Vicodin Withdrawal

Guy experiencing vicodin withdrawalEvery day, more than 45 people in the United States die due to painkiller overdoses, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s why it’s vital that people with addictions to Vicodin get help with the issue as soon as possible. Treatment is the first step for people who want to live long, satisfying lives that aren’t cut short due to addiction.

The first part of the recovery process involves withdrawal. It’s here that people with addictions to Vicodin physically break away from the drug for good. While it’s a healthy and necessary process, it can come with a few unpleasant side effects.

Physical and Mental Signs of Withdrawal

The physical symptoms associated with Vicodin withdrawal are very similar to the symptoms a person might feel during a particularly bad case of the flu. Typically, people feel a little nauseated, and sometimes, they have muscle pains or cramps that keep them awake when they should be sleepy. People might feel cranky and upset, too, and they might even feel a twinge of nervousness or fear.

These symptoms can appear just a few hours after the last Vicodin dose, and they tend to abate within a week or so. The Center to Advance Palliative Care suggests that the symptoms don’t come close to reaching a life-threatening stage. People feel uncomfortable, but they’re not at risk of losing their lives during the process.
However, there are risks involved with allowing the withdrawal to progress without providing assistance. Specifically, people with Vicodin addictions are often well aware that the discomfort they feel during withdrawal can be cured completely with a return to drug use. Their brain cells may be calling upon these people to go back to Vicodin as quickly as possible. Leaving a withdrawal alone, then, could lead right to relapse, so teams typically step in to offer support.

 

Withdrawal Therapies

Chemists know all about how Vicodin works, and they’ve developed intensive therapies that can blunt withdrawal discomfort and drug cravings. Typically, according to the National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, teams require people that need to detox from Vicodin to demonstrate a few symptoms of withdrawal, such as:

  • A fast pulse rate
  • Sweating
  • Restlessness
  • Bone aches
  • Runny nose
  • Tear-filled eyes
  • Nausea
  • Tremor
Those signs indicate that withdrawal has started. Medications can then be applied to soothe the discomfort before it grows more severe. Medications aren’t provided before signs of withdrawal, experts say, because they work by blocking the receptors Vicodin relies upon. Providing medications too early can render all Vicodin inactive, plunging people into severe withdrawal. Allowing the body to remove some Vicodin naturally before taking over with medications makes the whole process smoother for the person in recovery.

Getting Started

If you’re living with a Vicodin addiction right now, the decision to enter treatment could be the best one you’ll ever make. With that one step, you’ll move your life in a new and more healthful direction.

We’re here to be your recovery partner. At The Oaks at La Paloma, we can assist with every aspect of your recovery, and we’re accepting patients now. Call to get started.