Drug rehabilitation at Islamic Medical Centre covers dependence on opioids including heroin and prescription painkillers, stimulants including crystal methamphetamine (ice) and cocaine, cannabis, benzodiazepines and solvents. Each of these produces a different withdrawal pattern and requires a different medical approach, so treatment begins with identifying exactly what is involved.
Why the substance determines the treatment
Opioid withdrawal is intensely uncomfortable but is rarely life-threatening in an otherwise healthy adult; the clinical priority is symptom control and preventing the patient from leaving treatment during the worst of it. Benzodiazepine and alcohol withdrawal are different — abrupt cessation can cause seizures and requires a medically managed taper rather than sudden stopping.
Stimulant withdrawal produces less dramatic physical symptoms but a severe crash in mood, energy and sleep that carries real suicide risk in the first weeks. Treating all of these identically would be unsafe, which is why assessment precedes any programme decision.
Substances commonly treated
The centre treats dependence across the substances most commonly seen in Pakistan, including those below. Detailed information on each is available in the addiction information section.
- Heroin and other opioids
- Crystal methamphetamine (ice)
- Cocaine and crack cocaine
- Cannabis (charas, hashish)
- Prescription painkillers and codeine
- Benzodiazepines and sleeping tablets
- Solvents and inhalants including Samad Bond and petrol
The treatment sequence
Treatment moves through assessment, medically supervised detoxification, residential rehabilitation, and discharge planning with relapse prevention. Each stage has a defined purpose, and moving to the next before the previous one is complete is a common cause of treatment failure.
Detoxification alone is not treatment. Clearing a substance from the body without addressing the reasons it was used leaves the underlying condition untouched, which is why detox is offered as the opening stage of a programme rather than as a standalone service.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is detoxification enough on its own?
- No. Detoxification makes the body safe but does not address why the substance was being used. Without the psychological work that follows, relapse rates after detox alone are high, which is why detox is treated as the first stage of a programme rather than a complete treatment.
- Which drugs are treated here?
- Opioids including heroin and prescription painkillers, stimulants including ice and cocaine, cannabis, benzodiazepines, and solvents and inhalants. The substance involved determines the medical approach.
- How soon can admission happen?
- Emergency admission is available 24 hours a day. Where withdrawal has already begun or is medically risky, admission is treated as urgent.