What is withdrawal syndrome?
Withdrawal syndrome is a set of physical and mental reactions suffered by a person addicted to a substance when he/she stops using it. The symptoms vary according to the substance and the length of time the person has been using it. Tobacco withdrawal syndrome affects 85% of smokers who decide to quit, since nicotine is one of the most addictive substances. Most of the signs and symptoms of the Tobacco Abstinence Syndrome (SAT) appear between the first 7 and 30 days, increasing between the first and fourth day and then decreasing.
What are the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome?
The withdrawal syndrome will present different symptoms depending on the substance to which the patient is addicted, as well as the patient’s personal characteristics. Generally speaking, with most addictive substances, the person affected by withdrawal syndrome will have an irrepressible desire to use the substance again, irritability, changes in mood or difficulty concentrating. Depending on the addictive substance, the symptoms are usually:
- Alcohol addiction: chills, tremor, weakness, nausea, headache and dehydration.
- Tobacco (nicotine) addiction: craving, irritability, tension, headache, drowsiness or insomnia, concentration problems, and increased appetite and weight gain.
- Addiction to narcotics (morphine, heroin and opium): agitated breathing, yawning, runny nose, sweating, tearing, feeling alert, hyperactivity, fever, increased heart rate, dilated pupils, muscle pain, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
- Addiction to anxiolytics: weakness, general malaise, tremors, depression, dehydration, insomnia, delirium and hallucinations.
- Addiction to amphetamines: tiredness and drowsiness, or restlessness and nervousness, depression, delirium and hallucinations.
Withdrawal syndrome causes irritability.
Why does withdrawal syndrome occur?
The addictive components contained in certain substances such as alcohol, tobacco or cocaine act on the brain and nervous system in a way that creates a dependence on them. The organism adapts to the presence of these substances and the brain changes its structure, believing that it can only function normally if it has these substances.
Can it be prevented?
The action of addictive substances in the organism is inevitable, so the only way of prevention is not to consume substances that can cause addiction.
What does withdrawal treatment consist of?
The treatment for withdrawal syndrome is indicated so that the patient stops consuming these substances and recovers normality and well-being without the need to consume them. It is based on psychological therapy and the help of drugs.
Although the withdrawal syndrome is very unpleasant, it is a necessary process that the addict must go through in order to recover from his or her addiction. First of all, the addicted person must be aware of the symptoms he/she will experience if he/she quits the addictive substance, as well as how important it is for him/her to resist this process in order to overcome the problem. There are medications that have been shown to help some people in this phase, reducing the side effects of withdrawal. These will depend on the type of addiction the person suffers from. It is essential to help the patient overcome the conditioned or psychological withdrawal syndrome, thus preventing relapses. Psychotherapy helps the patient to identify and control the situations that led him/her to use the substance by teaching him/her alternative strategies to substance use.