Vicodin - a ruinous habit-forming synthetic opioid drug or a highly effective pain reliever?
People can enjoy life as it is, follow our usual ways, develop our creativity and skills endlessly with only one condition - we are not in pain! Consider it closely! Can you cook delicious foods when your have a toothache? Can you party hearty with your ankle sprained? Can you fulfill any routine task with delight when your mind is clouded with pain? The answer is obvious - no, you cannot! Pain is the nightmare we all have to bear from time to time. We are afraid of pain and try to avoid it but we rarely think that pain is the best friend we have, too. Astonished to hear that? Well, don’t be, because pain is what makes all living beings fight for life and take good care of their health!
As the antagonist of Hugh Laurie’s novel “The gun seller” declared, “pain is something you cause to yourself”. Indeed, when something is wrong with our body, either inside or outside, our mind generates strong throbbing impulses that we perceive as pain or chronic ache. This way our organism cries for help and begs us to take care of the trouble as soon as possible.
When men and women develop severe chronic diseases pain can torture them on a twenty-four hour basis, turning their lives into a devastating ordeal. Of course, the main task of modern medicine is to help those people diminish the pain and lead usual lives. Today narcotic medications, both synthetic and natural, are the most effective pain relievers available.
Vicodin belongs to the class of synthetic narcotic analgesics, too. Consisting of Hydrocodone (synthetic opiate) and APAP (Paracetamol or Tylenol), Vicodin causes double pain decreasing effect bringing you swift relief. This successful compound of two pain killers is know by many brand names depending on the concentrations of Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen in them. So:
- Vicodin has 500 mg Paracetamol and 5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Vicodin HP consists of 750 mg Paracetamol and 7.5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Vicodin ES consists of 660 mg Paracetamol and 10 mg Hydrocodone;
- Anexsia has 500 mg Paracetamol and 5 mg Hydrocodone or 650 mg Paracetamol and 7.5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Dolorex Forte; Hycet; Liquicet; Lorcet has 500 mg Paracetamol and 5 mg Hydrocodone; 650 Paracetamol mg / 10 mg Hydrocodone; or 650 mg Paracetamol and 7.5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Lortab has 500 mg Paracetamol and 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10 mg Hydrocodone;
- Maxidone is 750 mg Paracetamol and 10 mg Hydrocodone;
- Norco has 325 mg Paracetamol and 5, 7.5, or 10 mg Hydrocodone;
- Polygesic is made up of 500 mg Paracetamol and 5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Stagesic has 500 mg Paracetamol and 5 mg Hydrocodone;
- Xodol is 300 mg Paracetamol and 5, 7.5, or 10 mg Hydrocodone;
- Zamicet; Zydone has 400 mg Paracetamol and 5, 7.5, or 10 mg Hydrocodone.
Other non-active ingredients included in each pill of Vicodin are: colloidal silicon dioxide, starch, croscarmellose sodium, dibasic calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone and stearic acid. If you are allergic to any main or non-active components of the medication, please, see your doc before you get cheap Vicodin online and start taking it.
Vicodin, like any other opioid analgesic, is used to survive moderate to moderately severe pain. This medicine is most commonly prescribed for acute, chronic and/or post-operative states. Sometimes it can also be used to stop severe cough.
Semi-synthetic narcotic analgesic Vicodin is available in different medical forms: tablets, capsules and liquid solutions. The usual dose for adults is 1-2 tablets of Vicodin with every meal 4 times a day. Actually you can take this drug with or without food but the majority of general practitioners underline that full stomach protects gastrointestinal tract. So, if you experience nausea after taking Vicodin, it may help you to take this medication with food. Likewise, if you follow Vicodin therapy, drinking plenty of water during a day can help in avoiding constipation typical for Vicodin takers.
Please, do not forget that each kind of brand or generic pill contains different amounts of Vicodin. That is why you should be very cautious how many tablets you take. The maximum safe amount of Acetaminophen for adults is only 1 gram (1000 mg) per dose or 4 grams (4000 mg) per day. If you take Vicodin, 1-2 tablets each time is needed, the max number of tablets a day is 8 tablets. If you take Vicodin ES, 1 tablet each time is needed, i.e. max 5 tablets a day. If you take Vicodin HP, 1 tablet each time is needed, i.e. max 6 tablets a day. Pain killing capsules can contain 2.5 to 10 mg Hydrocodone and 300 to 750 mg Acetaminophen. You should take Vicodin every 4 to 6 hours or 15 ml of liquid solution every 4 to 6 hours as needed. If possible, take minimal dosage of Vicodin and keep to the time span of 6 hours to avoid numerous adverse reactions and addiction to this medicine.
If you miss a scheduled dose of Vicodin, take it as soon as you remember the fact. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose skipping the previous one. Do not take double or extra doses to avoid ruinous ovedose! The devastating matter is that
Vicodin overdose can be lethal.
Talking about Vicodin side effects, note that this medicine can make you feel dizzy or drowsy. That is why you should be cautious participating in activities requiring alertness and quick reaction (driving, using complicated machinery ect).
