Opioid Withdrawal Research Paper

People suffering from opioid addiction are often desperate to quit, but can't get past the difficulties of withdrawal. While maintenance medicines such as methadone are an effective way to treat these symptoms, a new method has started to make an impact in the world of drug rehabilitation: cannabis use. With an increasing number of people turning to marijuana as an opiate withdrawal aide, it's important to examine whether this method is effective or safe.

The Alleged Effects of Marijuana on Opioid Withdrawal

Over the years, there has been plenty of testimonial evidence suggesting that marijuana use is a beneficial way of getting through opiate withdrawal. For example, Kevin, a person who suffered from opiate addiction, claims to have used

marijuana to complete his final detoxification process.
He claimed that the severity of his withdrawal symptoms greatly decreased with the use of marijuana.

The intense back pain, lack of sleep, and severe sickness he'd felt before was nowhere near as problematic. Yes, it was still there, but he claims it was more “tolerable” than without cannabis.

Another story focuses on writer Tony O'Neill and his struggle to beat heroin addiction. He claims that marijuana helped eliminate his cravings. With those cravings more or less gone, he could carefully consider the way his life had gone and reflect on ways to change.

Pointedly, he states that marijuana was more effective than methadone in curbing his cravings and helping with his withdrawal symptoms. These are just two of the many testimonial stories trumpeting marijuana as an effective opioid addiction treatment. But is there any scientific evidence to back up these claims?

Studies That Seem to Back Up the Claim

Surprisingly, there actually does seem to be evidence to suggest that marijuana is an effective way to treat opioid addiction. In a study titled “Impact of cannabis use during stabilization on methadone maintenance treatment,” Thomas Jefferson University scientists studied how well marijuana helped reduce the symptoms of opiate

withdrawal.
Specifically, they were testing how well and how safely marijuana could be used during methadone treatment. They found that marijuana seemed to play a positive role in treating many of the severe withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, and cramps associated with opioid withdrawal.
They especially noted two facts: marijuana has already been approved to treat symptoms similar to those of withdrawal and that marijuana overdose seems to be an impossibility, especially when compared with opioid.
Another study, this one conducted by the Laboratory for Physiopathology of Diseases of the Central Nervous System found that rats addicted to morphine showed positive results when injected with THC, the primary active chemical in marijuana. They believed that cannabis could also have the same effect on humans addicted to opioid drugs.
Clearly, there seems to be some science backing up the testimonial claims made by people like Tony O'Neill. So clearly doctors are likely scrambling to start prescribing marijuana as an opioid withdrawal medication? After all, many states have already legalized marijuana for medical use: surely rehabilitation treatments can't be far behind?
Likelihood of Getting a Marijuana Prescription
Getting a prescription for marijuana as an opiate withdrawal treatment is probably incredibly likely in more areas. Although marijuana has become a more acceptable medical treatment, using it for withdrawal is still a relatively new concept and one that must be tested carefully before full implementation.
And many doctors are likely to balk at the idea of prescribing one drug to treat addiction to an entirely different drug. For many, it may just be exchanging one addiction for another. While these perceptions are likely to change in the future, it probably won't be any time soon.
Marijuana Use Dangers
While marijuana poses no overdose dangers and very little risk of addiction, it is not completely safe. After all, it is still a drug: that means it has a wide range of effects on your mental and physical health. Deciding to use marijuana as a withdrawal treatment option requires careful understanding these risks.
Short-term dangers of marijuana use include:
Severely altered perception and sense of time
Potentially wild mood swings
Difficulty moving
Slowed reaction time
Difficulty making new memories, thinking, or problem solving
The long-term effects may be even more problematic. One study showed that heavy marijuana users lost about eight IQ points between 13 and 38. Marijuana can also cause breathing problems, lung illness, an increased heart rate, and issues with pregnancy.
Mental effects of marijuana use include increased paranoia, hallucinations, aggravated schizophrenia symptoms, severe anxiety, and depression.
However, the biggest risk comes in mixing two different kinds of drugs. Marijuana and opiates are both downers and mixing them (should you relapse) may cause a series of problems, included slowed heart rate, severe sleep problems, and even death.
That said, many people suffering from opiate addiction will find these risks acceptable as long as marijuana helps alleviate their withdrawal symptoms. Making that decision is a difficult process and one you shouldn't do alone.
Get the Help You Need
If you or someone you love is suffering from severe opiate addiction and doesn't know where to turn, please contact us as soon as possible. We can help you find the right treatment method, whether it's replacement drugs like marijuana or something else, that will help you quit for good.