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What Is Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone is a prescribed drug that is related to codeine and it is not only potent, but it is very addictive. It is used mainly as a pain reliever. If a person becomes addicted to Hydrocodone there is help out there and many times if a person has a severe addiction they will have to do through the difficult detoxification process in order to get the drug out of the system.
There are several types of Hydrocodone detox options for people to take when they want to tackle the first step in kicking their Hydrocodone addiction.
Facts About Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone is in a class of narcotic that are referred to as narcotic analgesics. Physicians prescribe the drug in order to relieve pain and mainly severe pain. It relieves pain by decreasing inflammation in the body. Hydrocodone is often used with Ibuprofen to treat pain. The narcotic works, as it binds to pain receptors in the body and literally hundreds of narcotics contain Hydrocodone. The drug comes in capsule, tablet, and syrup form.
Hydrocodone is an opiate and with any type of opiate narcotics it is easy to become addicted to it. Hydrocodone is around 6x as strong as codeine and it compares to morphine when it comes to how potent it is. Just like with many types of narcotics Hydrocodone can cause vomiting, constipation, and dizziness and it is common that overdoses occur when a person takes too much or the drug. If a person takes Hydrocodone and needs to increase the general dosage and has to take more of the drug they are addicted. The more a person takes Hydrocodone, the more their tolerance will be for the drug and they will have to take more in order to feel the effects.
The DEA has reported that Hydrocodone may be the narcotic that is abused the most in the United States. The abuse of Hydrocodone is most common when people take the drug orally rather taking it intravenously. The drug gives a person a high much like heroin and many people take it for its calming effects. Even though Hydrocodone is federally regulated, it has fewer restrictions, which is why addiction is such a big problem. Hydrocodone is easily accessible and it can be found on the street. Since Hydrocodone is so readily available, addiction to the drug is increasing.
Hydrocodone Detox Problems
Considering that Hydrocodone bonds with receptors in the brain, the continuation of the use of the drug can lead to changes in the structure of the brain. This can make Hydrocodone very hard for people. Brain chemistry is different in every person and this makes it very hard to which side effects can be correlated to the drug. Because of this people that are abusing Hydrocodone and mix it with other drugs have an increased risk of medical complications. Another problem that arises with the Hydrocodone detox process is that people who first take the drug, as prescribed, do so because of pain relief and that pain still needs to be managed. Since Hydrocodone is flushed out of the system in the detox process, that process can become very difficult. However, this is not for every person, as many take Hydrocodone not for pain relief, but to feel the effects of the high.
As stated before there are several types of Hydrocodone detox options for people to take; there are outpatient treatments and ones where a person can do it alone trying to get off the drug cold turkey. However, the best way to get off Hydrocodone may be to go through the detox process at an in-patient treatment center and there are a couple reasons for this. One, an in-patient treatment center will have a medical staff on site that can help people go through the detox process and help with the withdrawals from the drug. Second, if a person is at an in-patient drug treatment center they are residing there, so it is much more difficult for them to leave to get their hands on Hydrocodone. It has also been shown that in-patient treatment centers have a higher rate of success than outpatient programs and this goes for all types of narcotics not just Hydrocodone.
Any time a person is serious about dealing with their Hydrocodone addiction they should speak to a professional drug addiction counselor.
Not every drug addiction is the same and this goes the same for Hydrocodone addiction so talking to a counselor can help a person choose the right type of drug treatment.
