Hydrocodone Treatment and Rehab
Hydrocodone Info
Hydrocodone an opioid drug present in medications like Vicodin and Zohydro ER. It is a highly abused substance that works by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system and slowing it down. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to overcome a hydrocodone addiction is to think you can quit by taking the required medication on your own, instead of exploring professional treatment options.
There are a number of hydrocodone abuse and addiction treatment options. The first step to recovery starts with medical detox to rid your body of all the drugs in your system. The next steps involve rehab, counselling and support groups. Residential treatment centres can help you overcome cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.
Hydrocodone addiction is a disease that needs medical attention if you attend to quit. Most inpatient treatment programmes provide medical detox for this type of addiction. If you or a loved one are struggling with an addiction to hydrocodone, now is the best time to start your opioid addiction treatment and recovery.
What is hydrocodone addiction?
Hydrocodone interferes with your brain’s reward system, including the pain receptors and limbic system. Consistent and prolonged abuse of hydrocodone reprograms the brain for addiction and causes a physical dependence on the drug. When you become physically dependent on hydrocodone, you need it to avoid dealing with nausea, muscle aches and other withdrawal symptoms. As your tolerance for the substance builds, you may need even higher doses of hydrocodone to keep your withdrawal symptoms at bay.
Addiction to hydrocodone can quickly spiral out of control, and is diagnosed on a spectrum from mild to severe. Some of the signs of hydrocodone addiction include prioritising substance usage over your personal and professional responsibilities and taking more of the drug than intended. If you’ve been taking hydrocodone to manage chronic pain from injury or post-surgery, then you are at risk of developing a hydrocodone addiction. Using hydrocodone usually begins as a way to manage extreme pain, but may result in a lifetime of pain caused by hydrocodone addiction or abuse.
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Hydrocodone dependence: Treatment suggestions
Managing hydrocodone dependence is more than simply trying to ‘get clean’ or to quit all forms of drug usage on your own. Hydrocodone dependence is a complex medical condition that commonly requires long-term treatment. It causes changes in your brain that increase the chances of you becoming addicted to the substance. Willpower alone will not help you break a cycle of abuse and dependence on hydrocodone. It may be a long-term process, but your chances of success with hydrocodone treatment can be improved with the use of medications and counselling.
The unpleasantness of withdrawal symptoms is one of the main reasons for relapse and continued substance abuse. However, there are medications that can be used during treatment for drug dependence that can help prevent symptoms.
Methadone is a common medication used in treatment, because it is long-acting and highly effective, without giving you any ‘high’. With the right dosage, methadone can ease your cravings for hydrocodone and also prevent withdrawal symptoms. Other medications used in treatment include buprenorphine, naltrexone and naloxone (which is usually paired with buprenorphine).
Why seek rehab at a treatment centre for hydrocodone addiction?
Hydrocodone abuse and addiction is a treatable medical condition resulting from changes in brain chemistry caused by the drug. When you become addicted to drugs, you experience a powerful need to satisfy your cravings or to avoid withdrawal symptoms. This desire to use the drug can be intense and challenging to manage alone. Recovering from hydrocodone abuse and addiction requires proper treatment to reduce the drug’s impact on your health and life in general, and to improve your well-being and social functioning.
If you are struggling with an addiction to hydrocodone, you’ll need to check yourself into a rehab facility or rehab programme to wean you off the drug. Typically, withdrawal symptoms will last for about a week when you undergo drug detox. At a centre for addiction, the doctors will slowly taper you off hydrocodone, which is the safest way to begin treatment. Gradually decreasing your intake lessens the amount and severity of the withdrawal symptoms you may have to endure. Even after your physical withdrawal symptoms have peaked and wore off, you may continue to experience psychological withdrawal symptoms for months after you’ve quit.
Some of the more powerful mental effects of hydrocodone withdrawal include loss of control around drugs and intense cravings. The main focus of hydrocodone rehab – whether inpatient or outpatient – is on your psychological withdrawal from the drug. Since psychological factors are what mainly help you maintain your recovery after detox, it is essential to undergo rehab at a treatment centre for hydrocodone addiction.
Hydrocodone addiction treatment
When treating hydrocodone addiction, the first step is to rid your body of the drug via detox. The safest way is through a supervised detox to ensure your withdrawal symptoms can be controlled whilst the drugs are expunged from your system. Medical management is often required to maintain full recovery after detox. Your doctor may therefore prescribe and administer medications to reduce both your physical side effects and the intense cravings that can occur. Also, maintenance medication can be provided as a way to protect you from relapse.
Buprenorphine is often used for the treatment of opioid dependence. There are two buprenorphine drugs that are used for treating dependence on hydrocodone: Subutex and Suboxone.
