San Antonio, TX – San Antonio Recovery Center, a local rehab facility, published a blog post that breaks down the meth withdrawal timeline that someone might experience with this substance. Someone who has a meth use disorder will experience meth withdrawals when they stop taking the substance. Factors that result in someone developing this condition are physical, psychological, and even social, and not everyone will follow the same pattern as someone else. However, there are some specific signs that someone might have a meth use disorder, which include not being able to stop using meth despite trying, rapid weight loss in a short time period, neglecting work and family obligations to focus on meth use, and unexplained changes in behavior or mood.
“When meth is taken, the body is flooded with a variety of chemicals. Over time, the body can get used to these elevated levels of chemicals, needing more and more to get the same ‘high,’ and eventually needing some just to function normally. Once this happens, when the body doesn’t get these chemicals, the brain sends out powerful cravings for meth. This is known as ‘withdrawal.’ Methamphetamine is a stimulant, and so it has very different withdrawal symptoms compared to other substances, like alcohol or opioids. While these symptoms are less likely to be life-threatening, they can still have serious health and psychological consequences, making it difficult to break free from meth use,” the blog post states.
During the first 24 hours after someone takes meth, withdrawal symptoms will begin to appear. These symptoms vary but fall under two categories: psychological and physical. Psychological symptoms include cravings, anxiety, anger, irritability, mood swings, lack of energy, and exhaustion. Physical symptoms include fatigue, dehydration, chills, and insomnia. Between 24 to 72 hours after a person’s last dose, symptoms will worsen. They might begin sleeping for most of the day due to insomnia. Additional symptoms might appear, including psychosis, hallucination, depression, suicidal thoughts, brain fog, being unable to think clearly, and an inability to feel pleasure or happiness, known as anhedonia.
Between 72 hours and 1 week, symptoms will begin to fade. Psychosis and intense depression should reach their peak at this point and then begin to decline. Some symptoms might continue beyond a week. Between 1 and 5 weeks, most acute symptoms will have faded. Cravings might continue to persist but will diminish with each day that passes. After 5 weeks, cravings and other symptoms should have disappeared. However, post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS) might happen. Some meth withdrawal symptoms can happen long after the initial symptoms fade, and might show up several years later.
“Facing such a lengthy withdrawal process, many people feel discouraged about recovering from their meth use. When these feelings are made worse by the negative emotions of meth withdrawal, it’s easy for your loved one to slip back into addiction. That’s why it’s important to look for treatment that doesn’t just help them in the short term but is by their side at every step,” the blog post continues.
San Antonio Recovery Center helps people recover from meth use disorders at their Cagnon Road location. For them, this support includes long after people leave their doors, with the help of their alumni app and area centers of alumni programming, allowing them to have the largest alumni program in San Antonio. During treatment, their OP director comes and spends time with patients, and they have a 1:8 therapist-to-patient ratio and a maximum of 40 beds.
To learn more about San Antonio Recovery Center, visit their website or call them at 866-957-7885.
Strength. Acceptance. Recovery. Community.
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For more information about San Antonio Recovery Center - Cagnon, contact the company here:
San Antonio Recovery Center - Cagnon
Liam Callahan
210-361-5266
lcallahan2@baymark.com
8975 Cagnon Rd
San Antonio, TX 78252
