What is Vicodin?

            Vicodin is one of the most commonly abused prescription pain medications today. Vicodin is a derivative of opium, which is also used to manufacture heroin. Vicodin successfully diminishes pain, but it is highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms of Vicodin addiction are ironically very similar to the pain it was relieving.  Vicodin becomes the problem rather than the pain it was supposed to relieve.

            In addition to its pain relieving properties, Vicodin can affect regions of the brain that control pleasure. Vicodin may provide a feeling of euphoria. Vicodin also causes drowsiness, constipation, and may depress breathing. Large doses of Vicodin may be fatal.

            One of the two drug chemicals in Vicodin is Acetaminophen. This is taken daily by millions of people in our society. Acetaminophen is an over-the-counter drug known as Tylenol. Prolonged use of Tylenol is extremely detrimental to the body. Tylenol has been noted to cause major liver damage and eventually liver failure. It was documented that a few Vicodin addicts had reach the point of taking up to one hundred pills daily. This sounds astronomical and incomprehensible, but to the addict it is a necessity.

            Prescription drug abuse can begin harmlessly enough. The potential abuser might experience some sort of injury or operation and the doctor prescribed something for the pain. This could lead to the desire for more of the same feeling. This desire could then lead to a cycle of prescription drug abuse. Eventually, death ends the prolonged abuse cycle. To think it all might have started with a broken arm.

How is Vicodin used?

Vicodin is a pain-relieving drug taken orally in a pill form. People who have suffered physical injuries take Vicodin for pain relief. Chronic use of Vicodin can result in the tolerance of the drug; so higher doses are needed to stop withdrawal symptoms and to acquire that same feeling of euphoria.             When the effects of Vicodin no longer ease the pain or anxiety, people combine Vicodin with alcohol. Mixing alcohol and prescription drugs is deadly. Combining Vicodin with alcohol multiplies the effects of both substances. This allows the effects of Vicodin to increase without increasing the dose.             Alcohol and Vicodin are socially accepted and people that 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. Denial sets in when a person believes he or she is in control, when in reality, the drug is controlling their life.

Consequences of Vicodin.

            The number one concern of taking Vicodin is becoming addicted to it. Vicodin addiction happens quickly and is very powerful. The body becomes addicted to Vicodin so quickly that the addict doesn't even realize it is happening. Addicts may choose not to stop using Vicodin out of fear of severe withdrawal or simply because they no longer know how to function without it. The average rate of pill popping for addicts is about ten to fifteen pills a day. At this point the Vicodin addict turns to illicit means of obtaining Vicodin.

            Along with the obvious problems associated with this drug, other problems begin to surface: poor decision making, deception to family members, inability to work, relationship problems, and prescription fraud, among them. Even the more minor Vicodin effects can impact your daily life. In some cases the Vicodin effects show up on the skin of the body of the user. A few of these effects are hives, skin rash, and swelling of the face. Unfortunately most Vicodin effects show up on the inside of the body.

             Vicodin addiction kills. It is that simple. It does this in a few different ways. First, the Acetaminophen in the Vicodin begins to destroy the liver. This causes liver damage and in more extreme cases liver failure. Once the liver has failed death isn’t far behind. Another way Vicodin can kill is through overdose. Overdose occurs when the addict ingests more Vicodin than the body can handle. This causes convulsions and/or a coma. Quite a few cases of overdose end in death or brain damage.

            After months of Vicodin use, the effects will become greater and more damaging. At first the user will endure effects such as constipation, speeding up or slowing down of the heart rate, nausea, and dizziness. Long-term Vicodin effects are blurred vision, hallucinations, and severe confusion. Symptoms of withdrawal can include sleeplessness, muscle and bone pain, restlessness, diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, vomiting, and muscle twitches.

            Researchers say that psychic (mind) addiction occurs first. The pain is relieved by the stimulus of the pill, thus causing a reward system. Physical addiction occurs almost instantly. The body's bloodstream carries Vicodin to the brain where it processes it as an opiate. Some other popular opiates you may know of are heroin, codeine, and opium.

Legal status.

            Vicodin is a legal prescription drug for medicinal use only. However, prescription fraud is one popular way to illegally obtain Vicodin. Altering the number of refills, or stealing and creating fake prescriptions from doctors are ways to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. Some Vicodin addicts will fabricate or exaggerate pain symptoms in order to gain sympathy from doctors and deceive them into prescribing more pills. Often addicts use another trick by seeking Vicodin from many different doctors at the same time to build their supply.  No matter how they acquire it, Vicodin addiction is all about getting more of the drug.