Frequently Asked Questions

Just ask our former patients and see how their experience was with Rapid Drug Detox in their testimonials.

Yes, a study done with results dated Tuesday, May 31, 2005 finds that: Measurement of withdrawal symptoms among 40 patients within 24 hrs of anesthesia-assisted rapid opiate detox show all had symptoms “in the mild range” during this first post-procedure day, unlike traditional detox methods. Essentially, the suffering and severe withdrawal symptoms associated with detoxing are drastically reduced with the RDD Method^™. Full report information: Am J Drug Alc Abuse 31(2) 2005, 327-335. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (2001) concluded that Ultrarapid Detoxification is an appropriate intervention for patients who are unwilling to tolerate the discomfort that can occur with traditional forms of detoxification.

From: Journals of Substance Abuse Treatment

Rapid Detox: Understanding New Treatment Approaches for the Addicted Patient
McCabe S
Perspect Psychiatric Care ; 36:113-20.
Abstract
TOPIC: Despite substantive advances in understanding of genetic and biochemical basis of substance abuse and addiction in the last decade, little information has been translated into alternative treatment models for the addicted patient. Rapid detox, an alternative form of detox treatment, is gaining in both acceptance and popularity. PURPOSE: To increase readers’ understanding of the neurobiology of addiction and the mode of action of new detox approaches for patients addicted to opiate drugs. SOURCES: A review of the current literature pertaining to rapid detox. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid detox is a viable alternative for selected patients attempting to detox from opiate agents of abuse.

Learn more about anesthesia detox »

No, you do not need to stop using before the procedure. In fact, it is best not to be experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms at the time of treatment.

Hundreds of people who have completed our program found that our treatment eliminates most of the emotional and physical symptoms of withdrawal. Typically, patients feel very tired after the procedure and want to sleep. There is some loss of appetite and some patients experience mild body aches. Medications to relieve remaining symptoms and to encourage comfortable rest are prescribed.

Safety and confidentiality of our patients is our number one priority. Our patients are admitted into a licensed surgical center in a fully equipped and modern operating room with recovery room to receive excellent individual care and assurance that all records remain confidential. Our patients need not worry that their treatment will be performed in a large facility that is part of a large network group of facilities with a data base that can be easily accessed by a national computer system. All medical records are kept in strict confidence and RDD Center abides by all HIPPA regulations.

It is important that patients treated with the RDD Method™ for an opiate detoxification are admitted in a private facility. Patients are detoxed in an operating room under anesthesia.

Our very experienced physicians and the unsurpassable individual care and attention we grant our patients have made us a respected leader in the field of rapid anesthesia detox. RDD Center provides complete confidentiality and a setting where each patient receives expert medical care to ensure their safety.

The RDD Method^™ of rapid detox performed in just one to two hours greatly reduces the risks associated with a lengthy general anesthesia. Patients placed under anesthesia for many hours (6-8 hours) risk many problems typically associated with lengthy anesthesia. A patient placed under anesthesia more than 1-2 hours is the ‘old way’ of doing the rapid detox when it was first developed. Many advances have been made since then and 6-8 hours under anesthesia are totally unnecessary and indicates a very inexperienced physician. A physician performing an anesthesia detox treatment that places a patient under anesthesia for a long period of time, promoting the reasons that “it takes that long to remove the opiate drugs from the body” has absolutely no basis for truth. In fact, all opiates will remain in the patient’s distant tissues for at least 7 days and some opiates will remain for 45 days, such as Methadone. A physician leading a person to believe that an 8 hour detox is needed for complete drug removal is ridiculous and simply a deceptive, marketing ploy considering the facts. The complete opiate removal from the opiate receptors takes place within an hour or two period of time with a powerful opiate antidote infusion. This minimal time under anesthesia is all that is needed and does not “cause the patient to wake up in withdrawal”. The withdrawal process is complete within this time period with the RDD Method™. The patient is then sedated for up to 6 hours after their detoxification procedure. The less time a patient is under anesthesia for any procedure, the less chance of complications to occur.

Learn more about anesthesia »

We strive to keep our treatment affordable. We understand that our prices are still high for many patients but other centers charge $15,000 to $26,000. We are far more affordable than ‘drug rehabilitation centers’ which typically place patients on the opiate drug Suboxone^®. We believe that an affordable detox is needed and continue to offer the best possible care in the safest environment with a price that hopefully is attainable and affordable for most. We perform our detoxification procedure in a full service facility with 2 board certified RDD Center physicians present for the entire treatment. RDD Center limits the amount of patients we accept on a weekly basis so our patients are well cared for on a “one-on-one” more personal level. This demonstrates our strong commitment to patient safety, comfort and satisfaction. We believe in patient before profit. The greatest reward for the human heart is to help people who so desperately need it.

