06 Jan Mixing Opioids and Alcohol: Morphine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Fentanyl

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports that close to 2 million Americans struggled with addiction involving an opioid pain reliever in 2016. Adding alcohol to the mix can amplify the side effects of hydrocodone and raise the odds for addiction as well. Whether you or a loved one is struggling with opioid or alcohol misuse—or both concurrently—American Addiction Centers can help.

Hydrocodone: 7 things you should know

Not to mention, mixing painkillers with alcohol can create an overdose and prove fatal. So Vicodin and hydrocodone use needs to be very carefully managed. One of the biggest issues related to combining hydrocodone and alcohol is the risk of a fatal overdose.

1. Long-term use of opioid medication may affect fertility (ability to have children) in men or women.
2. After all, addiction is the hijacking of the reward pathways as a response to neurochemicals.
3. Mixing hydrocodone (an opioid painkiller) with alcohol can lead to a host of severe health problems ranging from lack of motor control to heart failure and coma.
4. Consuming a single Vicodin pill with a small amount of alcohol can result in respiratory depression.

How to Tell if a Loved One Is Dependent or Addicted to a Prescription Drug like Vicodin

Speak to your doctor about how drug interactions should be managed. Your doctor can explain the consequences of mixing painkillers and alcohol. Then you can present this information to your teens solution-focused therapy worksheets pdf so they might be less likely to simultaneously use these substances.

Opioid users might also engage in something known as doctor shopping, where they bounce from doctor to doctor to ensure an ongoing prescription to the medication of their choosing. In recognizing the basic brain science of addiction, you can understand that drug dependence is no one’s fault. After all, addiction is the hijacking of the reward pathways as a response to neurochemicals. No one chooses the brain’s response, and no one chooses addiction. Levels of toxicity can build up rapidly, and the risks outweigh any possible benefits.

First, Vicodin and other hydrocodone-based prescription drugs are highly addictive, in part because of their potency. The effects of opioid drugs on a person’s neurochemistry are extremely powerful. But prescription painkillers are also dangerous because people may let their guard down in regard to the dangers when these medications are prescribed by a trusted doctor or healthcare provider. People can unwittingly become dependent or addicted to painkillers very how long does molly stay in your hair quickly. With Vicodin or hydrocodone, the opioid depresses or slows the brain’s functioning which results in slower breathing and heart rate.

Struggling with Hydrocodone and Alcohol

Be sure to schedule appointments with your doctor on a regular basis so that you do not run out of hydrocodone if your doctor wants you to continue taking this medication. If you continue to have pain after you finish your hydrocodone prescription, call your doctor. Skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take more than one dose of hydrocodone extended-release capsules in 12 hours or extended-release tablets in 24 hours. This monograph only includes information about the use of hydrocodone alone.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements. It is very important that your doctor check your progress while you are using this medicine, especially within the first 24 to 72 hours of treatment. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to take it.

What Is Hydrocodone?

Do not drink alcohol while using these medications, and ask your doctor about other substances that may interact with hydrocodone. Many people mix drugs to experience a more intense high or to alleviate the effects of one substance by adding another. Using multiple drugs at the same time is particularly common among high school and college students at parties or other social gatherings. When prescribed, hydrocodone can come in immediate-release or extended-release versions. Immediate-release hydrocodone treats pain very quickly, typically lasting between four and six hours.

While taking hydrocodone, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs. Your doctor or pharmacist will show you and your family members how to use the medication. Ask your pharmacist for the instructions or visit the manufacturer’s website to get the instructions.

Using whippets balloons this medicine while you are pregnant may cause neonatal withdrawal syndrome in your newborn babies. Tell your doctor right away if your baby has an abnormal sleep pattern, diarrhea, a high-pitched cry, irritability, shakiness or tremors, weight loss, vomiting, or fails to gain weight. Contact your doctor right away if you have any changes to your heart rhythm.

Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. Since hydrocodone is used for pain, you are not likely to miss a dose. Oftentimes, opiate and opioid users will become very isolated and withdrawn from the family. They are often sedated, sleepy, nodding off or confused, and their involvement in activities will prove rather limited as a result.

As a result, effects of the opioid can be heightened, leading to possible toxicity. Because hydrocodone is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, when it is mixed with other substances that have similar mechanisms of action on the CNS, the risk for overdose is compounded. The FDA has issued its strongest warning, stating that the combination of benzodiazepines and opioids can cause dramatic breathing difficulties and even death. Hydrocodone is a potent drug with many potential side effects, even when it is taken as directed. Opioids are considered extremely habit-forming and have a high rate of diversion and abuse, which can lead to fatal overdose, drug dependence, and addiction.

Other outcomes from mixing opioids with alcohol include extreme sedation, confusion and sleepiness. Any prolonged use will cause severe liver damage, as both alcohol and opioids are processed in the liver. Continued use will also cause reoccurring stress to the lungs and long-term damage. As mentioned above, the hydrocodone found in Vicodin is an opioid, which is classified as a depressant. It’s generally prescribed for moderate to severe short-term pain.

If symptoms of an overdose occur, a friend or family member should give the first dose of naloxone, call 911 immediately, and stay with you and watch you closely until emergency medical help arrives. Your symptoms may return within a few minutes after you receive naloxone. If your symptoms return, the person should give you another dose of naloxone.

CNS depressants are medicines that slow down the nervous system, which may cause drowsiness or make you less alert. This effect may last for a few days after you stop using this medicine. Check with your doctor before taking any of these medicines while you are using this medicine.