Hydrocodone Addiction Help | Signs of Hydrocodone Abuse

To ease chronic pain, Dr. Gregory House popped the drug Vicodin like candy. His use of Vicodin—and his compulsion to acquire it—led him to impulsive, even dangerous behavior. Although House was a fictional character on the television show House, M.D., the harmful effects of his Vicodin use are very real. That’s because Vicodin contains hydrocodone, […]

Usually prescribed to treat severe pain or coughs, hydrocodone is often combined with other drugs. This is the case with Vicodin, a brand name for hydrocodone combined with acetaminophen. These two ingredients also form drugs sold under the names Lortab and Norco. Hydrocodone is an analgesic, which means that it is a drug that blocks pain. Hydrocodone blocks pain because it is also an opioid, a drug that changes the way the brain and nervous system function. Addicts can become quickly overtaken by the drug’s powerful ability to relieve pain.

Because of these brain changes, using too much hydrocodone can prompt the brain to want more, which creates hydrocodone abuse. This abuse is common in real life, not only with fictional characters like Dr. House. Still, hydrocodone addiction treatment in California can treat this abuse and other conditions.

Symptoms of Hydrocodone Addiction

Using (and misusing) hydrocodone can lead to harmful side effects:

nausea
constipation
hearing loss
breathing problems
liver damage

The above symptoms are not just symptoms of hydrocodone use, but signs of hydrocodone addiction. Other signs of hydrocodone addiction include the craving for hydrocodone, as well as increased tolerance.

Hydrocodone abuse prompts abusers to want more hydrocodone, so they use more. But with heavy use, tolerance increases. Addicts use even more hydrocodone, which introduces more hydrocodone to their systems. This increases the amount of hydrocodone in their bodies, which increases the risk of dangerous side effects.

Dangerous symptoms of hydrocodone addiction occur during hydrocodone overdose:

blackout
coma
severe respiratory problems
vomiting
clammy skin and itchiness
tiny eye pupils

People should not let anyone with these symptoms fall asleep. Rather, they should get immediate medical help. An overdose of hydrocodone can kill.

Detox of Hydrocodone and Withdrawal of Hydrocodone

Since hydrocodone can produce such dangerous short-term and long-term effects, detox is important. Detox is a process that removes toxic materials—like hydrocodone—from a person’s body.

Hydrocodone addiction treatment in California can help with a detox of hydrocodone. Medical professionals at treatment centers such as Monarch Shores help monitor this process. Detox typically involves gradually weaning addicts from hydrocodone. Patients use smaller and smaller doses of hydrocodone to allow the body to become accustomed to smaller doses, but those small doses still give them the hydrocodone the body and brains craves.

This tapering off process helps ease symptoms that stem from hydrocodone withdrawal. If patients still experience withdrawal symptoms, hydrocodone addiction treatment in California can administer medications to help with symptoms.

Other Treatment for Hydrocodone Addiction in California

The pain of hydrocodone addiction in California is not just physical, but also mental. Hydrocodone addiction can cause depression or anxiety, or that anxiety and depression prompted addicts to use hydrocodone in the first place. In fact, hydrocodone addicts sometimes have a condition called dual diagnosis. A dual diagnosis occurs when doctors and therapists diagnose someone with a substance abuse problem and a mental illness.

Types of mental illnesses typically diagnosed during rehab include:

anxiety
depression
bipolar disorder
schizophrenia
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Dual diagnosis treatment can be tricky because both conditions feed off of each other. Depressed people might turn to hydrocodone or other substances to try to cope with depression, but using hydrocodone might make them even more depressed, which could lead them to use even more. Hydrocodone addiction treatment in California treats conditions such as dual diagnosis.

Monarch Shores, uses different treatment components to treat dual diagnosis:

education about dual diagnosis
group meetings with families and staff members
individual and group therapy options
holistic therapies (acupuncture, nutritional counseling)
management of different medications
follow-up care after rehab

The final component, follow-up care after rehab, is especially important to maintain sobriety and prevent relapse. This care ensures that addicts receive help for both hydrocodone addiction in California and mental illnesses. If addicts receive treatment for only one of those conditions, the untreated condition could threaten recovery in other areas.

Monarch Shores can provide such dual diagnosis treatment and treat other aspects of hydrocodone addiction in California.

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Medical disclaimer:

Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance use disorder, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.

Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals.