Do you feel you have lost control over your use of hydrocodone? Abusing medications containing hydrocodone can lead to the development of a tolerance, abuse and physical and psychological dependence. Most often, doctors prescribe hydrocodone for pain relief or cough suppression. It’s a generic opiate often combined with other medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin. Some of these product combinations include Vicodin, Lortab, and Lorcet.
As with all opiate medications, the development of a tolerance can be swift and lead many down a path of risky behavior. Once this develops, the normal dose is no longer able to produce the desired effects. This causes many to escalate use and chase the rewarding feelings or pain relief they’ve become accustomed to. Hydrocodone abuse includes any behavior that contradicts the products’ labels that give specific directions on use and warnings. Living under the control of a substance such as hydrocodone can be debilitating, leading to serious health, legal and personal problems.
Warning Signs of Potential Hydrocodone Abuse
The risk of abuse and dependence is real when it comes to opiates which can be highly addictive. It’s also easy and lucrative for some to divert and sell this drug on the black market. A person abusing hydrocodone may exhibit unusually risky behaviors. Common actions among abusers can include doctor-shopping to secure more than one supply, illegal purchase without a prescription and falsification of prescriptions. Abuse can include overuse, tampering with the medication or combining it with other substances to heighten the effects. Hydrocodone is a central nervous system depressant. Therefore, combining it with other medications that have the same effect can be lethal. These can include alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers and other opiates.
In addition, there are a number of signs indicating psychological dependence. For instance, a preoccupation with consuming or obtaining hydrocodone, intense cravings, inability to cut down or stop use, and spending a significant amount of time engaging in use or obtaining the drug.
Hydrocodone Treatment Can Be Safe, Effective and Humane
Opiate medications are typically front-line treatments in the war on pain relief but even therapeutic use can turn into abuse. Our patients in the Waismann Method program did not set out to become addicted and we don’t waste time using shame or guilt to treat the addiction. The Waismann Method of rapid detox is performed in an accredited hospital under the close supervision of doctors and medical specialists. Our humane procedure takes less than two hours. During this time, the medical director uses medicine to cleanse hydrocodone from patients’ opiate receptors. While the patient sleeps, the medications accelerate the withdrawal phase and induce withdrawal. They wake up opiate-free without awareness of withdrawal symptoms that occurred while they were out.
We never use opiate replacements such as Suboxone or methadone in our treatment. The entire hospital stay is 2 to 4 days and patients spend the remaining few days in the comfort of a private suite in our recovery center. This way, we get patients back on their feet in much less time than traditional drug treatment programs.
