Vicodin is a very commonly prescribed pain medication that is widely used and often abused by people that become reliant on its powerful pain relieving properties. Vicodin is also related to medications loricet, loritab, percodan, and oxycontin in the family of opioid-based pain medications. Vicodin comes from opium and is a very powerful pain relieving agent, however it can be extremely addictive and its withdrawal symptoms can be so painful many decide their addiction to Vicodin is better than trying to quit.
Many persons taking Vicodin longer than medically necessary keep using it thinking that if they were to stop taking Vicodin, their pain would return. In reality, the fear of Vicodin withdrawal can be a strong motivating factor in the continuing use of Vicodin, and more importantly, the feeling that more Vicodin is needed to combat the same pain. Over a period of time more and more Vicodin is needed to have the same pain relieving effects and to ward off Vicodin withdrawal symptoms. Many people end up taking more and more Vicodin or changing medications and switching to a strong medication such as oxycontin or loritab and taking more and more of these, due to the highly addictive qualities of these medications.
Pain that once was the physical problem is replaced by Vicodin. Instead of being used to help tolerate the pain, Vicodin itself becomes the problem. The patient becomes addicted to Vicodin and the problem actually gets worse instead of better. It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were currently using prescription drugs non-medically. Of these, 2.6 million misused pain relievers the most common of which is Vicodin. Pain is one the most common reasons cited to visit a doctor. Pain is also a very common reason to become addicted to Vicodin and or alcohol. People often self-medicate themselves with Vicodin for pain or abuse Vicodin and become addicted. These reasons also lead to prescription medication abuse or combining medication with alcohol, which causes addiction problems.
The combination of Vicodin with alcohol compounds the problem to an unparalleled degree. When the effects of Vicodin no longer ease the pain or anxiety, people combine Vicodin with alcohol. Combining Vicodin with alcohol multiplies the effects of both substances. This is due to the quantitative effects of combining 2 different drugs. The effect of Vicodin is increased without increasing the dose. Alcohol and Vicodin are socially accepted and persons who use these substances are not seen as drug addicts. This compounds the problem as many people that are addicted to Vicodin and alcohol go to great lengths to hide their addiction. This is called the process of denial.
After a person has used Vicodin for an extended period of time, they may find that it is difficult to find a physician that will prescribe this medication. Physicians that are concerned for a personŐs welfare and health may decide that it is dangerous for that person to continue the use of Vicodin. Vicodin addiction can be very severe and if physicians do not prescribe the medication users find other ways to obtain the medication with or without a prescription. Concerned physicians will also stop prescriptions or try to get their patients to detox of the pills gradually, although this can be a difficult and painstaking process. Addicted persons may choose not to stop using Vicodin out of fear of severe withdrawal or simply because they no longer know how to function without Vicodin. At this point the Vicodin addict turns to illicit means to obtain Vicodin. Along with the obvious problems associated with this activity, other problems begin to surface. Poor decision making, deception to family members, inability to work, relationship problems, and prescription fraud.
Prescription fraud is something that occurs with many different types of prescription pill addiction and is a crime that is committed by people who have become addicted to one or more prescription drugs and can no longer get a physician to help their addiction. Sometimes individuals can begin faking or exaggerating symptoms in order to get a new or different physician to believe their lies. Often, these people have never committed any other crime in their lives but find they are driven by the Vicodin addiction to make this plea.
They are motivated to do this by the physical symptoms of their Vicodin addiction, which may remain unrecognized by physicians. They are feeling desperate and can see no way out other than the downward spiral of Vicodin.
Many addicted people will offer to buy Vicodin from persons who are taking Vicodin legitimately. Others steal prescription pads from doctor's offices and use them to write their own prescriptions by forging a doctors signature or telephone pharmacies claiming to be a doctor or a nurse requesting Vicodin for a patient. Those that become desperate may burglarize rob pharmacies or obtain Vicodin illegally on the street. All these are causes for arrest and incarceration and may in fact be the precipitating factor in the Vicodin user seeking treatment.
For most people, properly managed use of Vicodin is safe and rarely causes Vicodin addiction, which is the uncontrollable and compulsive use of Vicodin. Taken as prescribed, Vicodin eases pain effectively. Vicodin is an Opioid, in other words it falls within the class of drugs also referred to as narcotics. Other drugs that fall into this class are morphine, Codeine, Oxycontin, Darvon, Dilaudid, and Demerol. Vicodin works by attaching to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. When Vicodin attaches to certain opioid receptors in the brain, it can effectively block the transmission of pain signals to the brain. In addition to its pain relieving properties, Vicodin can affect regions of the brain that control pleasure, which takes the form of euphoria experienced when Vicodin is taken. Vicodin also causes drowsiness, constipation, and may depress breathing. Large doses of Vicodin may be fatal.
Chronic use of Vicodin can result in tolerance to the drug so that higher doses are needed to stop withdrawal symptoms and feel the same initial effects. Using Vicodin over a long period of time may lead to physical dependence, the body becomes dependent on Vicodin and withdrawal will occur if use is stopped abruptly. Symptoms of withdrawal can include sleeplessness, muscle and bone pain, restlessness, diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, vomiting, and muscle twitches.
Persons addicted to Vicodin generally benefit from detox followed by treatment at a residential treatment facility. People's treatment needs vary greatly and a number of treatment options are available including medical detox, rapid opiate detox, and residential treatment and outpatient treatment. Persons addicted to Vicodin generally cannot quit on their own; otherwise they would have done so before real, threatening problems occur. Those that are in denial of their addiction may benefit from family intervention. The first step to recovery is a telephone call to a reputable treatment facility followed by intake and treatment.
Persons addicted to vicodin generally benefit from detox followed by treatment at a residential treatment facility. People's treatment needs vary greatly and a number of treatment options are available including medical detox, rapid opiate detox, and residential treatment and outpatient treatment. Persons addicted to vicodin generally cannot quit on their own; otherwise they would have done so before real, threatening problems occur. Those that are in denial of their addiction may benefit from family intervention. The first step to recovery is a telephone call to a reputable treatment facility followed by intake and treatment.