Read more about why we are affordable »

If you suffer from epilepsy, diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or heart disease you may be required to undergo further testing. The results of this testing may determine that you are not a good candidate for anesthesia detox. Any medical issues you have should be reported to your intake coordinator prior to scheduling. This thorough screening process helps eliminate unnecessary trips for patients. However, medical concerns can develop after arrival. For example, the stress test may reveal previously undiagnosed problems. Also, those who test positive for cocaine cannot be treated. If you are a cocaine user, you must stop at least one week prior to the Rapid Drug Detox procedure so that it leaves your system and does not interact with the anesthesia. Your candor on health conditions, no matter what they are, is extremely important and is kept private.

The RDD Method^™ for the anesthesia detox procedure takes approximately 1 hour under general anesthesia. We have heard of another detox facility that places patients under anesthesia for 8 hours, claiming it takes that amount of time to get the opiate drug out of the body and less time would cause the patient to wake up in withdrawal. This reasoning makes no sense due to the fact that the opiate drug will remain in the tissues for 10-45 days, depending on individual metabolism and the opiate drug the patient was using. Over time, the body metabolizes the drug entirely out of the bodies’ fat tissues, liver, etc. and no amount of time under anesthesia eliminates the drug from the body tissues while under anesthesia. An anesthesia detox removes the opiate drug from the receptors only.

Experienced doctors that are knowledgeable about the anesthesia detox led to perfecting a new protocol several years ago, enabling the detox procedure to be performed in 1-2 hours under anesthesia, therefore, involving less risk. An 8 hour anesthesia detox is the “old way” of doing the detox and only an inexperienced doctor continues to use this method.

A study involving new research about length of time under anesthesia appears in the archives of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings show that the length of time spent under general anesthesia determines the risk of complications and recovery periods for patients of all ages. The researchers found the risk of complications increases between 18 percent and 36 percent for each hour under anesthesia with the average anesthesia time just under four hours. Complications range from fever to pneumonia and heart attack. An anesthesia detox lasting 8 hours is unnecessary, dangerous and only performed by an inexperienced anesthesiologist that has no knowledge about the new protocol which is today’s standard.

Learn more about anesthesia »

While there is some risk associated with general anesthesia, the RDD Method^™ is a proven and safe treatment with admittance to a facility for the detoxification treatment which completes the detoxification procedure under a light anesthesia in approximately 60 minutes, eliminating many risks associated with lengthy general anesthesia. The RDD Center employs a rigorous medical screening protocol. In-depth medical examinations are performed prior to the procedure including a complete history and physical, complete blood work screening, urinalysis, EKG, stress echo test and chest X-Ray, if deemed necessary. Highly qualified physicians, licensed nurses and intensive critical care paramedics are in attendance at the facility at all times until the patient is discharged, typically the following morning.

Read more about our procedure and why it is safe »

We are the only anesthesia detox center that has two board certified physicians present during the entire detoxification procedure. Our third physician will remain at the facility all afternoon and all night attending to our patients post detox until discharge.

A patient’s ultimate success largely depends on the support that they receive post-procedure.

At the RDD Center, we aim to set up each and every one of our patients to succeed after their procedure. To do this, we provide a Naltrexone Therapy as an important post-procedure addition to the patient’s treatment for their continued sobriety. Also, because we receive patients from all over the country and the world, our patients must arrange for post procedure counseling, etc. in their home area. We encourage each patient to seek long term therapy, attend support groups, learn what triggers their drug use, and eliminate friends that use drugs including changing their cell phone number and erasing numbers of any drug contacts. Family members are encouraged to take an active part in the patient’s sobriety and be supportive and encouraging to help the patient keep clean.

It is impossible for any drug detox or rehab center to know an accurate success rate. Very in-depth and controlled studies would need to be performed including bringing patients back to our center every 3 months and doing hair sample drug analysis (as proof a person was being truthful). Contact with our patients and their family members and quarterly drug testing would have to continue for at least 3 years. All of these things are necessary in order to state an honest answer. This is a difficult and cost prohibitive task and therefore has not been conducted at any center in the world. This is truly the only way to come up with a statistical, success rate. We strive for honesty so do not mislead a person by taking a guess at a success rate that we are not sure of. We do believe that many of our patients remain clean, according to their words and their family members we speak with. No treatment center can guarantee success. Instead, the patient must seek therapy, attend meetings, and surround themselves in a healthy environment once they leave the RDD Center.

