A comedown from drugs refers to the withdrawal symptoms a person experiences when they quit using a substance. The onset of withdrawal symptoms may occur immediately after the substance was last used, or may take several hours or days to manifest. The symptoms of a comedown can occur whether a person has been using alcohol, prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or even over-the-counter drugs.
Sometimes physical and mental sensations are not immediately recognized by a user as withdrawal symptoms connected to the drug they have been taking — especially if they don’t realize they have become dependent on or addicted to a medication. For example, a person who has been using prescription opioid painkillers may begin experiencing a dramatic spike in pain accompanied by anxiety or agitation between doses or after a prescription runs out. They may think they require more painkillers to relieve these effects, rather than recognizing them as a sign that they should be weaned off the drug and transitioned to a non-addictive painkiller or alternative therapy.
Addictive drugs can cause physiological changes in the brain and body, altering the way a person’s central nervous system perceives pain or regulates emotions and mood. Certain drugs cause a dramatic surge in neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which results in a powerful rush of pleasure or euphoria, called a “high.” Eventually, this artificially induced euphoria wears off, leaving the user feeling anxious and irritable or in great physical discomfort.
Coping with comedowns, whether from opiates or other drugs, can be quite difficult and even debilitating, which is why medically assisted detoxification is recommended for safe and manageable withdrawal from alcohol and many substances.
