Painkillers That Kill
Author: David Mark

The prescription was almost out and Jim knew he wouldn't be
able to get another fill from his doctor. He didn't think he was
addicted, but he wanted the euphoria to continue. There must be
another way to get his prescription refilled...just one more
time.

Hydrocodone Addiction

Hydrocodone is a synthetically derived opioid providing the
user with pain and cough relief. It has been recorded that out
of the 40% of Americans prescribed some form of hydrocodone,
addiction occurred, usually taking hold around four weeks after
the beginning of usage. There are over 200 products in America
that have hydrocodone in some form or another, making the
addiction very hard to identify and combat.

There are usually two types of hydrocodone addicts. There are
those people that after being prescribed hydrocodone ultimately
become addicted and there are those that use hydrocodone like an
illicit drug, knowingly taking hydrocodone for it's euphoria
producing effects. The latter group is as much affected by it's
disposition to addiction in general as their desire to play out
this inclination using hydrocodone. This means that hydrocodone
is merely the vehicle the addict chooses to play out the
addiction with. It could easily be cocaine or heroin.

Those people who fall into hydrocodone addiction through
prescriptions essentially create tolerance and dependence
without knowing it. This is why hydrocodone addiction is so
insidious and hidden. Many Americans are surprised by their
dependence on their prescription drugs and by the tough
withdrawal symptoms that go hand in hand with stopping usage.

Withdrawing from Hydrocodone

Appearance of withdrawal symptoms from Hydrocodone can occur
from a few hours to a full day after the last dose. These
withdrawal symptoms tend to mimic other opioids like Percocet
and Oxycodone. Addicts who stop using hydrocodone infused drugs
experience excessive sweating and yawning, running nose and
eyes, bouts of diarrhea and vomiting, shivering and goose bumps,
muscle aches and cramps, restlessness and insomnia, irritability
and anxiety, loss of appetite, and severe cravings for
hydrocodone many days and weeks after the rest of the withdrawal
is finished.

Tolerance Growth and Celebrity Influence—Two Draws to Addiction


Recently a lot of fuss has been made about the death Heath
Ledger from a combination of six different prescription drugs,
one of them being Hydrocodone. Of course the combination of
oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and
doxylamine was sure to inflict the deadly "punch," but enough of
any prescription drug can inflict the necessary level to be
deadly. Here in lies the problem with hydrocodone based
drugs—tolerance and social influence. The more one takes
Hydrocodone and any drug for that matter, they build up a
certain level of tolerance. This tolerance means they need more
and more of the substance to feel an effect. Sooner or later
this will lead the user to take too much and he or she will over
dose. Coupled with the tolerance factor is the "cool factor"
brought on by hydrocodone's celebrity profile. Heath Ledger was
not the only celebrity to link their name to hydrocodone (of
course he did so through dying), Brett Favre, Mathew Perry, and
Niki Taylor are just some of the celebrities to have been
connected to hydrocodone usage and abuse. Vicodin, a hydrocodone
based pain killer has even found itself tattooed on the arm
Eminem.

Being Aware

The most important thing to be with any prescription painkiller
is be aware that addiction is a possibility. This requires the
user to be extra cautious and display self control when taking
hydocodone. Of course one's doctor should always be kept aware
of any possible problems when taking hydrocodone.


About The Author: David Mark writes for numerous websites that
focus on spreading useful information to humanity. To learn more
about Hydrocodone Addiction look he:
http://www.myaddiction.com/hydrocodone_addiction.html