Suboxone treatment Vicodin addiction

Drug addiction is a fast growing and worldwide problem. Today, dependence on prescription drugs is rising as supply is maintained and cost is low. For those who cannot afford hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, over the counter medicines are a substitute as they are much cheaper. Pain killers are especially sought after. As morphine is one of the most widely used bases for painkillers, it is safe to say that opioids have become a drug much sought after by addicts. Incidentally, opioids are derived from the opium poppy flower and are one of the oldest drugs in the world.

There are many opioid-based drugs prescribed by doctors, one of them being vicodin. Used as a moderate pain killer, it contains a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Most addicts dependent on such medication do not start out as addicts but slowly get hooked on the drug following prescription for an illness or accident. Like all addictions, vicodin addiction requires proper detoxification. One method is by following The Waismann Method, a rapid opiate detoxification (ROD). The addict will be placed under sedation and will undergo a process whereby the brain's opiate receptors will be blocked from any opiate.

Another is by following the suboxone treatment. Suboxone is an opioid used to treat opiate addiction and is the first such drug approved for this. The treatment begins while the patient is undergoing mild withdrawal. The drug is given is small doses, sufficient for the patient to function normally without withdrawal symptoms. It is then tapered off until the patient decides to quit suboxone and opiates entirely. This is coupled with counselling to improve chances of success for recovery. The drug is not sold without a prescription and requires a licensed medical practitioner to prescribe it.

Addiction to vicodin and other opiates requires complete physical and psychological care and not a one-sided treatment plan. Most doctors who supervise its de-addiction should be properly equipped to handle all aspects of helping the patient overcome his problem. It would prove pointless if an addict were to quit his addiction for a short time and relapse later. Psychological healing together with good physical treatment is the only way opiate addiction can be countered.