What to do at the hospital for acute withdrawal

[movbikwaet]

So me and a friend have both been through acute drug withdrawal and my friend also eventually got admitted to a psych ward.

This thread is for people who are messed up enough and dont have someone to take care of them such as drive them to their doctor, explain whats wrong, demand medication etc.

I am making this thread because when you are going through acute withdrawal meaning you cant function properly, or express yourself properly and are not sure what is wrong the best thing to do is go to the ER, request a psychiatrist not a GP, and say you are feeling suicidal, dont use big words like you do a lot of reading.

If you are not so bad you can see a psychiatrist under typical circumstances outside of hospital and they can prescribe you medication provided you can communicate and express yourself properly, bringing a journel is good so you can get the correct diagnosis and medication.

If you have private health care you can be admitted to a private ward which is typically better but you will need to go through a psychiatrist.

At the ER, if you are psychotic, or manic they can turn you away but not if you are considered a risk for self harm, you WILL be involuntarily admitted but the benefit is you will get the right care for drug withdrawal whether it be seroquel and methadone for heroin or bupropion for stimulants etc.

I am putting this up here because I got turned down while psychotic by a GP and I would of made a much better recovery if I had been admitted. It also took my friend 5 trips to the ER over 2months to be admitted which he spent 2 months in the ward because he was so bad, if he had been admitted earlier he would of only spent 2 or 3 weeks.

This isnt to say you will spend weeks their, at each hospital their is a psychiatric emergency,(atleast in NSW) where you spend a maximum of 2-7 days where they can prescribe you medication and send you home, while under care you are constantly monitored by nurses so they can figure out what is wrong with you unlike visiting a psychiatrist for 60minutes.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

Thing is the words suicidal intent ie: you intend to harm yourself, means they have to take you seriously. If you explain your withdrawing, sick and would end your life so you don't have to feel sick anymore medical professional are meant to give you non-judgmental support. If your psychotic in most hospitals they will restrain you and your going into the psych ward ASAP usually the high secure section. You may not be able to smoke but they give you gum n patches so it's not all bad but when withdrawing and you smoke it's a fucker.

Privates will throw you out if your psychotic but if you can keep it together I find you get better treatment usually at a private and more medications to wean you off. Public Hospitals tend to use minimum medication they can. If you've been on the H give them an idea of how much per day you use so you can get an adequate dose of say methadone and probably a few benzo's as well. You will be put on an opiate withdrawl scale and be routinely observed for signs of withdrawl, shakes, sweats, blood pressure etc.

 

[missmeyet?]

I'm a little confused..are you talking about going to ER/being admitted because you are having withdrawals from opiates/opioids? For the physical symptoms or for the psychiatric symptoms like being depressed? Or just saying you are depressed so you can get admitted?m I'm not sure if it were for the physical symptoms why you would want to be admitted to a psych ward when they are things you can so at home to ease it...but maybe I am misunderstanding.

 

[movbikwaet]

Its not like in the movies, you dont get restrained for being psychotic, if you are uncontrollably violent you get put in a padded cell, if you are a harm to others you get put in higher security this has nothing to do with being psychotic or not.

Me and my friend both got sent home at the ER when psychotic.


I am talking in general, physical or mental, if you need medication because you want to quit or you have had a bad reaction or your supply ran out, and you are too messed up or whatever cant find it through usual means, which isnt unusual, the ER is the safest option.

 

[missmeyet?]

I have been a nurse for 20 years and for many of those years I worked in a psych hospital. I guess I would just never voluntarily go into the psych hospital no matter how bad my opiate/opioid withdrawals were (and I have had some really bad ones over the years).

Also, btw, I don't know about there but here we can still apply restraints depending on the situation in the psych hospital..or regular hospital for that matter!

 

[footscrazy]

Informing people of their options when in acute withdrawal can be beneficial, however, it's important to ensure this thread doesn't turn into discussing ways to manipulate emergency departments to get specific drugs. I do understand that in acute withdrawal there is a medical need for medications - particularly in the case of benzos, where receiving adequate treatment can be a matter of life and death, however we don't allow any discussion on how to lie or act to get your hands on particular drugs. We'll see how this goes.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

Its not like in the movies, you dont get restrained for being psychotic, if you are uncontrollably violent you get put in a padded cell, if you are a harm to others you get put in higher security this has nothing to do with being psychotic or not.

Me and my friend both got sent home at the ER when psychotic.


I am talking in general, physical or mental, if you need medication because you want to quit or you have had a bad reaction or your supply ran out, and you are too messed up or whatever cant find it through usual means, which isnt unusual, the ER is the safest option.

Depends on if your considered a danger to yourself or if your bought in from the watch house or by police escort. If your deemed a danger to yourself or others you will be restrained ie that you wont to able to leave and your put into a "padded cell" not that they are padded these days lol. It is usually a psych specific room in the ED. This is because A: a justice examination order is in effect (police or community can request) B: an emergency evaluation order is in effect C: You have been assessed and your status is involuntary patient. You may be admitted as a voluntary patient and you can leave whenever although it will be "against medical advice". Security is usually who deal with psychotic patients. People who OD deliberately are seen as being of risk to themselves for example and will often be assessed as an involuntary inpatient.

Restraints can be ordered in situations were a psychiatrist or even a general medico assess there is a need for them. The orders have to be updated and reassessed every few hours. Seclusion is also updated every few hours and it is technically false imprisonment if the patient is held longer than the time frame without having the order ratified. Different states have slightly different legislation so things may be slightly different between each state here in Australia. Just being psychotic doesn't mean you will be admitted. Being psychotic and a danger to your self or others is when you will be restrained/detained usually under an EEO until a assessment can be completed by the admitting psych team and there is a place available on the ward and then you will be classified as an involuntary patient.

 

[movbikwaet]

Depends on if your considered a danger to yourself or if your bought in from the watch house or by police escort. If your deemed a danger to yourself or others you will be restrained ie that you wont to able to leave and your put into a "padded cell" not that they are padded these days lol. It is usually a psych specific room in the ED. This is because A: a justice examination order is in effect (police or community can request) B: an emergency evaluation order is in effect C: You have been assessed and your status is involuntary patient. You may be admitted as a voluntary patient and you can leave whenever although it will be "against medical advice". Security is usually who deal with psychotic patients. People who OD deliberately are seen as being of risk to themselves for example and will often be assessed as an involuntary inpatient.

Restraints can be ordered in situations were a psychiatrist or even a general medico assess there is a need for them. The orders have to be updated and reassessed every few hours. Seclusion is also updated every few hours and it is technically false imprisonment if the patient is held longer than the time frame without having the order ratified. Different states have slightly different legislation so things may be slightly different between each state here in Australia. Just being psychotic doesn't mean you will be admitted. Being psychotic and a danger to your self or others is when you will be restrained/detained usually under an EEO until a assessment can be completed by the admitting psych team and there is a place available on the ward and then you will be classified as an involuntary patient.

In NSW atleast, the psych specific room in the ED is psychiatric emergency, you dont need to be considered a danger, its just for people who need closer monitoring or when there is no room in the ward at the time.
In the proper ward there is a padded cell in the higher security section.

 

[Shadowsblaze]

In Ft. Lauderdale jail they still have a padded cell for any one they deem "out of it." And to add to that they have old stinky mattresses piled 2 feet high. The B.O. is so bad it will make you sick an delirious and you'll be screaming to let you out. The worst situation I found myself in the whole time there. Don't end up there.