really_isnt_me t1_j0y3ch4 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 7:02 AM

Reply to comment by Abject-Rich in News: Judge allows convicted sex abuser Justin Mustafa to change his name to Justin Curtis by GeniusBtch

Nope, only alcohol (readily available) and benzodiazepines (usually prescribed) cause withdrawals that can kill, usually from seizure. For everything else, it’s mostly a mental struggle after the first week or so. But if you’re detoxing from serious, prolonged alcohol or benzo use, you should definitely seek a professional therapeutic environment. You might feel like you’re dying when you detox from heroin/opiates, but you really aren’t.

snerdaferda t1_j0zew3u wrote on December 20, 2022 at 3:38 PM

It’s actually possible to die from side effects related to withdrawal from opiates. Pure withdrawal in an otherwise healthy person, no, but someone with say myocarditis (common in IVD users) going through withdrawal will need careful management. As a HCP I know that pure alcohol/benzo withdrawal are the only two withdrawals that commonly kill, but it is still possible to die from opiate withdrawal and it’s important to distinguish that it should be medically managed as well.

ETA: This paper describes other common mechanisms of death during opiate withdrawal, namely vomiting and diarrhea.