Anesthesia-assisted detox is a medical procedure that removes opioids from the system while the patient is under general anesthesia. It combines anesthesia with opioid antagonist medications, allowing people to detox from opioids within a few hours. Even though it is often advertised as a cure for opioid dependence, anesthesia-assisted detox isn’t effective long-term.
This article will help you learn more about anesthesia-assisted detox and introduce you to ANR, an innovative method that has revolutionized opioid dependence treatment.
What Is Anesthesia-Assisted Detox?
Anesthesia-assisted detox is an opioid detoxification method that allows opioid-dependent people to eliminate these drugs while they are knocked out, rapidly. This medical procedure is also known as anesthesia-assisted rapid opioid detox (AAROD), ultra-rapid opioid detox (UROD), and rapid detox.
Undergoing opioid detox under anesthesia can help minimize the discomfort of opioid withdrawals, as patients are asleep while their bodies withdraw from opioids. Additionally, anesthesia-assisted detox accelerates the withdrawal process with medications.
While opioid withdrawal symptoms usually last at least a week, rapid detox with anesthesia can be completed significantly faster, usually within around 48 hours. Some detox facilities perform the procedure in just one day.
Anesthesia-Assisted Detox Process
The anesthesia-assisted detox process relies on anesthesia and opioid antagonist medications, such as naltrexone or naloxone, to initiate and expedite the detoxification process.
During the procedure, patients are put under anesthesia before being administered drugs that block opioid receptors. These medications dislodge opioids, such as morphine or oxycodone, from opioid receptors, precipitating withdrawal symptoms and removing opioids from the system. This process generally lasts several hours.
Once the anesthesia opioid detox is completed, patients are typically monitored for a couple of days at a hospital before being discharged.
Although the anesthesia-assisted detox process may sound quick and simple, it’s worth noting that rapid detox is far from a comprehensive opioid dependence treatment. This is also the case with other types of opioid detoxification, such as medical detox.
With this in mind, let’s discuss the key risks and safety concerns anyone considering undergoing anesthesia-assisted detox should be aware of.
Risks and Safety Concerns of AAROD
The main risks and safety concerns of AAROD include medical complications, post-acute withdrawal syndrome, a lack of regulation, and a high chance of relapse.
Here’s a more detailed overview of these risks:
#1. Medical Complications
Anesthesia-assisted detox is associated with a high risk of medical complications. It is a one-size-fits-all procedure that rarely, if ever, takes individual differences or co-occurring health conditions into account. As such, those with pre-existing medical issues face an even higher risk of adverse health effects.
University of Adelaide researchers suggest that anesthesia-assisted detox can cause adverse effects typical of opioid withdrawal, such as aspiration pneumonia due to vomiting, as well as atypical ones, such as delirium. It also exposes patients to the risk of potentially life-threatening complications, ranging from suicidal ideation to cardiac arrest and respiratory depression.
Tragically, there have been cases of death following anesthesia-assisted detox.
#2. Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) is a condition characterized by withdrawal symptoms that linger for weeks, months, and even years after quitting opioids.
Although some detox centers may claim that you’ll be free from both opioids and withdrawals after completing anesthesia-assisted detox, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that anesthesia-assisted detox flushes opioids out of the system, yet it doesn’t do anything to treat the root of opioid dependence.
Opioid dependence stems from the chemical changes that occur in the central nervous system (CNS) with repeated exposure to opioids. Reversing these changes is paramount to returning to an opioid-free life and eliminating withdrawal symptoms. However, anesthesia-assisted detox isn’t capable of doing it—it simply clears opioids.
Sadly, this means that many people suffer from excruciating withdrawal symptoms upon waking up from sedation, with some continuing to battle them for months after the procedure. Although PAWS usually manifests in psychological symptoms, such as cravings, depression, and sleep disturbances, it can take a massive toll on your well-being.
#3. Lack of Regulations
Anesthesia-assisted detox is not a standardized procedure. Due to a lack of regulations, the quality and safety of this detoxification method may vary drastically from one facility to the next.
Some may take all necessary precautions and perform the procedure in a hospital setting, for example. On the other hand, other detox centers may conduct it in clinics or lack appropriate medical staff, such as a board-certified anesthesiologist.
#4. High Chance of Relapse
Since anesthesia-assisted detox does not address the root of opioid dependence, patients are more likely to relapse than achieve a lasting recovery after undergoing it.
In fact, rapid detox has a very low success rate. A study by researchers from Semnan University of Medical Sciences examined 64 patients undergoing UROD and found that 75% of patients relapse in the first month after the treatment. Furthermore, 25% of patients in the non-relapse group had one episode of opioid use.
Relapse doesn’t simply derail your progress; it puts you at a significantly higher risk of a life-threatening opioid overdose. Since abstinence reduces opioid tolerance, those who relapse after anesthesia-assisted detox may overdose simply by taking their usual dose.
