How to Combat Common Detox Withdrawal Symptoms

Do you feel like it’s time for a detox? Whether you’re detoxing for personal or professional reasons, it’s an excellent choice for your health and general wellbeing. But you might feel worse before you get better. Detox withdrawal symptoms have a wide range in severity, depending on what you are detoxing from, but you will be in for some discomfort under most circumstances.   

What is Withdrawal?

Withdrawal is what happens when you suddenly stop consuming a substance or substances that your body has become accustomed. Whether you are trying to detox naturally or using a detox program, your body can react negatively. It’s a common misconception that withdrawals only happen to people detoxing from serious substances; people can have caffeine withdrawals, sugar withdrawals, junk food withdrawals, etc., and symptoms can range from mild to severe. 

Common Withdrawal Symptoms

There are several common detox withdrawal symptoms. Some symptoms are a minor inconvenience, while others can be more serious.

Headache

This is especially common for caffeine withdrawals, but it can happen when detoxing from any substance. Typically, the headaches from withdrawal will follow a three-month timeframe; if you’ve been using a substance for three months, you’ll get headaches when you stop, but those headaches will go away after about three months of being clean.

Body aches

This detox withdrawal symptom will be more severe if you quit suddenly rather than weaning yourself off. Some people can fix this issue with mild pain medication, but for others, that would directly interfere with the detox.

Nausea 

You should have some anti-nausea medicine available if you’re detoxing. If you become nauseous to the point of vomiting, you need to make sure you don’t become dangerously dehydrated. 

Fatigue

Your body’s working overtime to make up for the absence of whatever substance you became accustomed to, so you can expect significantly lower energy for a little while. It’s sort of similar to when you have a virus, and your body has to work extra hard to fight it.

Irritability

Going through withdrawals is an unpleasant experience; as a result of all the other nasty symptoms, you may come off as cranky or short-tempered to the people closest to you. It might help give your loved ones a heads up and kindly ask for their patience before you start your detox.

Mental Health Crises

Some of the more severe detox withdrawal symptoms are psychological complications like anxiety, paranoia, and even delirium with hallucinations. While these are very concerning, they typically only come from withdrawals from serious substances. If you’re worried about this possibility, you should ensure you have a safe place to go through your withdrawal.

Tips to Combat Withdrawal Symptoms 

Detox withdrawal symptoms are often unpleasant and even scary, but there are things you can do to lessen their severity.

Drink lots of water

Most symptoms of withdrawal are either caused or made worse by dehydration. Make sure to drink lots of water, in addition to electrolyte-rich beverages, to stay hydrated while detoxing. 

Essential Oils

Many withdrawal symptoms can be lessened with the use of essential oils. All essential oils have their own set of medicinal properties, so determine the particular symptoms you’re targeting and go from there.

Eat Clean

Going through withdrawal doesn’t just dehydrate you; it can make you malnourished as well. Make sure you eat highly nutritious meals, like soups loaded with veggies, and avoid anything highly processed or containing lots of sugar.

Exercise

Exercising can be especially helpful in keeping body aches to a minimum because it gets your muscles and joints moving. On top of that, exercising releases endorphins to boost your mood and aids the detox process so you will get through it faster.