Read more about Naltrexone Therapy »

Our facility is a totally private and confidential drug treatment center offering the exclusive RDD Method^™ of anesthesia detox. All medical records are held in the strictest of confidence and we abide by all HIPPA regulations for absolute privacy. Because of the strict confidentiality setting that our private center offers, many professional people including doctors, nurses, law enforcement, sports figures, etc. travel to us from all over the country and the world and choose our center for this very reason. There is never any fear that a person will be exposed. Our patients never need worry that their treatment is part of a large facility data base system that can be easily accessed by a national computer network. They never have to fear that in the future that they will be denied acceptance into a medical insurance plan because of a past history of drug abuse. These concerns are very real and warranted and should be a strong consideration when seeking drug addiction treatment. The stigma attached with a history of drug addiction can cast a very negative light and cause years of prejudice.

At the RDD Center your confidentiality is our priority as you overcome your drug dependency.

Read more about our confidentiality »

There are a few centers saying they perform a “brain chemistry analysis”. This is very deceiving and leads a person to believe there is some type of brain scan or in-depth medical test that can show the chemistry of the brain. In the entire medical profession, there is no such test. Be leery of such promises and hype. This is a misleading statement that there is some special medical brain test/treatment a person will receive. Mention of this test and misleading a person to believe that this test shows problems with the chemistry of the brain and that it can be corrected according to the results is ethically wrong and completely false.A patient should always question the honesty and integrity of an addiction treatment center that uses the mention of this misleading test and claims to be able to correct “brain chemistries”. Many of these statements are merely gimmicks and should cause suspicion and be questioned when choosing a treatment facility. For more information, read our blog post “Addiction Isn’t a Brain Disease.” All people seeking treatment deserve complete honesty about the addiction treatment they will receive.

RDD Center uses the best and safest technologies that are proven.

Read more about the RDD Method^™ »

Most psychiatrists agree it is premature to use SPECT Brain Scans clinically. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued two skeptical reports, one pertaining to children and adolescents and the other pertaining to adults. At the present time, the available evidence does not support the use of brain imaging for clinical diagnosis or treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Pictures showing that “this is your brain on drugs” may impress some people, especially family members looking for answers to help their drug addicted loved one, but physicians are far more impressed by quantifiable data (such as tests of mental performance) and clinical consequences (such as improved behavior) than by nonspecific pictures of “holes” in the brain which have no scientific validity and are total nonsense.

This reminds us of a recent study in which Yale researchers gave participants various nonsensical explanations of human behavior. Half of the time, the researchers added the phrase “Brain scans indicate” before the explanation and then inserted the spurious finding. When this brain-speak was added, participants judged the explanations more satisfying.

Please question a center that tells you they do brain scans and that opiate use causes “holes in the brain” which will show up on a brain scan. This is absolutely ridiculous and any Neurologist will attest to this. These types of statements are meant to induce fear in the patient and have no place in a trustworthy and credible medical treatment facility.

Some centers claim to offer a neurotransmitter test which is available to measure the levels of major neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine, GABA and dopamine. This testing can be done by urine, blood, or a spinal tap to measure neurotransmitter levels. However, only in rare cases is it necessary to do neurotransmitter testing. Even if we know the blood level of these neurotransmitters and we find a neurotransmitter deficiency, it offers little help in guiding therapy since neurotransmitter levels and neurotransmitter production fluctuates easily from day to day and hour to hour. Neurotransmitter testing is not a reliable way to determine how a person will respond to a particular medicine or supplement.

Neurotransmitters are present in the central and peripheral nervous system so the tests are not diagnostic but are biomarkers. There are trends that show up consistently relating to certain symptoms or conditions. There is still a wide gap between testing for neurotransmitter levels and determining which form of therapy and in what dosage works best. Neurotransmitter levels can be influenced on a daily basis by diet, activity level, sleep patterns, stress, and a number of other factors. We are not convinced that testing for neurotransmitter levels adds to the clinical treatment of a patient. Often patients are misled to believe that they will be prescribed medication or have infusions of vitamins to correct this imbalance.

