Vicodin (hydrocodone + acetaminophen)
Classification:
An analgesic (pain medication) that is a combination of the synthetic opiate hydrocodone and acetaminophen, commonly known by the brand name Tylenol.
Form: Tablets of various dosages
- Vicodin: 500mg acetaminophen / 5mg hydrocodone
- Vicodin ES: 750mg acetaminophen / 7.5mg hydrocodone
- Vicodin HP: 10mg hydrocodone / 660mg acetaminophen
Also known as: Other brand names of the hydrocodone and acetaminophen combination include:
- Lorcet
- Lortab
- Dolacet
- Anexsia
- Zydone
- Norco
Dosages: Dosages vary depending on the combination and the amount of hydrocodone and acetaminophen in each tablet. Typical dosing for Vicodin 5/500 is 1 to 2 tablets every 6 hours as needed.
Important Warning! - Vicodin and other similar pain medications in this class are intended for short term use only. Extended use can lead to physical and emotional dependence as well as physical tolerance.
The Dangers of Vicodin
Precautions: People using Vicodin should take the following precautions:
- use should be avoided in people allergic to codeine or hydrocodone
- be aware of acetaminophen contained in over the counter products. Excessive acetaminophen can lead to liver damage of failure
- avoid alcohol when using hydrocodone containing medications
- don't operate motor vehicles or machinery when taking vicodin
Drug Interactions: Caution should be used when taking MAO inhibitors or trycyclic antidepressants
Side Effects: Several side effects can occur including:
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- lightheadedness
- nausea / vomiting
- itching
- constipation
- respiratory depression
Warning:
Vicodin and other hydrocodone containing medications are intended for short term use only. Prolonged use or taking dosages greater than prescribed can lead to physical tolerance or physical and emotional dependence. Withdrawl symptoms can occur if Vicodin is discontinued after prolonged use.
Vicodin ® Side Effects
Vicodin ® has many side effects. Early comparisons concluded that Vicodin ® and morphine were equivalent for pain control. However, it is now considered that a dose of 15 mg (1/4 gr) of Vicodin ® is equivalent to 10 mg (1/6 gr) of morphine. Vicodin ® is considered to be morphine-like in all respects.
Vicodin ® side effects include but are not limited to:
addiction
allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives)
anxiety
blood in stool or vomit
bruising
cold, clammy skin
constipation
decreased appetite
decreased mental and physical performance
decreased sex drive
difficulty breathing
difficulty urinating
dizziness
drowsiness
dry throat
diarrhea
difficulty swallowing or breathing
dry mouth
emotional dependence
exaggerated feeling of depression
extreme calm (sedation)
exaggerated sense of well-being or fear
gas
headache
hoarseness
indigestion
itching
lightheadedness
mental clouding
mood changes
nausea
muscle twitches
rash
restlessness
ringing in the ears
sedation
seizures
severe weakness or dizziness
shortness of breath
slow, weak breathing
sluggishness
tightness in chest
stomach cramps
stomach pain
sweating
swelling of hands, face, lips, eyes, throat, tongue, or ankles
tiredness
unconsciousness
unusual fatigue
vomiting
yellowing of the skin or eyes
Vicodin ® Withdrawls
Vicodin ® is an effective antitussive (anti-cough) agent, and as an opiate it is also an effective analgesic for mild to moderate pain control. Vicodin ® abuse is an increasing trend in non-chronic pain suffering persons. The abuser of these drugs has been shown not to be the inner city youth, but instead a famous actor, a suburban real estate agent, or your next door neighbor. First time abuse of these drugs has been surging, most commonly with the oxycodone and Vicodin ® type painkillers. The two differ slightly in their chemical makeup but have a similar effect on the body.
If a regular Vicodin ® user stops taking Vicodin ®, he or she will experience withdrawal symptoms within six to twelve hours but the symptoms are usually not life-threatening. The intensity of withdrawal symptoms from Vicodin ® depend on the degree of the addiction. For example, the symptoms withdrawal from Vicodin ® 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 Vicodin ® varies greatly from person to person.
Vicodin ® withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:
intense cravings for the drug
irritability
nausea or vomiting
muscle aches
runny nose or eyes
dilated pupils
sweating
diarrhea
yawning
fevers
chills
inability to sleep
depression
Vicodin addiction rapid detox for opiate addiction
Vicodin® is a narcotic that can produce a calm, euphoric state similar to heroin or morphine--and despite such important and obvious benefits in pain relief, evidence is pointing to chronic addiction. Pure hydrocodone, the narcotic in Vicodin, is a Schedule II substance, closely controlled with restricted use. But very few prescription drugs are pure hydrocodone. Instead, small amounts of are mixed with other non-narcotic ingredients to create medicines like Vicodin and Lortab. This means they can be classified under Schedule III with fewer restrictions on their use and distribution.
Vicodin--one of more than 200 other products that contain hydrocodone--is regulated by state and federal law, but it is not controlled as closely as other powerful painkillers. The lack of regulation makes them vulnerable to widespread abuse and addiction through forged prescriptions, theft, over-prescription, and "doctor shopping." Vicodin pills have been sold for $2 to $10 per tablet and $20 to $40 per 8 oz bottle on the street.
