What is Vicodin? Vicodin is a brand name for a painkiller that combines hydrocodone and acetaminophen. It is an opioid drug and is therefore considered to be highly addictive. If you or your loved one is currently battling a substance use disorder that involves the prescription drug Vicodin, Crestview Recovery is a Vicodin addiction treatment center in Portland, Oregon that can help.
Uses for Vicodin
Vicodin is a prescription narcotic drug used in the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain. Also, there are many reasons your doctor might write you or a family member a prescription for Vicodin, including:
- Severe toothache
- Post-surgery pain
- Broken bone
- Back injury
- Severe sprain
What is Vicodin? Vicodin is recommended as a treatment only for short-term pain. Using this drug long-term can lead to dependency. With the current opioid epidemic, there’s a push to prescribe opioid drugs less and less, meaning prescriptions for drugs such as Vicodin may eventually be replaced by alternative medications that are less habit-forming.
What You Need to Know About Vicodin
Hydrocodone, the opioid ingredient in Vicodin, is a respiratory depressant. This means it slows heartbeat and respiration. It’s deceptively easy to accidentally overdose on opioid drugs such as Vicodin because they make you feel sleepy. If you take more than the recommended dosage, you could fall asleep and never wake up. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 130 people die every day in the United States from an opioid overdose.
What is Vicodin? Vicodin is highly addictive because it makes you feel so good. It causes chemical changes in your brain if used long term. When you stop taking it, you’ll experience uncomfortable or painful withdrawal symptoms. The only thing that helps is to take more of the drug. When you reach this point, you have a substance use disorder.
If you or someone you know is battling dependency on Vicodin or another prescription or illicit drug in Portland, Oregon, Crestview Recovery can help. Crestwood Recovery is accredited by the Joint Commission and provides exceptional addiction recovery programs throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Vicodin Side Effects
Like most drugs, Vicodin may cause side effects that include lightheadedness, dizziness, nose bleeds, headache, nausea or vomiting. If you experience any of these symptoms when taking Vicodin as directed, contact your prescriber right away.
Help for Vicodin Substance Use Disorder
Substance use disorders involving opioid drugs are some of the most difficult to battle. Opiates are highly habit-forming, and because withdrawal symptoms are so intense, recovery almost always requires medical help. In addition, at Crestwood Recovery, we treat many forms of substance use disorder, including:
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
- Heroine
- Adderall
- Xanax
- Methadone
- Opioids
Also, we offer a full range of therapies and programs, including outpatient, intensive outpatient and transitional living program. In this way, we help clients free themselves of negative patterns of thinking. Recovery becomes possible when you believe in yourself enough to try.
Opioid Treatment at Crestview Recovery
Recovering from a chemical dependency that involves opioid drugs such as Vicodin is a unique experience. Drugs like these make you feel good. It’s not unusual to feel great after taking a drug that contains opiates. These drugs give you a false sense of happiness, a warm “buzz,” and a feeling that all is right with the world. Many people don’t want to stop taking them. And when you do stop, the withdrawal symptoms range from unpleasant to fatal. This is why it’s so important to begin your recovery process at a quality facility such as Crestview Recovery. Drug and alcohol recovery at Crestview in Portland, OR is more than just counseling. Our recovery programs include holistic and alternative therapies such as white water rafting, snowboarding, skiing and more.
Crestview Recovery combines the best of traditional, alternative and holistic therapies to develop trust, re-direct negative thinking, and to teach positive coping skills that don’t require self-medication.
What is Vicodin? It’s a reason to seek treatment. If you’re interested in reclaiming your life with Crestview Recovery, call us today at 866.262.0531. Our compassionate and friendly representatives are waiting to hear from you.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
