Treatment for Lorcet Abuse and Addiction
Many people find that they become addicted to pain medication such as Lorcet inadvertently. Others used Lorcet recreationally for the euphoric and relaxing effects and also become addicted. Whatever your path of addiction may have been, coming off Lorcet does not have to be torturous.
The body creates agents to control pain called endorphins and enkephalins.¹ ² These are natural chemicals or peptides found everywhere in body tissue, and they are able to block pain. Medications such as Lorcet are designed to mimic these natural chemicals. However, the body responds to the presence of these analogues by shutting down the internal production of natural endorphins and enkephalins. When the opioid drug intake is lessened or removed, the body is left defenseless and subject to the pains, aches, digestive issues, etc. that make opiate withdrawal so harsh and difficult to endure. Even a sheet lying across the body or a light touch to the arm can feel excruciatingly painful to someone who is in opiate withdrawal. These symptoms will continue to be problematic until the body can replenish the deficit. This normalization can be accelerated and supported during and after withdrawal through proper diet, targeted nutritional supplementation and other means.
Emotions are also affected by a deficit of natural endorphins. A low-endorphin person may not have much of a buffer or defense left against emotional disturbance until the situation is corrected. This person may have already been low in endorphins before drug use, which could have significantly contributed to being drawn to opiates in the first place. The endorphin deficiency may also help explain why emotions can be so painful to endure, especially during opioid recovery.
PTSD
For those who have developed a PTSD condition, the emotional and often physical pain threshold is very low. The environment can feel profoundly threatening, and the neurochemistry in a lowered state can do nothing to buffer against this strain. This can be further compounded when considering an opioid withdrawal and these factors all need to be addressed as part of the individual’s treatment program at the Alternative to Meds Center.
Chronic Pain
Pain that has been endured for a long period of time also tends to deplete natural stores of endorphins and enkephalins. Where opioids have been used to combat pain, the problem has been further compounded. During opioid use, the body attempts to build new pain receptors as this is instinctive, adapting to and keeping the “pain-alert-response” mechanism alive and well. This is a survival mechanism. But it can significantly magnify the perception of pain during opiate withdrawal. These are important issues that need to be attended to for a person to be able to withstand withdrawal. Many opiate users actually find their pain levels decrease as they reduce their medication, as long as the correct adjunctive therapies are being utilized during the tapering process to compensate and bring the body back into balance as quickly as possible.
Diet
If the body has not been receiving the correct nutrition, the precursors for repairing neurochemistry are not available. During an Alternative to Meds Program, an exacting diet gives an individual the important building blocks to ensure that the body has all the raw materials necessary to rebuild and correct deficiencies as quickly as possible. This will help combat and proof against the vulnerability to pain or emotional sensitivity during withdrawal. This strengthening and boosting process also continues in the later stages of recovery.
Alternative to Meds Center provides the necessary tools, including a diet rich in precursors to natural endorphins, as well as trauma counseling, the removal of neurotoxicity, and many therapies designed to provide comfort and relief through the process. Where needed, a short course of bridge medications can ease the person through the initial stages, and helps to make the process as humane and comfortable as possible. At the Alternative to Meds Center, we utilize a compassionate and science-based approach to opiate medication withdrawal. Once the drug is tapered to zero, there may still be other opportunities to normalize the neurochemistry so that lingering after-effects will tend to fade in an accelerated fashion.
Please contact us at the Center for more information about the programs we offer, and discover how this may be the program you or a loved one can benefit from most for sustainable, natural, mental health and many levels of success in addiction recovery.
1. Elsevier’s Integrated Physiology Ch. 13 Endocrine System Elsevier 2007 Robert G. Carroll
2. Enkephalins Encyclopedia Britannica
This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.
Dr. Michael Loes, M.D.
Dr. Michael Loes is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pain Management and Addiction Medicine. He holds a dual license in Homeopathic and Integrative Medicine. He obtained his medical doctorate at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1978. Dr. Loes performed an externship at the National Institute of Health for Psychopharmacology. Additionally, he is a well-published author including Arthritis: The Doctor’s Cure, The Aspirin Alternative, The Healing Response, and Spirit Driven Health: The Psalmist’s Guide for Recovery. He has been awarded the Minnesota Medical Foundation’s “Excellence in Research” Award.
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Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.
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