Addiction inflicts the victim with compulsions to use a substance in order to keep achieving the desired high effects it delivers. More than 12 million people abuse prescription opiate-based pain relievers, according to the Los Angeles Times. Vicoprofen is included in this category of prescription drugs.
The Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
In 2012, prescription drug overdoses claimed the lives of 22,114 Americans, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Who were these people? Who abuses prescription drugs? The answer may surprise you, because it takes all kinds. Prescription drug abuse isn’t just a habit for the poor, weak or youthful. According to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, there were 1.4 million emergency department visits in 2005 attributed solely to drugs and 598,542 involved prescription drug abuse. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids notes that sales of Schedule III drugs — which include hydrocodone cocktails like Vicoprofen — aren’t as tightly regulated as Schedule I and II drugs.
When it comes to prescription drugs, many people are misusing and abusing their own supplies with no need for a drug dealer or street drugs. Of people who reported the misuse of opioid painkillers for 200 or more days in a year’s time, 27 percent were using their own supply from a legitimate prescription, per Medscape. With that many prescriptions being filled, it’s not surprising that the death toll among prescription drugs has increased the way it has. Prescription opioid painkillers were to blame for 30 percent of all drug overdose deaths in 1999 and an alarming 60 percent of them by 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the rest of the participants surveyed, 49 percent received their drugs via a friend or relative, with only 23 percent of them paying for the drugs.
What Is Vicoprofen?
As prescription drug abuse has grown in popularity over the years, one of the top choices among drug abusers has been Vicoprofen. The drug is a combination of both hydrocodone and ibuprofen. Hydrocodone is an opioid pain reliever, while ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The latter isn’t recognized as an addictive drug, although certain people should avoid using it and any other NSAID for specific medical reasons. The former, like all opioids, is highly addictive and prescribed for pain management rather routinely nonetheless. In 2013, approximately 207 million prescriptions for opioid pain medications were written in America, per National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Virtually anyone in need of both pain medication and an inflammatory drug could be prescribed Vicoprofen by their doctor. That being said, certain individuals are more likely than others to engage in the abuse of opioid-based drugs. These groups of people include:
- The elderly
- Young people
- Those living in impoverished conditions
- Individuals who were raised by drug users or alcoholics
- The mentally ill
Generally, people are surprised to find out how common prescription drug abuse is among the elderly. The Center for Applied Research Solutions notes that 12 to 15 percent of the aging population abuses their prescribed medications. Among those with severe mental illness of all ages, about half are also substance abusers, per the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Vicoprofen is available in an oral pill form, but drug addicts and dealers alike are all too familiar with how to convert the tablet into a liquid solution that can be injected. Not only is the injection method of drug use the riskiest, putting users at an increased chance of contracting diseases via needle sharing, but the risk of accidental overdose is higher, too. It’s very difficult to regulate how much of the drug is in a converted solution. Essentially, users find out the hard way how potent their manmade supply is after injecting it and trying it out. Snorting is also a possible route of ingestion, but it isn’t as common.
Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction
- Respiratory depression
- Poor motor skills
- Perspiration
- Low blood pressure
- Depressed mood
- Constipation
- Confused state
Consequences ranging from mood swings and an upset stomach to coma are quite possible, but the most obvious and serious risk of abusing drugs like Vicoprofen is fatality. Almost 12,000 people died in 2011 from accidental overdoses on narcotic pain relievers, such as Vicoprofen, per WebMD. The abuse of an NSAID can also lead to cardiac problems and stroke. In one study of regular NSAID users, Science Daily accounts that 71 percent of those who used NSAIDs for at least three months incurred damage to their small intestine.
The Rehabilitation Process
The only way to make sure you don’t continue to risk your health and wellness via prescription drug abuse is to get help now. While it may have taken you quite a while to become dependent on Vicoprofen, it takes only one excessive dose to end your life, whether intentional or not. Stop trying to decide if you’re ready; you don’t have to be just yet. All you have to do is dial our number. Here at The Oaks at La Paloma, we can hold your hand through the recovery process. We’re waiting for your call.