Hydrocodone is a powerful opiate pain reliever and cough suppressant that is usually combined with other non-opioid compounds. These combinations are sold under brand names such as Vicodin, Lortab, and Lorcet. Because hydrocodone addiction is both physical and psychological, treatment options should be addressed immediately.   

If you or someone you love is addicted to hydrocodone Recoverycorps.org can help. Contact one of the hydrocodone treatment centers listed on our site.

What is Hydrocodone?
Hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic opioid structurally related to codeine and producing opiate effects and “liking” scores similar to morphine. Hydrocodone is derived from codeine—the most widely used medical narcotic in the world. It is prescribed primarily for moderate to severe pain and is available in tablets, capsules and liquids.

The first report on hydrocodone and its euphoric effects was published in 1923. It was approved for sale and use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1943. Hydrocodone is classified as a Schedule II drug.

Today, several hundred brand name and generic products with hydrocodone are marketed. Hydrocodone combination products were prescribed 136 million times in 2008 (compared with 88 million times in 2000) making it the most prescribed opiate pain reliever in the United States. Vicodin and Lortab—hydrocodone and acetaminophen combined products—are the most prescribed.

Hydrocodone addiction occurs both physically and psychologically in drug abusers.

How Does It Work?
Hydrocodone’s opioids attach to receptors in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract to change the way you experience pain. It changes the way the brain communicates the feelings of pain. And it reacts with the pleasure center of the brain producing a feeling of euphoria.

Why Is It Abused?
These drugs are easy to get. With 136 million prescriptions in 2008 alone, it’s no wonder hydrocodone drugs are abused. Combine that with the illegal ways (see below) the drugs are obtained and you have a recipe for wide-spread abuse.

These drugs are not socially perceived bad drugs. Most addicts don’t buy their drug of choice from a dealer on a street corner. Because they’re legal and prescribed by doctors, hydrocodone products are easier to justify to their abusers.     

With so many prescriptions in circulation, it’s easy to see how addiction can take hold. If you believe you are addicted, you should contact a hydrocodone treatment center as soon as possible.

Getting the Hydrocodone
The most common ways to get the drug for non-medical use are:

  • Theft
  • Doctor shopping
  • Fraudulent prescriptions
  • Illegal internet pharmacies
  • Bogus “call-in” prescriptions

Side Effects

  • Nausea
  • Drowsiness
  • Dizziness
  • Vomiting
  • Constipation
  • Lightheadedness
  • Anxiety
  • Rash
  • Itching

Sobering Statistics

  • Unintentional deaths involving prescription opioids increased 114 percent from 2001 to 2005.
  • There were 42,491 hydrocodone combination emergency room visits in 2004.
  • Hydrocodone was the most encountered opioid (37,804 items) in drug evidence submitted to state and local forensic laboratories as reported by the National Forensic Laboratory Information System.
  • Fifty-six percent of nonmedical prescription drug users received them from a friend or relative.
  • In 2007, hydrocodone was mentioned in 24,558 cases, 11,001 single exposures and 23 deaths according to The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).
  • In 2008, 22,838 people aged 12 and older used hydrocodone for non-medical purposed according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

These are real people with real addictions. Get help in a hydrocodone treatment program before you become a statistic.

Hydrocodone Rehabilitation and Therapy
The two most effective hydrocodone therapies are pharmacological and behavioral. Because hydrocodone addicts will respond to different treatments in different ways, sometimes it takes experimenting with different methods to find one that is most effective.

Pharmacological hydrocodone rehab is based on the research performed with heroin addicts because the drugs have similar effects on the users. The three most popular treatment drugs are naltrexone, methadone and buprenorphine. According the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), buprenorphine “can be prescribed by certified physicians in an office setting, is long lasting, less likely to cause respiratory depression than other drugs, and is well tolerated.”

Methadone is a synthetic opioid that blocks the effects of opioids, “eliminates withdrawal symptoms, and relieves drug craving,” according to the NIDA.

Naltrexone blocks the effects of opioids. It’s used for “rapid detoxification” in patients to minimize the normal withdrawal symptoms (muscle and bone pain, insomnia, vomiting, panic, chills, sweating, loss of appetite, etc.).

Behavioral treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy, teach the user how to avoid situations that could lead to drug use and how to cope with life’s pressures without the use of drugs.

Contingency management is another hydrocodone therapy method that has shown results. This is a reward system where a patient earns financial incentives for having negative urine samples.  

Quitting your hydrocodone addiction can be difficult to do on your own. You should start with a call to one of the treatment centers listed on Recoverycorps.org’s site. For help on selecting a treatment center, click here.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000014
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/doa-p.pdf
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/hydrocodone/hydrocodone.htm

http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Prescription/prescription7.html%23Opioids