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What Causes Disorientation And Slurred Speech?
My son is an addict. He was on methadone for heroin addiction and is no longer taking it (he was weaned, so to speak. Not abrupt; however, he suffered withdrawal symptoms but with careful monitoring, he seemed to come through ok. I was not able to reach him for 3 days so I went to his apartment at 2pm on Saturday afternoon. He was sleeping and when I woke him he was disoriented and his speech was slurred. He did not know what day it was. I remained there for 20 minutes or so and his condition did not improve as it would if you were just sleepy. A total reversal of his behavior when I saw him last. He denies using drugs but I have my doubts. What is your opinion?
Wed, 7 Jun 2017
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service.
I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.
It seems your son must have consumed drugs. Excessive sleepiness, restlessness, disorientation, and slurring of speech can occur due to withdrawal from drugs. Methadone is usually used for heroin addiction however, it also has some addiction property so it has to be tapered very slowly otherwise Methadone also can give withdrawal symptoms. There is a confirmatory test for drugs known as urinary drug screening. I suggest you to do this test for your son if you are in doubt and take him to de addiction center if found positive.
All the best.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Prashant Gohil
I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.
It seems your son must have consumed drugs. Excessive sleepiness, restlessness, disorientation, and slurring of speech can occur due to withdrawal from drugs. Methadone is usually used for heroin addiction however, it also has some addiction property so it has to be tapered very slowly otherwise Methadone also can give withdrawal symptoms. There is a confirmatory test for drugs known as urinary drug screening. I suggest you to do this test for your son if you are in doubt and take him to de addiction center if found positive.
All the best.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Prashant Gohil
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