Addiction Treatment Options
Now that the addictive potential of tramadol is well recognized, treatment of tramadol addiction is included in the larger picture of opioid addiction treatment. For those addicted to tramadol, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is shown to be an effective method to treat addiction.
Taking tramadol without a prescription or in a way that it was not prescribed is substance abuse that can lead to an addiction. Once someone enters addiction treatment, it includes three main categories: detox, treatment, and maintenance.
- Medical Detox
Detoxification is the period when a drug or toxin is leaving the body. Detox for tramadol will last between 25 to 40 hours based on how long it takes the body to metabolize it. People with liver problems and adults over 65 may have a longer detox process.
Medical detox is supervised by addiction professionals such as physicians, nurses, and psychologists, who ensure that detox occurs in the safest way possible.
Medical detox is intended to make symptoms of withdrawal more comfortable and reduce cravings. It is also meant to prevent any harm that can come from withdrawal. For example, vomiting that is so intense it causes dehydration.
- Residential Rehab
After medical detox, a patient is assessed for readiness to enter addiction treatment. Most patients will be strongly encouraged to continue in the program after detox.
If detox happened at a hospital or in an inpatient setting, treatment may be continued in residential rehab. Residential rehab is a facility where patients live and attend treatment, which may include individual and group therapy and skills classes. Residents in a residential facility can leave to attend work or school, but most of their day is scheduled with treatment activities.
- Outpatient Rehab
Treatment can either start here for people with mild SUD or may continue for those who have finished residential rehab. Someone in outpatient rehab lives at home, and they commute to an outpatient treatment center. Treatment may be daily for intensive outpatient treatment or several times per week for people in a less restrictive program.
- Dual Diagnosis
Dual diagnosis treatment is the treatment of both SUD and a mental health condition at the same time. Examples of mental health disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
The symptoms of mental health disorders can look similar to symptoms of SUD or symptoms of substance withdrawal. Clinicians must be trained to separate the differences in the symptoms between substance abuse and the mental health diagnosis. Not every treatment facility has this type of treatment.
- Aftercare and Sober Living
After the initial detox and treatment of addiction, the patient continues into the maintenance phase. For those with mild to severe SUD, sober living is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Evidence has shown that the longer someone stays sober and the more committed they are to treatment, the healthier they will be and the less they will experience a setback.