The simple treatment for possibly increasing neurotransmitter levels are just ‘amino acids’ which can easily be purchased at your local health/vitamin store. Along with this, a good daily multivitamin certainly cannot hurt. Claims of these supplements or vitamin infusions helping with a drug addiction treatment are minimal at best. The truth is they have not been proven to help with easing any withdrawal symptoms. If these tests were medically credible and the results could initiate sound medical treatment that would be beneficial, they would certainly become a routine test ordered by physicians.

• Medical History and Physical: by our Addiction Specialist M.D.
• EKG
• Urinalysis
• Toxicity /Drug Test
• Blood Tests including Liver Function Test
• Pregnancy Test for Females
• Echocardiogram for males over 40 yrs. and women over 45 yrs. of age: by our Cardiologist M.D.
• Chest X-Ray if deemed necessary
• Anesthesia Evaluation: by our board certified Anesthesiologist

Yes, IV infusions of select vitamins to speed the healing process are infused post procedure while in the recovery room.

RDD Center is an opiate detoxification medical treatment center located at 5130 Coolidge Hwy, Suite 210, Royal Oak, MI 48073 in southeast Michigan. There are only 6 centers in the country that offer this specific opiate addiction treatment in a facility. We are the only center offering the exclusive RDD Method^™ of anesthesia detoxification. Approximately 98% of our patients travel to our center from all over the country and the world. Many appreciate our affordable cost and the strict confidentiality that only our center can offer.

Typically, your stay is four days. The first day is devoted to testing and appointments with the Rapid Drug Detox medical personnel. Day two, you are admitted to the facility for 24 – 48 hours where you have your detox procedure followed by a night of rest and observation at the facility. Day 3, you are assessed for discharge by our physician and most patients are ready to return to the comfort and privacy of the hotel room where you rest and sleep most of the third day. Our physician visits you daily at the hotel. Day four is the post-procedure consultation with the on-staff physician who has followed your entire convalescence. Most patients are comfortable enough to travel after this period, so you should feel free to leave after the post-procedure consultation. Our highly trained medical professionals are at the hotel 24 hours a day, making rounds and checking on patients every couple hours for the entire time the patients are resting after the facility discharge. This enables us to provide excellent care to every patient in a private, peaceful and safe setting until the patient leaves for home.

Yes, someone must be with you for the entire two-day recovery period following the discharge from the facility. We prefer the person arriving with the patient to accompany the patient to the pre-exam appointment so we can answer any questions and discuss the process. If patients choose to come alone, they are required to hire independent caregivers that we provide for their entire stay. Our caregivers are highly trained professionals and are very knowledgeable, kind and compassionate. Their main concern is to make the patient comfortable and provide a relaxed and quiet environment once discharged from the facility to rest in their private hotel room. Our patients praise our caregivers and many are mentioned in our success stories. Our caregivers provide excellent care from the time the patient is finished with the detox procedure and discharged until they are taken to the airport to depart for home.

It is impossible to go through ananesthesia detox procedure and feel completely normal within a few days. This procedure eliminates the severe pain, suffering and discomfort associated with a “cold turkey” withdrawal, yet some will not feel normal until after a week or so and some take a little longer to feel normal. We strive to be perfectly honest with our patients and want them to understand that with an anesthesia detox procedure, it is very typical to feel extremely tired, weak and have lack of energy. Try not to plan to rush back to work or have a lot of responsibilities immediately. Some patients have loss of appetite, experience slight leg and back muscle tightness, have trouble sleeping and may experience occasional anxiety, depression and slight body aches. Some patients may have a short spell of nausea and vomiting right after the procedure. Some have a few days of diarrhea. All of these symptoms are mild in comparison to a “cold turkey” detox, and are nothing that the patient are unable to handle. We prescribe medications that relieve all of these symptoms and patients improve every day and are usually feeling completely normal, back to work, off of most medication and without “cravings” within a week or two. Read our: Success Stories.

Many patients that have had injuries to their back, etc. do not experience the pain they expect (hyperalgesia) and find that any body aches can be relieved by an over the counter dose of Motrin. Promises that you will be back to work in a couple days is unrealistic and misleading. Most patients feel their body needs extra rest for a week or so and do not mind, because they are thrilled to be free from their addiction without the common pain and suffering. We find that people thinking of coming to us for treatment, feel more motivated about obtaining help when they are told the truth and have an opportunity to talk with past patients about their experience. Many of our past patients encourage and welcome these conversations and find it very beneficial to their recovery. This can easily be arranged and we encourage it. We feel it is important that all treatment centers offer the opportunity for people needing treatment to speak to past patients about their experience.

