25 Reasons to Get Help for Hydrocodone Addiction
Between the years 1997 and 2006, the use of hydrocodone, a commonly prescribed opioid medication increased by 244 percent, according to the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources. Considering hydrocodone’s high potential for addiction, it’s really no surprise drug treatment admission rates for drugs like it have increased by 430 percent based on data collected by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.
There are countless reasons to seek hydrocodone addiction help today!
When someone takes hydrocodone for recreational purposes or takes more than a prescription calls for, the risk of addiction increases substantially. Once addicted, the consequences can be overwhelming to the point where getting needed treatment help becomes the only viable option. The sooner a person gets needed treatment help the better.
Here are 25 reasons to seek help for a hydrocodone addiction –
1. Impaired Motor Functions
Hydrocodone’s effects on the brain make it difficult, if not dangerous, to operate a car or any type of machinery
2. Tolerance Level Increases
The more hydrocodone a person takes the more the body needs to function normally.
3. Emergency Room Visits
Opioid-related, emergency room admission rates increased by 111 percent between the years 2004 and 2008. (West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources)
4. Central Nervous System Effects
Lethargy, fatigue, anxiety, mood swings and an overall decline in physical and mental performance can result from hydrocodone addiction.
5. Overdose Risk
Increasing tolerance levels can easily drive a person to take more hydrocodone than the body can handle. When this happens, respiratory and heart functions can shut down altogether.
6. Loss of Control
Once hydrocodone addiction takes hold, addicts lose track of how much they take.
7. Compulsive Drug-Seeking Behavior
Getting and using hydrocodone takes top priority over everything else.
8. Risk-Taking
An overall disregard for negative consequences drives addicts to take risks they wouldn’t normally take.
9. Digestive Problems
Hydrocodone’s sedating effects extend to the body’s digestive functions. Constipation, nausea and loss of appetite are the result.
10. Physical Dependence
Over time, the brain is unable to function without hydrocodone’s effects.
11. Psychological Dependence
After a certain point, a person starts to believe he or she needs the drug to cope with everyday life.
12. Addiction
Addiction results when both physical and psychological dependencies feed off one another.
13. Psychological Problems
Hydrocodone abuse causes brain chemical imbalances. Psychological disorders involving anxiety and depression can develop over time.
14. Seizures
Hydrocodone’s effects can “short-circuit” central nervous system functions to the point where seizure conditions develop.
15. Mood Swings
Brain chemical imbalances can cause a person to experience frequent mood swings throughout the day.
16. Chills, Cold Sweats
Chills and cold sweats develop once the brain becomes unable to regulate body temperature levels.
17. Muscle and Joint Pain
Hydrocodone effects eventually offset nerve signal transmissions throughout the body. Chronic muscle and joint pain is the result.
18. Light-headedness, Fainting Spells
Hydrocodone’s sedating effects can cause episodes of unconsciousness and dizziness.
19. Brain Damage
Brain structures start to deteriorate from the effects of the drug.
20. Psychotic Behaviors
Hallucinations, paranoia and violent behaviors develop as brain chemical imbalances worsen.
21. Hallucinations
Ongoing deterioration impairs the brain’s cognitive and reasoning abilities.
22. Anxiety
Symptoms of anxiety start to persist as brain chemical levels go further and further out of balance.
23. Decreasing Pain Tolerance
As brain cells become more tolerant of hydrocodone’s effects, a person becomes more sensitive to pain sensations.
24. Suicidal Ideations
Symptoms of anxiety and depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions with ongoing hydrocodone use.
25. Psychotic Disorders
With long-term use, brain structures and chemical processes deteriorate to the point where psychotic disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder start to take shape.