Subutex eases withdrawal symptoms by interacting with the same receptors in the brain targeted by hydrocodone to produce similar effects. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, making it very effective at blocking the effects of hydrocodone. To help you deal with cravings for hydrocodone, the opioid-blocking medication Naltrexone can be administered. It is normally used to ensure maintenance of addiction recovery and is a common part of outpatient recovery.
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What to know about hydrocodone clinics
Rehabilitation is the best possible choice you can make when trying to recover from a substance abuse disorder. These types of institutions can provide you with cooperative group therapy sessions, individualised therapy (like motivational interviewing) and other forms of therapy to promote change and improve your development of self-control. In addition, you are treated as a whole person, not just your addiction. Focus is also placed on triggers that lead you to use, in order to equip you with the appropriate coping methods to prevent you from relapsing after treatment.
During the intake process, you can expect to meet with a physician, psychologist, counsellor or therapist. This is merely an initial process to register you on an abuse treatment programme for hydrocodone. Your medical history will be reviewed, in addition to a physical and mental health screening. You can also expect to discuss your substance abuse with a doctor, in addition to the unique conditions surrounding it.
Inpatient and outpatient rehab for hydrocodone addiction
Hydrocodone addiction can be treated, and the proper rehab programmes can tackle your physical and psychological addiction to the drug, as well as the withdrawal symptoms that come with it. The different hydrocodone treatments available are generally aimed at weaning you off the medication, whilst treating the initial pain for which you were using hydrocodone.
If this is your first time receiving treatment for hydrocodone addiction, the first step is often detox and withdrawal, which is usually medically assisted. This means that experts make use of medications such as buprenorphine and naltrexone to mimic the opiate in your body, without giving you the same euphoria produced by hydrocodone. After you are medically stable, you can move to a residential or outpatient programme to complete your rehabilitation process.
Inpatient programmes are designed to help by keeping you secluded from external stresses and pressures to use drugs. Activities such as group therapy sessions, exercise and individual therapies are employed to help you identify the root of your addiction. Diagnosis of (and treatment for) these underlying mental and physical causes of hydrocodone addiction are also provided as part of rehab. With outpatient programmes, you can live at home whilst going to a clinic or rehab centre for treatment. This treatment option typically involves daily visits at first, before tapering to visits at intervals to ensure you stay on track with treatment.
Which to choose: Inpatient vs. outpatient
One of the most important decisions you need to make when seeking help with hydrocodone addiction is to decide on the type of treatment programme for you. You’ll need to take your needs and lifestyle into consideration when making this decision.
Outpatient programmes provide a high standard of substance abuse treatment, but come with the flexibility you require to take care of any daily obligations, like work or childcare. Unlike inpatient programmes, you don’t need to put your personal life on hold during outpatient treatment. Some of these programmes require you to check-in on a daily basis with a drug abuse therapist or counsellor, while others simply require a few hours of your participation each day, for a few days each week.
Inpatient treatment is more immersive and structured than outpatient treatment and offers you the benefit of added structure and the chance to fully commit to your recovery without the distractions of outside responsibilities and temptations. This type of treatment provides medically supervised care and certified staff to assist as you undergo detox. Also, depending on the severity of your addiction, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) might also be included to manage your opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Specialised treatment and therapy options
Hydrocodone addiction treatment is quite similar to treatment for addiction to opiates. The process usually begins with a detailed intake carried out by qualified doctors and counsellors, who perform assessments of your physical and mental health. Any co-occurring mental health disorders present with your substance use disorder will also be identified.
The first step is a drug detox, where your body will be allowed to naturally flush out any remaining toxins after you stop using the drug. As soon as you’re sober, you can undergo individual and group therapy, in addition to art, yoga and other non-traditional therapies to learn how to cope with and overcome cravings.
Therapy and counselling are the most important aspects of treatment offered at a rehab facility. You will have time to work with experienced counsellors – both individually and in a group – to explore your history of hydrocodone abuse and the reasons for forming the addiction. In group therapy, you can also benefit from others at the rehabilitation centre, listening to their stories of struggle and success. Your treatment programme may also provide an aftercare plan for after you leave the centre to help maintain your recovery.
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Hydrocodone treatment costs and payment options
Hydrocodone treatment is a significant financial investment. It is therefore important to evaluate your finances to determine the type of treatment you can afford before choosing a rehab centre.
The cost of hydrocodone treatment will vary depending on a number of factors, including your geographical location, type of treatment (12-step or holistic), treatment programme setting (for example, inpatient vs. outpatient or luxury vs. standard) and length of stay.
There are various payment options available to you. If you have private medical insurance, your insurer may cover the cost of your treatment. If not, you could finance your treatment using a personal loan or credit card. Many rehabs offer payment plans that allow you to spread the cost of treatment over several months, making it more affordable. Remember that friends and family may also be willing to help you cover the cost of addiction treatment.
