Vicodin Information

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Vicodin is a strong opiate painkiller, the most popular one in America. In 2006, there were 112 million doses of this drug prescribed and by 2011, this number had grown to 131 million. It is considered by many medical professionals that Vicodin is overprescribed, meaning that people don’t really need a painkiller that strong or that they are getting it for a longer time than they need.

Vicodin is made of a combination of hydrocodone, a synthetic opiate, and acetaminophen, a non-steroidal pain reliever. Aside from the euphoric and addictive effects of hydrocodone, there is about half a gram of acetaminophen in each pill, and two to four grams of acetaminophen in a day can start to damage the liver.

Vicodin is highly addictive and the user not only craves the drug but also needs more of it to keep pains at bay. He or she may start out with a milder painkiller but then need to progress to stronger drugs at higher dosages. One woman described her progression through a series of drugs as she dealt with her pain from years of playing the violin. She started with Tylenol with codeine then to Vicodin, to Percocet and finally to OxyContin.

Vicodin Effects

As Vicodin is an opiate, it will have similar side effects to other opiates. These include low blood pressure, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, weakness, faintness and a mellow, relaxed state.

But there can also be more serious effects of taking this drug. Like slowed or, paradoxically, speeded heartbeat. Because the opiate in Vicodin suppresses breathing, the drug can also cause other problems in the same part of the body. For example, a significant decrease in lung function can result, along with collapse of part of the lung. A person may also suffer swelling of the vocal cords or larynx.

A person may also become confused, have blurred or double vision. Opiate users frequently experience constipation and may retain urine. There may be headaches, loss of appetite, vomiting, mood changes and anxiety. If enough of the drug is taken, a false sense of euphoria will result, along with the possibility of addiction.

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Short-term Effects of Vicodin Abuse

When a person takes Vicodin, they are likely to manifest the following effects:

• Drowsiness
• Cloudy thinking
• Lethargy
• Impaired mental sharpness
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Mood changes
• Psychological and physical dependence
• Euphoria followed by a generalized unhappy mood
• Constipation
• Inability to urinate
• Respiratory suppression
• Slow heart rate

A person who takes too much of the drug can suffer from convulsions and seizures and slip into a coma.

Abuse and Addiction are Common and Dangerous Effects

The opiates in Vicodin can very quickly addict a person who has any susceptibility. A course of just two or three weeks can build up a tolerance to the drug, which would then require greater dosages of the drug to be given to give the same pain relief. A person may also go through withdrawal symptoms after just a few weeks on this drug. If Vicodin also seems to provide relief from problems or anxieties, then this person may fall prey to long-term addiction and all the other problems that this brings.

Many people who become addicted to Vicodin may progress to such high dosages that they need multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors, or they may start abusing stronger drugs like oxycodone or even heroin. Seeing the end of this problem means that an effective drug rehab program is needed.

Narconon is the Choice for Thousands

Across the US and around the world, many thousands of people have chosen the Narconon program to help them recover from their addictions. It is an eight to ten-week program, on average, with a unique detoxification phase that helps people recover from the intense opiate cravings that keep them locked in addiction.

The program specifically addresses the problems and weaknesses that got the addiction started, and builds new life skills to replace the ones that were destroyed by addiction.

When you care for someone who can’t get away from their Vicodin addiction, now you have a solution. Contact Narconon today to learn more about this holistic program that can mean the end of addiction.

The Acetaminophen Problem

A person who abuses Vicodin is, of course, at risk of an opiate overdose. Opiates slow breathing to the point of suffocation. This is how overdose deaths most commonly occur. But besides this, there is another problem with abusing Vicodin and that is the presence of acetaminophen. This is the mild painkiller that is sold as Tylenol™.

Too much acetaminophen too quickly can result in liver damage. Over the eight-year period between 1990 and 1998, there were 56,000 emergency room visits associated with liver damage from acetaminophen use. More than 450 of these people died.

A person who becomes addicted to Vicodin puts his health and life at risk both due to opiate addiction and the possibility of overdose and the constant oversupply of acetaminophen that he (or she) is ingesting.

Vicodin Addiction and Withdrawal

When a person continues to take or abuse this drug, a whole new set of effects comes into play. The most major of these effects is addiction. Addiction routinely sets many other changes into motion. For example, an honest and loving person who becomes addicted may turn into someone the family doesn’t know anymore. He (or she) may be untrustworthy for the first time in his life. He may neglect the family, the job and friends. He may commit crimes by seeing multiple doctors to get enough of the drug or he may buy the drug from drug dealers or even steal it from friends or a pharmacy. In so many heartbreaking cases, the person’s life becomes all about getting enough of the drug to keep withdrawal symptoms away.

Once a person goes through withdrawal, he may have a horror of ever going through it again. It can be an intensely uncomfortable experience with muscle and bone pain, anxiety, aches, cramps, restlessness, chills, vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.

A dread of withdrawal should not stop someone from taking advantage of the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. The Narconon method of helping a person through withdrawal uses calming nutritional supplements like B Complex, Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and other support to help calm the body’s cramps, aches and anxiety. Further help comes in the form of relaxing assists that help each person focus on the present, alleviating the negative emotional reactions that can occur during this time. This could be the most positive withdrawal experience a person ever has.

Soon after withdrawal, each person has a chance to flush out the residues of his Vicodin abuse. The step of the recovery program that helps with this physical aspect of addiction recovery is the Narconon New Life Detoxification.

This is an effective method of eliminating much of the physical effect of the drug that remains locked in the fatty tissues of the body. The program combines sauna time with moderate exercise and a strict regimen of nutritional supplements. This combination enables the body to flush out old toxins. Once they are gone, foggy, slow thinking is relieved. And, by the reports of many people completing this step, cravings are either greatly reduced or may leave entirely.

With an improved ability to think and cravings reduced or even eliminated, each person has a much better ability to learn sober living skills. These skills are thoroughly taught in the later part of the Narconon program.