Are Vicodin and Tramadol Painkillers That Some People Might Abuse?
Question by Grassa87: Are vicodin and tramadol painkillers that some people might abuse?
Best answer:
Answer by Top Source
Yes, they’r both opiate agonists.
T is time-release, so the abuse risk may be lower.
Answer by Brussell
Yes, they are.
Vicodin is one of the brand name versions of a common pain reliever that contains ibuprofen and hydrocodone, which is a medium-to-high strength level narcotic pain reliever. Hydrocodone, although manmade, derives from opium that is harvested from the opium poppy (papaver somniferum) and is therefore in the same chemical family/structure as Heroin (diacetylmorphine), Oxycodone (OxyContin), Morphine, etc. Vicodin is just the brand name for this version, but it is basically the same thing as Lortab, which contains acetaminophen instead of ibuprofen.
As a result, Hydrocodone is highly abused, especially in the United States. In fact, there is more abuse of prescription pain relievers such as hydrocodone and oxycodone than there is of their illegal counterparts. It is a very serious problem in the USA. And I can attest from personal experience that getting off of hydrocodone can be extremely difficult, and most people never fully reach sobriety after they have reached dependence/addiction.
Tramadol, on the other hand, is a non-scheduled narcotic pain reliever. It is a synthetic (manmade) variant that is distantly related to the opium family, however it is quite far removed. It is MUCH less potent or addictive as hydrocodone, however it is still addictive and can still get a person high. In most cases, though, it can only do so in a limited capacity and at very high, unsafe doses. It is one of the drugs that is quickly rising in popularity of abuse, as the government cracks down more and more on the other prescription narcotic painkillers.
In my days as a narcotics abuser and addict, I did tramadol occasionally. It was the least favorite option, as it was much weaker than what I was used to, however if you took enough of them (around 25-30) it could produce a relatively powerful effect. But it was a different feeling than you get with other painkillers… It had more of a loopy, “out of it” kind of feeling than the other narcotics did because it is also related to certain kinds of depressants (which are a different class of drugs than opiates). From what I hear, if abused at a high enough dose for a long enough period of time, a relatively severe dependency can result. It won’t be as bad of an addiction as hydrocodone or oxycodone, but trust me when I say they are ALL bad. I have detoxed from about 7 different substances, and I can tell you none of them were enjoyable.
How long does addiction take?
=Usually somewhere between 1-3 weeks of consistent abuse. Consistent means anything from 3-4 days a week to every day. Even if you were to take a fourth of a pill just once every other day, it could lead to dependence/addiction. Dependence is the mental state in which you are dedicated and unable or unwilling to stop using a drug. Addiction is the physiological state of dependence. People usually become dependent, which shortly leads to addiction, although both usually happen at the same time. A lot of people think they can outsmart or avoid it. Unless you have been addicted before, this is impossible to do. Everyone is different, and different genetics mean different times until addiction sets in. So unless you have been addicted before and as a result know how long it took, then it is impossible to know how long it will take to get addicted. For one person, they might take Oxycodone once a day for a week and be hooked, whereas another person might take it for 3 weeks and not get hooked. But regardless of genetic background, EVERYONE can get hooked. Your resistance to addiction may vary with genetics, but in the end addiction is a physiological state that affects the body, which means it can and will eventually happen to anyone and everyone regardless of genetics. Genetics only variates the time and dosage it takes until addiction sets in. If you have ever had abuse in your family, addiction usually will fall within the 1-2 week category for you, because it means your genetic line contains sensitivity to substances and abuse.
The best way to avoid addiction is to avoid the drug.
I won’t lie when I say that yes I enjoyed many of the experiences I had before my addiction became severe. It wasn’t all bad, and I did always feel wonderful. But in no way was any of that short period of enjoyment worth the years and years of anguish and torture I had to endure as a result. After about a month of being addicted it starts to spiral downwards in one way or another. So you might get a month of enjoyment, if that. And then you’ll be on your way to rock bottom, months of withdrawal/recovery and then years and years of mental recovery. I truly believe that I now have problems that I will have for the rest of my life. And no temporary high was worth that.
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