Often when we think of drug abuse we immediately picture junkies in the streets shooting up with needles or perhaps even a wealthy man in a business suit snorting cocaine. Rarely does the mind conjure up the image of your average middle aged or any aged male or female taking prescription pain medication to get high. The drug of choice we will address today is hyrocodone. It is often prescribed or known as vicodin or lortab depending upon the amount of acetaminophen that is mixed in the pill. On the street it may be referred to as hydro, norco, or vikes. Often it will come as hydrocodone acetaminophen 5-325 these numbers denoting the amounts of the medications prescribed. Hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed opioid drug in the US. The most common means of abuse is oral.
I have selected this topic in hopes of broadening the awareness of the abuse of prescription drugs and the overwhelming affect it has on families in our society. It is often through legitimate need of pain medication that an individual becomes addicted to the drug. It may be due to an injury playing sports that a young athlete is prescribed hydrocodone and becomes an addict for life. Often laborers are injured on the job and pain medication becomes a part of daily life. Not only does hydrocodone…show more content… Addicts may develop a tolerance to the drug and take more than the prescribed amount. Pupils will become dilated when taking the drug. Insomnia and pruritus are also common side effects. The drug is physiologically addictive due to it’s euphoric effect. The individual may mix the drug with alcohol or take more than the prescribed amount to get high. The individual in turn becomes dependent upon the euphoric feeling the drug produces as the body’s natural endorphin production is inhibited. The person must then continue to consume the drug to feel good