Drug detox difficult process
Dear Dr. Gott: I am writing to ask you how I can safely detox from my addiction to oxycodone. I have been taking between six and eight 15-milligram pills a day, every day, for more than three years. I cannot go into a rehab, as I have three small children.
If I were to just stop, would it harm me? I cannot let my doctor or anyone else know about this, as I get the pills illegally. (That’s why my return address is not included.) I really cannot imagine my life without these pills, but I know my world could crash down because of them. How long will it take until I will be OK? I can speak to no one about this. Thank you.
Dear Reader: I cannot address the issue of your drug addiction, but I can give you some general information about drug addiction.
If an addict came to my office requesting detoxification, I’d first want to know the extent of his or her habit. If the habit is dangerous (oxycodone 15 milligrams, eight pills a day), I would refer him or her to a hospital for detoxification.
If that were not appropriate, I would begin an out-patient detox with his or her understanding that the risk of failure is substantial.
The backup program is to reduce the drug by tapering the dosage.
For example, during week one, the addict takes seven pills a day for seven days. Week two is six pills a day for seven days and so on, until week seven, when the addict is down to one pill a day for seven days. During week eight, the addict should not be taking any. With plenty of hard work and determination, you can stay that way permanently. Good luck.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Mental/Substance Abuse.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dear Dr. Gott: You seem to have most of the answers to questions that your readers send in, so I’m sending two questions that neither my family doctor nor his nurse were able to answer.
1. How long do cold germs live once they are outside our bodies? I have read that we can even pick up these germs from shopping-cart handles.
2. How long does it take for a cold to develop once the cold germ gets into the body?
Dear Reader: The answer to question No. 1 is that viruses and bacteria survive for varying periods, depending on environmental factors. These include humidity, warmth and darkness, all of which encourage growth of micro-organisms, and dry air, heat and direct sunlight, all of which discourage microbe growth. Shopping-cart handles, as well as money and public doorknobs, are commonly contaminated objects.
As a general rule, colds take about five to seven days to develop after the viruses gain admittance to the body, providing they are not destroyed by an active immune system.