Continuing and follow-up care
You have the best chance of recovering from a hydrocodone addition and staying sober if you have the help of a support system, treatment experts, peers and family. Ongoing treatment is generally recommended, because addiction is a chronic disorder. Even when you ‘graduate’ from inpatient rehab, you are still expected to continue with outpatient therapy. As you become more established in long-term recovery, your treatment sessions may reduce in frequency. Even with prolonged and severe hydrocodone use, recovery is still possible.
You can achieve a healthy and balanced life in sustained recovery through comprehensive care that starts with medical detox and continues to follow-up or aftercare services.
Many treatment programmes offer seminars and counselling, which may be a big help to you in the areas of your life that are most affected by hydrocodone abuse and addiction. One-on-one counselling may also help you focus on certain short-term aims, so that you can plan and take the necessary steps to accomplish your goals in a supportive environment.
Continuing and follow-up care can also include the use of 12-step programmes, such as Narcotics Anonymous and may also provide referrals to help you find employment or medical and psychiatric care if you need it.
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Relapse prevention
Relapse (which refers to returning to substance usage after you’ve undergone detox and treatment) is a real threat of hydrocodone addiction. While relapse may be normal, it poses a severe danger to your long-term sobriety, health and quality of life. Therefore, when choosing a rehab facility, it’s essential to ensure they provide relapse prevention techniques. Your treatment centre should build relapse prevention into treatment programmes, working with you to identify your potential triggers that may cause relapse, as well as teaching you ways to cope with them without resorting to hydrocodone use, and making effective plans to avoid your triggers.
Relapse should not be seen as a failure, but an obstacle to defeat on your journey to long-term sobriety. It affords you the opportunity to examine your path and re-enter a programme that provides the support and help you need to maintain a drug-free life. It’s possible to complete more than one single rehab treatment programme before fully recovering. However, you can manage your addiction, and rehab will help you with the essential skills to prevent and deal with relapse.
Live a sober life again
Now is the best time to get help for your hydrocodone addiction, before its far-reaching effects completely destroy your relationships, health and finances.
No matter how dire things may look right now, it is possible to live a drug-free life again. As soon as you make the decision to begin hydrocodone addiction treatment, you will not be alone. Treatment counsellors and professional therapists will be available to guide you each step of the way. If you need help finding the right hydrocodone treatment rehab for you or a loved one, reach out to an addiction helpline today.
FAQs
What are the effects of hydrocodone on the body?
Hydrocodone attaches to the opioid receptors in the brain, which reduce pain and provide you with a feeling of euphoria. These pleasurable effects reinforce continued drug usage, leading to short and long-term damage to the body.
Is hydrocodone addictive?
Hydrocodone is the most commonly prescribed opioid medication, and is highly addictive. It can also be found in some of the most abused drugs like Vicodin and Norco.
Why is hydrocodone addictive?
When hydrocodone is ingested, it can cause a feeling of euphoria that lasts as long as the dosage. The feeling of being euphoric and free from pain is a strong psychological state that is both extremely pleasurable and addictive.
How do you know if you’re addicted to hydrocodone?
If you’re addicted to hydrocodone, you may find yourself going to great lengths to obtain the drug. You may also continue to use the drug without your doctor’s consent, in spite of any problems resulting from drug use.
What is hydrocodone treatment?
Hydrocodone treatment is intended to help you stop compulsively seeking and using the substance if you are abusing, addicted or already dependent on hydrocodone. The treatment can occur in a range of different settings, in various forms and last for differing durations.
What does hydrocodone treatment include?
Hydrocodone treatment typically involves a combination of medical detox, group and individual therapy for substance abuse, relapse prevention education and follow-up care to maintain long-term recovery.
What types of hydrocodone addiction treatment programmes are available?
The different hydrocodone addiction treatment programmes available include inpatient and outpatient treatment programmes, partial hospitalisation or intensive outpatient treatment.
Do I need an inpatient hydrocodone rehab facility?
If you or a loved one are trying to quit a hydrocodone addiction, you may need to find an inpatient facility. Treatment for hydrocodone addiction at a professional rehab facility can give you the right tools and therapy you need to overcome your addiction.
How long does hydrocodone rehab take?
When it comes to hydrocodone rehab, there is no fixed duration for treatment. A lot of rehab centres offer 30-day programmes, but you may benefit more from a longer treatment period, such as 60 or 90-day programme.
Is there an ideal length for hydrocodone rehab?
Research shows that people who spend longer than three months in treatment programmes have a higher chance of long-term sobriety. This is because longer rehab treatment provides the opportunity to practice sober living behaviours and deal with the root causes of addiction.
Call our admissions line 24 hours a day to get help.