Hydrocodone Addiction
What is Hydrocodone?
Addiction in the United States has been on a rampant increase for the past two decades, spiraling into a full-blown public health epidemic. The main driver behind this growth, for years, has ironically been from our own medical industry. Prescription drug abuse has caused addiction rates to skyrockets, and one of the substances that is most to blame is hydrocodone, which is regularly prescribed as a painkiller (for which it is highly effective).
Powerful Gateway Drugs
One of the primary reasons that prescription drugs have had such a major impact on addiction rates, across the spectrum, is because they have served as a popular gateway drug. While abusing drugs like hydrocodone is dangerous, it becomes even more so when you consider the fact that these prescriptions run out. When this happens, or if a doctor tries to keep a patient from a substance they are abusing, it is all too common that they turn to harder street drugs, such as heroin, which is cheaper and offers a more intense high than hydrocodone.
Popular Hydrocodone Brand Names
Here are just a few of the popular brand names that you can find hydrocodone under…
- Vicodin
- Lortab
- Norco
Short-Term Effects of Hydrocodone Addiction
Hydrocodone is a drug that tells the pain receptors in your brain to essentially stop feeling that pain. It accomplishes this by releasing a wave of a brain chemical that is responsible for pleasurable feelings called dopamine. Despite the inability to feel pain, hydrocodone can still make the user feel nauseous, vomit, have diarrhea, or cause heart problems, especially if they are taking a higher dose than prescribed or using it with alcohol.
Long-Term Effects of Hydrocodone Addiction
Hydrocodone, over the long-term, has a similar effect on the brain as heroin, despite being less severe. Essentially, if you chronically abuse hydrocodone to get your brain to release dopamine, then your brain becomes dependent on hydrocodone or other opioids to continue to produce dopamine. This means that you are liable to experience extreme depression if you go a significant period of time without using hydrocodone. This is why these drugs are so hard to quit, and why they negatively impact people for such a long time, without them seeking help.
Call Today for Help!
If you or someone you know struggles from dependency to hydrocodone, don’t hesitate to give the caring team at Renaissance Ranch a call. We help countless people in the western United States take back their lives from the hold of addiction.