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Vicodin is a controlled substance. Stop the addiction before you loose your life to more drugs or you find yourself in legal difficulties. Recovery Connection has been helping people suffering from addiction find appropriate treatment for years. 1-800-993-3869. Call now and get help today.
Vicodin is a prescription medication used to assist in pain management. The active ingredients in Vicodin are hydrocodone, a highly addictive opioid drug, and acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain reliever. Hydrocodone is a powerful pain reliever that also has depressant and sedative effects. As with any opiate, the body can quickly develop a tolerance for this drug. This results in patients taking more than their recommended dose in order to achieve the initial pain relieving results. The potency of Vicodin, and other hydrocodone related drugs, makes abuse, whether intentional or not, dangerous.
Because Vicodin is an opioid and opiates have depressant sedative effects overdose and death is not uncommon, especially when mixed with other sedatives. For example, after using several pills of Vicodin, a person with Vicodin addiction may choose to have a beer, a mixed drink, Xanax, or Ativan. The dosage of either substance alone may not be enough to cause medical problems. However, when combined, the two different classes of substances can cause disastrous consequences. The depressant effects of these two classes of drugs are multiplied. The consequence can be cardiorespiratory arrest. Thousands of people die in the United States every year due to opioid overdose, with or without a combination of other substances.
Vicodin addiction is no different than other types of drug addictions in that it can have negative effects on a person's brain function. Vicodin reduces or increases the naturally occurring neurotransmitters that are required for proper brain functioning, including endorphins and dopamine. The only way to reverse this process is to discontinue taking the drug. Vicodin withdrawal will begin soon after the last pill has been ingested. It is too uncomfortable and dangerous for a person with this addiction to accomplish detox on his or her own.
Once a physician has suggested that Vicodin might help a patient, denial about abuse can quickly set in and become a major obstacle to a patient's willingness to address his or her Vicodin abuse. It is typical that addicted patients be very resistant to treatment, stating that they don’t have a problem, that they can take care of the problem on his/her own, or that they are not using Vicodin at all.
Because Vicodin is a controlled substance and is regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, multiple and severe legal consequences can arise if the drug is obtained through non-legal sources. It is fairly safe to say that once the addiction has taken hold, the abuser disregards the consequences and continues the use. This is a common factor in addiction to all substances, and is the hallmark of addiction.
Liver damage is common in those who are addicted to Vicodin. This is due to continually exceeding the maximum daily limit of acetaminophen, which is toxic to the liver.
A key symptom of addiction is the continued use despite the knowledge of real or assumed consequence. Other signs of Vicodin abuse will be:
Deterioration in personal relationships as well as employment, financial, legal and psychological difficulties may emerge as the addiction progresses. Many people with Vicodin addiction will steal the drug from friends and family, steal prescription pads from physician offices, or simply purchase the drug illegally on the street. It is important to note that going to more than one doctor for the same prescription is illegal and can lead to incarceration.
Once the abuser has admitted to having a problem, Vicodin detox is the next step. Vicodin withdrawal symptoms are part of the detox process. Withdrawal from Vicodin is of the opiate type and symptoms resemble a severe flu and lasting 3-7 days. Specially trained addiction physicians and nurses in opiate addiction can handle Vicodin detox and Vicodin withdrawal symptoms so that the drug detox process will be successfully completed. Once detox has been completed, it is strongly suggested that the addict move directly into treatment. If this does not occur timely, the chances of immediate relapse are increased.
Receiving professional addiction treatment is always recommended as attempting to stop drug use on one's own or with a program that is not licensed or medically based, may leave the Vicodin addict vulnerable to relapse. A quality treatment program can address the underlying issues surrounding Vicodin abuse and can offer the latest tools and therapies to combat addiction, addictive behaviors, and signs of relapse.
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