Most Substance’s Withdrawal

Below we outline different substances like opioid drugs and others that cause the most pain during detox.

Opioid Drug Withdrawal

Opioids like heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and other prescription drugs have the worst withdrawal symptoms.

Opioid withdrawal from illegal and prescription drugs is physically uncomfortable and even more mentally challenging.

Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

When you’re withdrawing from opioid prescription drugs and illegal opioids you experience:

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms

• Sweating
• Yawning
• Watery eyes
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Muscle aches
• Restless legs
• Insomnia

Psychological Withdrawal Symptoms

• Intense drug cravings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Panic attacks

Why Opioid Withdrawal is Hard

Opioid prescription drugs and substances like heroin bind to opioid receptors in the brain and release dopamine that creates the high. After long-term use, the brain reduces natural dopamine production and you become physically dependent.

When you stop using suddenly the lack of dopamine triggers intense cravings and extreme physical discomfort.

Evidence-Based Treatment Options for Opioids

Methadone and Suboxone (buprenorphine) are the most commonly used to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. These medications partially activate your opioid receptors and eliminate most of the withdrawal symptoms minus the high.

These two medications are part of a process called Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT). The goal is to stabilize the individual on a dose that eliminates all withdrawal symptoms.

The client starts to get used to life without opioids and without the fear of painful detox side effects. After an agreed-upon period, the client will start to taper off with their doctor until they can function without the drug.

Benzodiazepines: Life Threatening Withdrawal

Benzodiazepines like Xanax have the worst withdrawal and can be life-threatening. Some of the most common others benzos are Ativan, Valium, and Klonopin.

Each of these prescription drugs is prescribed for anxiety and insomnia as part of behavioral therapy but causes withdrawal symptoms.

Benzo Withdrawal Symptoms

Benzos also have a mixed bag of withdrawal symptoms:

Physical Symptoms

• Seizures
• Tremors
• Dizziness
• Flu-like symptoms
• Muscle cramps

Psychological Symptoms

• Intense anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Insomnia
• Hallucinations
• Intense drug cravings

Why Can Benzo Withdrawal Be Deadly?

Xanax and Ativan, along with other benzos, increase the levels of GABA in the brain. This is the neurotransmitter that calms the central nervous system.

After long-term use, the user becomes addicted, can’t avoid anxiety or panic, or even function normally without Benzos. When the user stops they experience what’s called the rebound effect.

The brain overreacts to the sudden return of anxiety and causes seizures, hallucinations, and overwhelming anxiety. Medical help is necessary during benzo withdrawal as the situation can be fatal.

Benzo Withdrawal Treatment

The best way to treat benzodiazepine withdrawal is a gradual tapering process that minimizes the risk of side effects and allows your brain to adjust to the lack of anxiety help.

Professional medical help during the tapering process includes other medications to help with anxiety and insomnia. Counseling and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is usually added after detox to support long-term recovery.

The Perils of Alcohol Withdrawal: Tremors and More

Alcohol use disorder causes withdrawal symptoms after physical dependence is developed due to its effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain, most notably GABA and glutamate.

These withdrawals cause alcohol withdrawal delirium also known as delirium tremens (DTs).

Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcohol abuse is as bad as any drug dependence and the acute withdrawal symptoms are just as deadly. They include:

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms

• Seizures
• Sweating
• Heart palpitations
• High blood pressure
• Tremors

Psychological Symptoms

• Anxiety
• Hallucinations
• Delirium tremens (DTs)

Delirium tremens is defined as confusion, hallucinations, and extreme agitation.

Without proper treatment, it can be a fatal side effect of alcohol dependence.

Why is Acute Withdrawal from Alcohol Deadly?

Delirium tremens causes the user to experience withdrawal symptoms with a lot of consequences. Without medical help, the outcome can be fatal.

DTs cause extreme confusion, auditory and visual hallucinations, and high fever. Without treatment, the user can have violent seizures. If you plan to stop drinking we highly recommend you develop a plan first and have a baseline of medical care.

