Hydrocodone Abuse

Hydrocodone abuse continues to rise in America, as four times the amount of the drug is sold now then was sold ten years ago. More doctors are prescribing it to relieve mild to moderate pain and to suppress coughing, due to its combination antitussive and analgesic properties. It is an opiate that can be found under many names; Lorcet, Lortab, Vicodin, and Tussionex to name a few. It comes in tabs, caps, and syrups, and it is, like all opiates, addictive.

As a drug, Hydrocodone is closely linked to morphine. In fact 15mg of Hydrocodone is equal to 10mg of morphine. Both alter the user's subjective perception of pain, so even if a patient is aware of pain, they are not bothered by it. Along with inhibiting the body's pain receptors, Hydrocodone creates pleasure, or "reward," as it is often called, by stimulating the body's production of Dopamine. It is this combination of relief and stimulus that leads many to hydrocodone abuse.

Treating Hydrocodone Abuse

In recent years, there has been a shift by many doctors and therapists in their approach to treating painkiller addiction. This shift centers around the belief that addiction can be treated at the receptor level in the brain, and that the pains of physical withdrawal do not truly have to be experienced by the patient.

Rapid Detox uses Accelerated Neuro-Regulation, a treatment that cleanses the brain's opiate receptors while the patient is under a non-surgical anesthesia. The goal of the treatment is to eliminate the body's craving for the drug and to allow the patient to wake with no recollection of experiencing withdrawal. Clinics that employ this method of therapy have reported high rates of success in treating hydrocodone abuse.