No, we never give our patients another addicting opiate drug. These drugs are schedule II and III controlled drugs, are FDA approved for an opiate addiction, and are intended for long term maintenance, like Methadone. Many patients told us they were on these medications for months and years and are very addicted to them, finding it impossible to stop without withdrawal. We are seeing an increase in patients requesting anesthesia detox from a Suboxone^® addiction. Our RDD Method^™ enables patients to be “clean” and free of all opiate drugs after our procedure.

Our PhD Psychologistmakes suggestions for aftercare based on your needs and personality. These may include 12-step meetings, substance-abuse therapy, or other options. We offer patients the opportunity for affordable phone counseling with Dr. Lynn Brown for as long as needed.

Our staff and head nurse are always available by phone 24/7. Our patients rarely, if ever, call and have to leave a message on an answering machine. We take pride in offering excellent patient care and guidance, addressing all of our patients needs well after the treatment.

Naltrexone, an opiate blocker, is recommended as it may help reduce your cravings and manage urges. Once the procedure is completed, the opiate receptor is clean. Naltrexone attaches to the now empty receptor to help with cravings. Naltrexone is non-addictive and does not cause withdrawal when you stop the medication. Rapid Drug Detox generally recommends Naltrexone be discontinued only after a full year of sobriety.
Read more about the Naltrexone Therapy.

The RDD Center is the onlyanesthesia detox center that offers the non addicting, opiate blocking Naltrexone Therapy in 3 different dosage forms. We offer a Naltrexone Subcutaneous Pellet/Implant (mandatory only for Methadone patients) that releases the medication over a 2 month period. We offer a sustained release injectable “IM” shot that releases the medication over a 1 month period and finally, the daily oral “pill form” of Naltrexone. Naltrexone is FDA approved as an opiate blocking medication, (not to be confused with Suboxone^®/Subutex; Buprenorphine, which are opiates). Naltrexone is not addicting and does not cause withdrawal in anyway. The optional, but highly recommended Naltrexone Therapy is a small pellet form of a time releasing medication that is placed under the skin in the lower abdomen. The implant dissolves and disappears entirely as it releases its opiate blocking medication. This medication is continually releases and covers and places a block on the receptor that takes up opiates as it eliminates cravings and prevents an ingested opiate from being felt because opiate drugs are blocked from attaching to the opiate receptor. If a patient chooses to have the Naltrexone Therapy, it is placed while the patient is under anesthesia, after the detox procedure is completed. The implant can only be placed after the detox procedure is finished and the receptors are “clean” and the patient is opiate drug free. Many patients choose to come back and have a 2nd and even a 3rd implant placed every 2 months when the previous one dissolves. This implant has the ability to keep a patient clean and free from cravings and many feel safer and protected with the implant. If returning to us for another implant, or if the placement of an implant at the time of the procedure is not an option for the patient, we recommend the continued daily use of the oral pill form of Naltrexone (Revia^™) for the next year which we prescribe. The Implant is an important addition to the detox treatment insuring a patient’s continued sobriety.
Read more about the Naltrexone Therapy.

We have no “in office” payment plans or financing. Payment is due in full at the time of the pre-exams, typically on Tuesday.

These procedures are not typically covered by medical insurance and are considered “elective” by most insurance companies. After the procedure, we can provide you the appropriate forms filled out that you can submit to your insurance company as a “paid procedure” and ask for reimbursement, but we do not work directly with insurance companies. We do accept all major credit cards and/or debit cards.

We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, certified checks, cashier checks, and cash. No personal checks are accepted. Payment in full is due at the time of service.

Yes. Please call for details.

You can contact RDD Center via phone at 1 (833) 558-8798, through the contact form, or mail at:

RDD Center
5130 Coolidge Hwy
Suite 210
Royal Oak, MI 48073

We can always be reached 24/7 at 810-225-9930. Please visit www.countrycodes.com to search for your country’s international country code needed for long distance calls.

Information on this website complements, not replaces, any information from a health professional. Please contact the health professionals at RDD Center for more information. Information on this site is geared towards the general public. The mission of the RDD Center website is to provide a contact source for those searching for a RDD Center for their drug addiction.

We have received questions about this membership from visitors reading this information from another rapid detox facilities website. There is no such thing as the American Board of Rapid Detox Medicine. If it existed, we would surely be a member. To place this misleading information on a website is fraudulent advertising.