Vicodin Hydrocodone Addiction

Vicodin is a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. It has a legitimate medical use - the treatment of moderate to severe pain. In order to be effective, it needs to be taken every 4 to 6 hours.

Most people prescribed this medication have no problems with it. They are not at risk for becoming addicted as long as it is taken as prescribed and use stops as soon as the pain subsides.

Problems occur when use of the Vicodin, or other hydrocodone form, extends beyond the medically necessary period. Or the user keeps using more and more to achieve the euphoric effect from the drug. When this happens, tolerance to the pain management and calming, euphoric effects increases quickly.

If you are addicted to Vicodin, you probably noticed that at first you had no problem taking it as prescribed, but then the dose started to creep upward. And before you know it your taking 8, 15, 20 or more pills per day. You're no longer getting significant pain relief from it and zero pleasant effects.

In fact, you start to experience pretty nasty withdrawal symptoms just a few hours after your last dose. You seem to need to take it just to feel "normal".

And when you try to stop using - or even cut back "just a little" - the withdrawal symptoms and cravings become unbearable. Not to mention the anxiety, depression, poor sleep and decreased apetite. At this point you truly are a prisoner to your Vicodin hydrocodone addiction.

Here's the good news.

Because this opiate is a shorter acting one, patients tend to respond very well to buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex) treatment. Due to its short duration of action, you will not have to be off the drug for that long before you can start taking the buprenorphine. And most patients find the transition to Suboxone smooth from the hydrocodone.

The question often comes up with Vicodin addiction of whether a detox alone is okay, or if a longer term maintenance is required. My answer is that it depends.

In the cases where the dependence is short lived, the medication was prescribed for legitimate pain control, and there is really no other addiction history in the patient, then just a detox over a few weeks or so may be all that is needed. Once the buprenorphine is tapered off, cravings may not return and one can live happily ever after - as the saying goes.

However, if there is longer term use, a history of other addiction problems (currently or in the past), use was motivated solely to get high, and there have been repeated relapses after previous detox attempts, then a course of mainatanance buprenorphine treatment might be the way to go.

One way to determine this is to have a comprehensive evaluation from an Addiction Psychiatrist certified to prescribe Suboxone and Subutex. This way a plan will be tailored to your needs.

Click this link to discover the Suboxone Treatment Options offered by Dr. Gilman