Yoga can aid in the speedy recovery of people with opioid withdrawal, as well as improve anxiety, sleep, and pain in them, according to a study.Opioid withdrawal involves physical symptoms like diarrhoea, insomnia, fever, pain, anxiety, and depression, and autonomic signs such as pupil dilation, runny nose, goosebumps, anorexia, yawning, nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
These symptoms result from sympathetic nervous system overactivity due to dysregulated noradrenergic outflow.
The study led by researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, and Harvard Medical School, US, calls for integrating yoga into withdrawal protocols as a neurobiologically informed intervention.
They noted that yoga will help address core regulatory processes beyond symptom management.
“In this trial, yoga significantly enhanced opioid withdrawal recovery through measurable autonomic and clinical improvements, supporting its integration into withdrawal protocols as a neurobiologically informed intervention,” said Suddala Goutham, from the Department of Integrative Medicine at NIMHANS.
Opioid use disorder (OUD), characterised by recurrent opioid use, leading to significant physical, psychological, and social problems, is a significant global public health challenge.
In 2022, an estimated 60 million people worldwide used opioids nonmedically, yet only 1 in 11 individuals with drug use disorders received treatment. In India, a 2019 national survey indicated a 2.1 per cent prevalence of opioid use.
Opioid withdrawal involves sympathetic hyperactivity and reduced parasympathetic tone, which standard pharmacological treatments may not adequately address, contributing to relapse vulnerability.