Hydrocodone Abuse and Addiction
March 25, 2010 by Summit Malibu
Filed under Prescription Drug Addiction and Abuse
Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from two naturally occurring opiates, codeine and thebaine. It is an oral narcotic pain reliever and cough suppressant, commonly available in tablet, capsule, and syrup form. It is often compounded with other analgesics like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Hydrocodone is one of the most addictive pharmaceutical drugs in common use today.
Hydrocodone and related compounds are marketed under a variety of names including Vicodin, Hydrococet, Symtan, Anexsia, Dicodid, Hycodan (or generically Hydromet), Hycomine, Hycet, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Novahistex, Hydrovo, Duodin, Kolikodol, Orthoxycol, Mercodinone, Synkonin, Norgan, and Hydrokon.
Hydrocodone is most commonly used as an intermediate analgesic and strong cough suppressant, especially in those for whom excessive itching from codeine is a problem.
Mixing Hydrocodone with alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, benzodiazapines, barbiturates, or other medications can have severe adverse reactions including heart failure, heart attack, respiratory distress, pulmonary failure, liver or kidney failure, jaundice, amnesia, seizures, blackouts, and coma.
Common side effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, sweating, drowsiness, constipation, vomiting, and euphoria. Vomiting in some patients is so severe that hospitalization is required. Some less common side effects are allergic reaction, blood disorders, changes in mood, itching, racing heartbeat, mental fogginess, anxiety, lethargy, difficulty urinating, irregular or depressed respiration, and rash.
Hydrocodone has been shown to cause long term hearing loss over extended periods of use.
Due to its opiate-related side effects such as euphoria, sedation and somnolence, Hydrocodone is now one of the most common recreational prescription drugs in America. Recreational Hydrocodone use is particularly prevalent among teenagers and young adults because of the drug’s widespread availability.
Like other opioids, long-term use of Hydrocodone may cause physical dependency leading to a severe withdrawal syndrome when the dose is lowered or discontinued.
The presence of acetaminophen in Hydrocodone-containing products should, in theory, deters users from taking excessive amounts. Many drug abusers ignore this danger, or try to get around the problem by using cold water extraction to remove most of this water-soluble element of the drug.
It is common for Hydrocodone abusers to have liver problems from consuming excessive amounts of the acetaminophen that is mixed with the drug.
If a regular hydrocodone user stops taking hydrocodone, he or she will experience withdrawal symptoms within six to twelve hours. Withdrawal effects include severe pain, pins and needles sensation throughout body, sweating, extreme anxiety and restlessness, sneezing, watery eyes, fever, depression, and extreme drug cravings.
Withdrawal from Hydrocodone is usually not life-threatening, but medically supervised detoxification (detox) is recommended.
The intensity of withdrawal symptoms from Hydrocodone depend on the degree of the addiction. Symptoms may grow stronger for twenty-four to seventy-two hours and then gradually decline over a period of seven to fourteen days. The duration of withdrawal symptoms from Hydrocodone varies greatly from person to person.
Symptoms of Hydrocodone withdrawal can be successfully managed with medically supervised detox. Hydrocodone detox normally takes about seven days and is usually followed by psychosocial treatment in a residential treatment center to address issues of psychological dependence and social readjustment.
