Vicodin is a commonly used drug in America. Vicodin consists of acetaminophen and painkiller hydrocodone in different amounts. Hydrocodone is very strong and effective as a painkiller but it is addictive in nature. Acetaminophen is milder and does not cause addiction. Thus, the amount of hydrocodone is restricted to 5 mg combined with 325 mg of acetaminophen. The concentration of hydrocodone can be increased to 10 mg for 660 mg of acetaminophen.
Vicodin abuse can have severe effects on the body. Acetaminophen abuse is harmful to liver while hydrocodone is addictive in nature. Thus, both the components can be harmful if taken in more than prescribed amount. Overall, vicodin abuse not only increases the risk of liver failure but also causes addiction to opiates.
Signs and Symptoms of Vicodin Abuse
It is important to be aware of the signs of vicodin abuse to prevent any severe damage to body. Signs and symptoms resulting from Vicodin abuse are same as resulting from any other opiates or opioids. Opioids are the synthetic opiates. Vicodin abuse leads to following signs and symptoms:
- Constipation
- Decrease in the rate of heartbeats
- Nausea
- Ringing in the Ears
- Convulsions
- Constricted pupils
- Vomiting
- Fear
- Lightheadedness
- Headache
- Blurred Vision
- Confusion
- Seizures.
The overdose of Vicodin can lead to slowing of heartbeat. In extreme cases, it can slow down the heart rate to a point that is life threatening.
Addiction to vicodin can occur accidently as the person develops tolerance for the drug gradually. Initially, people usually start with the recommended dose of vicodin but with the continuous usage of the drug, it loses its effectiveness. This makes a person go for higher dosage of vicodin to get rid of the pain and eventually they start to take higher than the prescribed dosage of vicodin.
In other cases, people start taking vicodin overdose right from the start. The drug can be taken in various ways such as through injections, snorting etc…
Irrespective of the manner you expose yourself to the overdose of Vicodin; the effect on the body is similar in both the cases. A person addicted to vicodin finds it impossible to imagine life without vicodin and start to neglect his family, business, work and everything else that matters.
As people cannot live without a regular high dosage of vicodin, they can end up with empty pockets pretty soon. This forces them to look for criminal ways to get enough money to be able to buy more drugs. Most of them are known to be involved in pharmacy theft. Some start to cut off the basic needs of the family and home to fulfill the requirement of money to buy vicodin. These sudden changes in the life of an individual are not easy for the family to accept or understand.
Treatment of Vicodin Addiction
There are more than one ways to treat a person addicted to vicodin. The available treatment options for vicodin addiction depend on your decision to opt between an outpatient or inpatient rehab program. In case of the patients with severe vicodin addiction, outpatient rehab option is not effective. A person needs to enter into the inpatient rehab program to avail best treatment options for vicodin addiction. Outpatient Therapy works best in case of patients who are not severely addicted and have necessary support of family and friends.
There are licensed medical personnel to help a person go through basic detox and withdrawal procedures of vicodin addiction at the rehab center or at home. It is up to an individual to choose between the options of home or rehab center to receive treatment for vicodin addiction. The aim is to pull the person out of addiction without causing too much pain or discomfort.
After choosing the most suitable treatment option for vicodin addiction, you need to set up a time period for which you plan to continue the treatment. Usually, the longer you stay with the treatment better are the outcomes of the treatment. All the best programs for treating patients with vicodin addiction go through a standard set of procedure as follows:
- Detailed assessment of the mental and medical condition of the person.
- Detoxification of body for the overdose of vicodin.
- Individual and group therapies at home with or without the help of support group.
The treatment options are followed by an aftercare program to make sure that the person does not return to vicodin addiction. This usually requires a person to take part in the activities of a support group. If a person has any financial or medical issues, aftercare program helps to sort them out.