At Purpose Healing Center we do all of this for you, we prepare you mentally and physically for detox and take every measure to prevent additional complications.

Effective Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal

Benzodiazepines are used to treat alcohol withdrawal syndrome including DTs. Although used to treat anxiety disorder, these psychoactive drugs can reduce life-threatening symptoms of alcohol detox.

This is only a short-term solution as Xanax or any other benzo is as addictive as alcohol.

Stimulant Withdrawal: Commonly Abused Substances

Crystal meth, crack cocaine, and prescription stimulants are the most dangerous and uncomfortable forms of withdrawal but other commonly abused substances like caffeine are included as well.

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are not as serious as meth or cocaine withdrawal but can still be tough to overcome.

Stimulant Withdrawal Symptoms

Stimulant drug use affects the brain and the body and often causes more mental side effects than other drugs.

Substances like meth have a strong psychological dependence making detox period more challenging. Withdrawal from meth and similar addictive substances include:

Physical Stimulant Withdrawal Symptoms

• Fatigue
• Increased appetite
• Muscle pain
• Insomnia

Psychological Stimulant Withdrawal Symptoms

• Intense cravings
• Depression
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Psychosis
• Other mental disorders

Why Stimulant Withdrawal is Tough

Recreational drugs like meth and cocaine and prescription drugs like Adderall causes a massive release of dopamine in the brain and a huge rush of intense euphoria. When you stop, dopamine levels drop suddenly and you get severe depression and brain fog.

The desire to overcome the depression of withdrawal from this type of substance abuse can increase the risk of relapse. It may take some time for the brain chemistry to regulate even months after getting into recovery.

Getting Treatment for Stimulant Detox and Withdrawals

Support through therapy at facilities like Purpose Healing Center has a big impact on stimulant withdrawal and detox. Counseling and CBT have been proven to manage the mental side effects.

In some cases, antidepressants are prescribed to treat depressive disorder that occurs as a result of withdrawal.

Other Substances with Severe Withdrawal Symptoms

The following substances although not as challenging or dangerous as the above-mentioned drugs can still be tough during recovery.

Ketamine

Ketamine is unique as it’s one of the only psychedelic drugs that can cause physical addiction although the mental impact is generally more severe. Technically a dissociative, ketamine can cause strong delusion and psychosis during withdrawal.

Nicotine

Not as intense as opioid detox and other highly addictive substances, nicotine withdrawal causes discomfort, intense cravings, and irritability. Most will experience mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety during the recovery process.

Nicotine replacement therapy with patches or gum can reduce these withdrawal symptoms drastically.

How Rehab Helps with Highly Addictive Substances

At Purpose Healing Center we offer a full range of treatment options including a medically-assisted detox program. Choosing to go to rehab at one of our facilities gives you big advantages increases your chances of long-term recovery and reduces the risk of relapse.

Medically-Assisted Detox

Our medical detox program provides medical supervision and medication to manage withdrawal symptoms, monitor vital signs, and ensure your safety during detox.

Using our medical detox reduces the risk of additional medical complications from drugs like opioids and alcohol.

Therapeutic Support

We highly recommend you enter one of our many treatment programs after detoxing from your drug of choice.

One of these programs addresses the psychological aspect of withdrawal and addiction and teaches you about cravings, depression, and relapse.

Participating in therapeutic programs that employ evidence-based behavioral therapies like CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing (MI) gives you a more positive outlook on recovery.

Long Term Management for Withdrawal

After treatment, support groups, outpatient counseling, and medication management can help you build on what you learned during detox and therapy.

Programs like NA, AA, and SMART Recovery can help you rebuild your life and achieve long-term recovery by providing additional support and further education on addiction.

Get Detox Help Today at Purpose Healing Center

No matter the substance you are detoxing from, Purpose Healing Center can help you get through the most challenging symptoms.

We know the risks of going through withdrawal alone. Our JCAHO-accredited detox program has the medications and medical supervision to help you get through it and get into treatment on the right foot.

Call us confidentially today.