Ultimately, anesthesia-assisted detox should never be treated as a standalone cure for opioid use disorder (OUD). While it can rid your body of opioids, it doesn’t resolve the root causes of opioid dependence and addiction.
AAROD vs. Other Opioid Dependence Treatments
AAROD differs from other traditional opioid dependence treatments primarily in terms of speed and the use of general anesthesia.
Other opioid dependence treatments do not usually involve anesthesia, but they may use various medications for opioid withdrawal management. Inpatient detox patients, for example, may receive antiemetic drugs to reduce vomiting.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), meanwhile, utilizes replacement drugs that are meant to curb cravings and prevent withdrawals. However, MAT medications, such as methadone or Suboxone®, are actually opioids. Therefore, people undergoing MAT, technically, remain dependent on opioids; they’re simply substituting one opioid with another.
Furthermore, anesthesia-assisted detox condenses the opioid withdrawal timeline into several hours. By contrast, other opioid dependence treatments last at least a week; some even take years.
And yet, regardless of their duration, traditional treatments rarely, if ever, bring lasting results. Like anesthesia-assisted detox, they do not acknowledge, let alone address, the neurobiological causes of opioid dependence. Because of this, they often lead to PAWS, relapse, and subsequent overdose.
Today, the only method capable of eradicating opioid dependence at its very core is Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR), an ultra-modern opioid dependence treatment developed by Dr. Andre Waismann.
ANR fundamentally differs from rapid detox and other traditional methods in that it takes a scientifically based medical approach to opioid dependence treatment, attacking the root of the problem instead of its symptoms. It repairs the endorphin-receptor system imbalance resulting from prolonged opioid exposure, reversing the damage opioids cause to the nervous system.
By restoring the brain to a pre-dependence state, ANR eliminates opioid dependence together with cravings and other withdrawal symptoms. As a result, it allows patients to live normal, healthy lives without having to rely on opioid replacement drugs or be burdened by a constant fear of relapse.
3 Reasons Why ANR Treatment Is The Best Option For Treating OUD
The three main reasons why ANR treatment is the best option for treating OUD include patient safety, high success rate, and short treatment duration.
Let’s break them down:
- Patient safety. Performed by a team of highly experienced board-certified healthcare professionals, ANR is only carried out in an ICU setting of fully accredited hospitals with state-of-the-art medical equipment. Furthermore, each ANR patient receives a treatment plan tailored to their unique medical history and needs, allowing us to safely treat even those with complex health conditions.
- High success rate. As the only treatment that targets and heals the root of opioid dependence, ANR has an exceptionally high success rate. This treatment has helped close to 25,000 people globally return to an opioid-free life safely and effectively.
- Short treatment duration. ANR can help you overcome opioid dependence in a matter of days. Since the average hospital stay for ANR patients lasts only 36 hours, patients are free to return home in a matter of days and not weeks, like with traditional rehabs.
Here’s the story of Avery, who conquered opioid dependence with ANR after multiple failed attempts at detox centers and traditional rehabs:
Contact us today to book a free consultation and take the first step toward a happy and healthy life without opioids or cravings. We ensure 100% confidential communication.
Key Takeaways
The bottom line is that anesthesia-assisted detox has two key selling points: speed and reduced discomfort. However, these potential benefits don’t justify the risks and dangers this procedure exposes patients to. It’s not without reason that it is generally regarded as controversial, after all.
Now, let’s go over the key points we covered:
- Anesthesia-assisted detox is another name for rapid detox, which is a medical procedure that swiftly removes opioids while patients are sedated.
- The key risks of anesthesia-assisted detox include medical complications, PAWS, a lack of regulations, and a high risk of relapse.
- ANR outperforms anesthesia-assisted detox and other traditional treatments because it heals opioid dependence by addressing its neurobiological causes.
Anesthesia-Assisted Detox FAQ
Ultra-rapid detox is done by administering opioid antagonist drugs while the patient is under anesthesia. These medications precipitate withdrawal symptoms. Although this procedure can reduce the discomfort of going through opioid withdrawals, rapid detox comes with significant health risks and frequently leads to relapse.
ANR treatment is very safe. Its safety is proven scientifically: a 2023 study on ANR’s hemodynamic and pulmonary safety profile found that patients demonstrated hemodynamic and pulmonary stability during and after the procedure. As such, this is a safe procedure even for those with co-occurring medical conditions.
ANR treatment is better than anesthesia-assisted detox because it is considerably safer and more effective. Unlike anesthesia-assisted detox, ANR adheres to the highest safety standards and tackles opioid dependence at its root. Rather than just clearing opioids, ANR rebalances the endorphin-receptor system, negating the risk of persistent withdrawal symptoms and relapse.
