If you suddenly stop using this medication, you may have withdrawal symptoms (such as restlessness, watering eyes, runny nose, nausea, sweating, muscle aches). To help prevent withdrawal, your doctor may lower your dose slowly. Withdrawal is more likely if you have used this medication for a long time or in high doses.
Vicodin Addiction Treatment
If the proper Vicodin dosage is taken, Vicodin is safe and liver damage or failure will most likely not occur. Other medications on the market also contain a combination of acetaminophen with another opioid, such as Norco and Percocet, but the contents of Vicodin are distinct from those two medications. Combining hydrocodone with other drugs can exacerbate the effects of the drug. For example, mixing hydrocodone and weed can lead to respiratory distress or coma, while mixing hydrocodone and Xanax can depress breathing and induce sleepiness.
More About Drugs and Medications
This medication may also cause severe, possibly fatal, breathing problems. To lower your risk, your doctor should have you take the smallest dose that works, and take it for the shortest possible time. Do not let the stigma of addiction keep you from seeking lifesaving treatment. The public perception of addiction is changing, and more people understand that it is a disease and not a choice.
- This peer support can be a vital component of long-term recovery from Vicodin addiction and replace the community support that the individual had during rehab.
- Osbourne wrote in her book Fierce that her Vicodin addiction started with a prescription.
- Rehab treatment can help people overcome withdrawal symptoms and learn techniques to avoid relapse during recovery.
- Some people develop a dependence (having withdrawals and tolerance to Vicodin) to their prescription and don’t realize it until they stop taking it.
Vicodin rehabilitation programmes
As an overdose is common after the beginning of Vicodin abuse, you may, unfortunately, have to keep these symptoms in mind if somebody you know is abusing Vicodin. Below are a few symptoms and signs of Vicodin abuse that will help you identify marijuana addiction whether or not your loved one is suffering from this ailment. The symptoms of Vicodin addiction will largely depend on your loved one’s personality and how their behaviours are changing. While keeping the below symptoms in mind, it would be best to observe your loved ones’ intake of Vicodin as well as their ability to refrain from taking the drug. Other medications can affect the removal of hydrocodone/homatropine from your body, which may affect how hydrocodone/homatropine works. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems.
With repeated use over time, higher doses of Vicodin are needed to achieve the same pain-relieving or pleasurable effects, a phenomenon known as tolerance. This tolerance, in turn, prompts the individual to take Vicodin in even higher doses and on a more regular basis. The opioid antagonist Narcan (naloxone) can block the effects of opioids and reverse an overdose. Your doctor may recommend keeping it on hand if you are at risk of a Vicodin overdose. Many people who used the medication only therapeutically and as prescribed, sometimes do not even realize they are experiencing withdrawals.
Over time, this can lead to a compulsion to take the drug even when not medically necessary, paving the way to an addiction. Vicodin addiction is notorious for being fatal to the social life of anyone who suffers from it. Because of its mental and physical impact, Vicodin addiction causes people to become isolated and oftentimes appear selfish. This is inconvenient for many reasons, but especially because Vicodin addiction is extremely difficult to be rid of without professional support. Its social effects only serve to prolong the addiction, which could cause irreparable harm to you and your loved ones. This medication has a risk for abuse and addiction, which can lead to overdose and death.
Side Effects of Vicodin Use
Whether to get high, for pain relief or self-medication, initial Vicodin use is often occasional, in low doses or according to a prescription. However, this can quickly escalate with repeated use, a major risk for anyone not being properly supervised. Vicodin is tightly controlled in most major countries, including the United Kingdom, where it is not licensed for any medical use. Hydrocodone, the main active ingredient in Vicodin, is a Class A substance, the most serious classification in the UK. This means that unlawful supply is punishable by life in prison and possession, up to seven years.
Hydrocodone Misuse and Addiction: Signs and Symptoms
It is often combined with acetaminophen in medications prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain. Because pure hydrocodone has a higher risk of abuse than Vicodin, Norco, and Lortab, it is generally only prescribed for severe pain. This medication is designed to treat individuals with severe, chronic pain who are opioid tolerant and have not found relief with alternate treatment options. In addition to Vicodin, other brand name versions of hydrocodone include Norco® and Lortab®.
With sober living homes, you get the opportunity to practice the skills you learned before returning home. If you have been taking Vicodin for a while and have tried to stop, you may notice Vicodin withdrawal symptoms, which signal you have developed a dependence on the drug. Treatment for Vicodin addiction is not one-size-fits-all, so Vicodin rehab programmes must provide a wide range of approaches to benefit everybody. With the right combination of treatments, recovery from Vicodin addiction is very much achievable, and individuals who are committed to change can regain control of their lives. Support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) provide a community of individuals who share their experiences, strength and hope with each other.
Vicodin addiction
The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of prescription painkillers, and this staggering increase in availability has helped to promote widespread abuse of these medications. This involves using Vicodin for non-medical reasons, primarily to experience euphoria or “high” that results from the drug’s potent effects on the brain’s reward system. Vicodin operates by interacting with the body’s central nervous system. The key component, hydrocodone, is an opioid that binds to specific receptors in the brain and spinal cord, known as opioid receptors. By attaching to these receptors, hydrocodone effectively blocks the transmission of pain signals to the brain, thus reducing the sensation of pain experienced by the user. However, this mechanism is vicodin addictive not only alleviates pain but can also induce feelings of relaxation and euphoria, contributing to Vicodin’s high potential for abuse.