Avoid alcoholic beverages because they increase the risk of Vicodin side effects. Remember that Vicodin contains Acetaminophen in it, and this substance is able of causing liver damage. If in addition to it you consume alcohol daily, it interacts with Acetaminophen and increases the risk of severe liver damage.
Just as all synthetic narcotic drugs Vicodin can cause serious side effects, which are rather seldom. If you face a serious sign seek medical help immediately! Severe Vicodin side effects include:
- severe drowsiness,
- bad abdominal pain and constipation,
- slow heart rate,
- hyperventilation, troubled or slow breathing,
- hallucinations and altered mental status,
- confusion, anxiety or fear,
- unusual fatigue,
- hearing loss,
- decreased urination,
- cold and clammy skin,
- bluish tinge on the skin,
- blood disorders,
- low blood pressure,
- seizures,
- kidney and liver problems including failure.
Liver failure produces jaundice and a number of symptoms like pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes and dark urine.
What is more, personalities allergic to Vicodin can experience severe allergic reaction:
- itching, skin rash or hives,
- unusual swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat, wheezing and breathing difficulty.
If you take Vicodin therapy and feel uncomfortable when you have to get up or go to bed you can minimize dizziness and lightheadedness doing it slowly.
If you are rather old great caution is required when using this med - you may be more sensitive to the adverse effects of the drug, especially decreased breathing and drowsiness. It is forbidden to prescribe Vicodin to persons under 18! Children should never be given Vicodin, as its safety and effectiveness in children has not been investigated till now.
If you have to undergo any type of surgery, tell your surgeon that you are using Vicodin beforehand. This med weakens the effect of narcosis that is why you may need to stop using Vicodin for a short time.
The topic of Vicodin, pregnancy and breastfeeding is essential, too. The action of Vicodin during pregnancy and breastfeeding are not properly investigated. To be on the safe side, avoid taking Vicodin if you are pregnant to keep your fetus safe. Discuss with your healthcare provider all pros and cons before buying Vicodin no prescription and starting it. Although some medical reports state that this medicine is safe for pregnant women, you should start it only if obvious positive effects outweigh the possible risks. Bear in mind that if Vicodin is regularly taken in the time before delivery, it may cause respiratory depression and withdrawal symptoms in the newborn baby because the fetus becomes Vicodin addicted within the mother’s womb! Nursing mothers should not use Vicodin because Paracetamol and Hydrocodone easily gets into human milk effecting your baby.
Vicodin is occasionally prescribed in veterinary for dogs if they are allergic to Carprofen (Rimadyl Rx) or Etodolac (Etogesic Rx). But frankly speaking it is not the best choice of a pain reliever. The point is that although Hydrocodone that controls pain is well tolerated but Paracetamol is toxic to dogs and it causes numerous liver problems. All the same, Vicodin is sometimes the only option for chronic arthritis troubles in older dogs.
Modern medicine is rather careless about Vicodin addiction today - addiction to illicit street drugs and/or alcohol is considered to be a far more dangerous condition. To tell you the truth, Vicodin is not really viewed as a drug able of causing the same devastating problems as other drugs! No wonder that this attitude of medical people often leads Vicodin addicts and their nearest and dearest to the idea that everything is OK and they do not need the withdrawal treatment. What a shame!
If you feel any withdrawal symptoms after you stop taking Vicodin, seek drug abuse treatment immediately! Males and females who have a problem with drugs or alcohol must be particularly careful and visit their MD regularly. If you have to undergo Vicodin addictin treatment, be ready for the initial phase - the detoxification process. It cleanses the physical body of a personality and prepares him or her for further treatment.
Why is Vicodin so addictive? The truth is that the regular use of Hydrocodone causes certain changes you brain - in the way it handles narcotics. The longer you take Vicodine and the higher is the dosage you take daily, the sooner you develop an opiate tolerance. Consequently you need increasingly greater doses of the drug to reach the same pain relieving effects.
If an opiate-tolerant individual tries to give up taking Vicodine, he or she will experience strong opiate withdrawal symptoms. Vicodin dependent persons experience the first withdrawal symptoms within 6-24 hours following their last dose. They experience:
- runny nose, muscle aches and other flu-like symptoms;
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- anxiety;
- depression;
- insomnia;
- irritability;
- chills;
- drug cravings;
- increased pain of the health disorder that forced them to take Vicodin.
Secondary Vicodin withdrawal symptoms that can last for months with varying degrees of intensity are:
- insomnia,
- lethargy,
- depression.
The withdrawal peak is located within 72 hours of the last Vicodin dose and it lasts for 4-5 days. Pain persons who are using Vicodin for its analgesic effects experience increased sensitivity to pain during the withdrawal period.
Probably the best and the most realistic illustration of severe Vicodin withdrawal torture is the episode from the “House M.D” serial where the main character Greg House survives the most scary Vicodin withdrawal symptoms. The best way to avoid Vicodin addiction is taking 1 tablet of Vicodin 3 times a day after meals and never prolonging the period of Vicodin therapy, then you will get back to normal painless life and will be able to enjoy every delightful moment of it with the people you love and care for.
Tags: narcotic, order Vicodin, pain reliever, Paracetamol, severe pain, Vicodin addiction, Vicodin overdose, Vicodin without prescription