What Does Opioid Withdrawal Feel Like?

0:00What does opioid withdrawal feel like?

0:04I will explain this, I'm Dr. Rodriguez from Healing Sky, I'm also the medical director

0:09of the Delray Center for Healing and today we're going to talk about what does opioid

0:14withdrawal feel like and how do you know if you're having it.

0:19Opioid withdrawal usually is unmistakable.

0:22Even taking opioids, you stop or you cut down or you are delayed before taking your next

0:28dose and you start to feel sick, very sick sometimes.

0:33You start to feel clammy, you get goosebumps, your nose starts to run, your eyes get teary,

0:38you start sneezing, if it goes further you start to vomit, you get very nauseated, you

0:44have diarrhea, you're sweating, you break out into like a fever, it is horrible, it

0:48can be intense, opioid withdrawal.

0:51Now people first will notice more subtle versions of this.

0:57If they've been taking opioids as prescribed or they started to abuse opioids, in the beginning

1:03it's not as bad.

1:06If they're running late on their next dose or they skip a dose, they feel a little off,

1:11they feel just a little sick, like they caught a cold or they have like a flu, it's a flu

1:15like feeling and they don't feel good but then when they take an opioid, it goes away

1:20magically, it just stops.

1:22That is your first warning sign that you're developing opioid withdrawal.

1:27If you keep doing the opioids, eventually the intensity of the withdrawal will also

1:31get worse and you start to feel more sick.

1:35Eventually it'll become very obvious that if you're not consuming the opioids, you get

1:39really, really sick.

1:40You're vomiting, you have diarrhea, your stomach hurts a lot, the leg cramps, it's horrible,

1:46it's very, very intense, it can get very intense.

1:50Now, opioid withdrawal, it's not dangerous but it's incredibly uncomfortable and it typically

1:55will lead to consumption of an opioid.

1:58This can happen if you run out of medication, if you're prescribed opioids, it can happen

2:03even if you don't run out of medication just by the natural course of developing opioid

2:08tolerance, you need more and more medication to manage the tolerance, the same dose over

2:14time will not work as well and you will slowly start to develop opioid withdrawal even though

2:21you're taking the opioids.

2:22That is because of the tolerance developing.

2:24If you're taking it to get high, the same amount that you took before to get high isn't

2:28going to work as well because you're getting intolerant and you start to eventually get

2:32more and more withdrawal in between the times that you're getting high.

2:37If you're doing it every six or eight hours before, you might have to do it every four

2:40or five hours now, otherwise you get sick.

2:43Some people have to do it every two or three hours, otherwise they get sick and that withdrawal

2:47again is very intense.

2:49It's not dangerous but it's very intense and it's very uncomfortable and it really drives

2:54people to seek out the opioids.

2:57So that is opioid withdrawal, again it might start subtle but if you keep doing it, it

3:02will become pretty intense and it won't be subtle anymore.

3:05If you're having this, you do need help, you do need some professional help, don't try

3:10to manage this on your own.

3:12If you'd like to see me for help, I can help you with this.

3:15You can reach me at delraycenter.com, also please like, follow and subscribe to my content

3:20here on Healing Sky and please look for my podcast launching in the fall of 2026.

3:25Thank you.