What is hydrocodone?
Hydrocodone is an opioid used to treat severe pain of a prolonged duration, if other measures are not sufficient. It is also used as a cough suppressant in adults. A mixture of hydrocodone and other chemicals work to suppress coughing. The narcotics in this cough treatment slow down and depress the reflex in your brain that makes you cough. Hydrocodone is usually present in a combination with different chemicals, and is often used to treat moderate to severe levels of pain. Hydrocodone is one of the class of medications considered an opioid or narcotic, and it relieves pain by blocking the ability of your brain and nervous system to sense pain.
You may be prescribed a pain-reliever or cough suppressant in a capsule, liquid or pill, or possibly a tablet. As a pain-reliever, doctors will usually tell you to take as needed to treat pain, but never more than every 4 to 6 hours. Since it is an opioid, this product can be highly addictive. Your doctor will tell you that if you take hydrocodone in combination with some other medications, you dramatically raise your risk of experiencing serious breathing problem issues, and could possibly lapse into a coma.
how it works
The way hydrocodone works when it “talks” to your brain and nervous system can create a powerful addiction in some people. Because it is a narcotic, it can deliver short-term euphoria which an addicted individual wants to replicate frequently. This can lead to physical dependence and addiction if hydrocodone and other opioid painkillers are taken long-term.
Also, the withdrawal symptoms after an abrupt cessation of this drug are so powerfully negative, some users will do just about anything to get their hands on some more hydrocodone, or a similar opioid or opiate such as Oxycontin, Heroin or Fentanyl.
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