Subject to individual tolerance, many medical experts believe dependence or addiction can occur within one to four weeks at higher doses of Vicodin. Published reports of high profile movie stars, TV personalities and professional athletes who are recovering from Vicodin addiction are grim testimony to its debilitating effects.
Vicodin is structurally related to Codeine and is approximately equal in strength to morphine in producing opiate-like effects. The first report that Vicodin produced a noticeable euphoria and symptoms of addiction was published in 1923; the first report of Vicodin addiction in the U.S. was published in 1961.
Every age group has been affected by the relative ease of Vicodin availability and the perceived safety of these products by professionals. Sometimes seen as a "white-collar" addiction, Vicodin abuse has increased among all ethnic and economic groups. DAWN data demographics suggest that the most likely Vicodin abuser is a 20-40 yr old, white, female, who uses the drug because she is dependent or trying to commit suicide. However, Vicodin-related deaths have been reported from every age grouping.
Vicodin - National Treatment Referral
Vicodin is one of the most commonly abused prescription pain medications today. One of the most widely prescribed medications, vicodin and its related medications, loricet, loritab percodan, and oxycontin are opioid-based pain medications. vicodin is a derivative of opium, which also used to manufacture heroin. vicodin successfully diminishes pain, but it is highly addictive and withdrawal symptoms of vicodin addiction are very similar to the pain it was relieving.
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.
Many people addicted to vicodin find that after a while, they have difficulty in getting a physician to prescribe vicodin. When physicians become concerned that their patients are becoming addicted to vicodin, they tend to stop the supply or detox the patient gradually. At this point many people who are addicted turn to other means to obtain vicodin. 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 a crime that is committed by people who have become addicted to vicodin and then have their supply cut off without being referred to treatment. The vicodin addict rationalizes this behavior, which includes fabricating or exaggerating pain symptoms in order to illicit sympathy, seeking vicodin from many doctors at the same time, and using fraudulent prescriptions, often created by altering the quantity of number of refills.
Vicodin Addiction Information
Vicodin Addiction
Vicodin is an opioid, commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic, or pain relieving properties. Many studies have shown that properly managed medical use of pain killer compounds is safe and rarely causes addiction. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain effectively.
Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins called opioids receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. When these compounds attach to certain opioids receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can effectively change the way a person experiences pain. In addition, opioids, such as vicodin, can affect regions of the brain that mediate what we perceive as pleasure, resulting in the initial euphoria that many opioids produce.
Chronic use of vicodin can result in tolerance to the medications so that higher doses must be taken to obtain the same initial effects. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence—the body adapts to the presence of the substance and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Individuals taking prescribed opioids medications should not only be given these medications under appropriate medical supervision, but also should be medically supervised when stopping use in order to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and involuntary leg movements.
Individuals who become addicted to vicodin can be treated. Options for effectively treating vicodin addiction are drawn from research on treating heroin addiction.
Prolonged use of these drugs eventually changes the brain in fundamental and long-lasting ways, explaining why people cannot just quit on their own, and why treatment is essential. In effect, drugs of abuse take over the brain's normal pleasure and motivational systems, moving drug use to the highest priority in the individual's motivational hierarchy, thereby overriding all other motivations and drives. These brain changes, then, are responsible for the compulsion to seek and use drugs that we have come to define as addiction. This is likely the state people are in when they are reportedly "doctor shopping," feigning illnesses, and stealing from pharmacies to obtain the drug.
Fortunately, we have a number of effective options to treat vicodin addiction and to help manage the sometime severe withdrawal syndrome that accompanies sudden cessation of drug use. These options are drawn from experience and clinical research regarding the treatment of heroin addiction. They include medications, such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral counseling approaches.
Typically, the patient is medically detoxified before any treatment approach is begun. Although detoxification in itself is not a treatment for vicodin addiction, it can help relieve withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being drug free. Once the patient completes detoxification, the treatment provider must then work with the patient to determine which course of treatment would best suit the needs of the patient.
vicodin (Hydrocodone)
Vicodin is one of the most commonly abused prescription pain medications today. One of the most widely prescribed medications, Vicodin and its related medications, loricet, loritab percodan, and oxycontin are opioid-based pain medications. Vicodin is a derivative of opium, which is also used to manufacture heroin. Individuals with a Vicodin addiction become deeply depressed, and their thinking, attention, and judgement become impaired. Their thoughts dwell on the next high, although they tell themselves they are still taking Vicodin for pain or to avoid the withdrawal symptoms. Individuals with a Vicodin addiction often truly feel physical pain, but it is psychologically produced.
Individuals with a Vicodin addiction crave more Vicodin and tolerate greater amounts of the drug to achieve their high. Vicodin addictes go to great lengths, even breaking the law to get Vicodin. They continue abusing Vicodin even though they suffer negative physical and social consequences. Individuals with a Vidocin addiction are often aware of thier addiction, but may be too embarrassed or stubborn to admit it.
If a regular Vicodin user stops taking Vicodin, he or she will experience Vicodin Withdrawal within six to twelve hours but the symptoms are usually not life-threatening. The intensity of Vicodin Withdrawal depends on the degree of the Vicodin addiction. For example, the symptoms of withdrawal from Vicodin may grow stronger for twenty-four to seventy-two hours and then gradually decline over a period of seven to fourteen days.
