Painkillers are drugs that doctors prescribe to relieve pain. These are generally prescription pain medications, known as opioids. These drugs relieve pain, but they also have other effects that make them addictive. We’ll look at some of the most common painkiller addictions.
Commonly Abused Painkillers
These medications are prescription drugs. You may have gotten them from your doctor, purchased them on the street, or got them from a friend. There’s a misconception that prescription drugs aren’t as addictive or dangerous as illicit drugs. You may tell yourself that getting them from a friend is much different from buying them on the street. However, no matter how you get them, they are addictive.
The most commonly abused painkillers are:
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
- Morphine
- Fentanyl
- Hydromorphone
Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone is the mildest opioid on our list. It can treat moderate pain, chronic pain management, and pain relief after injury or surgery. It is prescribed in 5 or 10 mg pills that combine hydrocodone with acetaminophen or Tylenol.
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is similar in effects and uses to hydrocodone. When the medication is combined with acetaminophen, it’s usually referred to as Percocet. Doctors also prescribe this medication in higher doses without acetaminophen. This medication is known as Roxicodone, Roxy, Oxycontin, or Oxycodone. Dosages begin at 15 mg and go up to 80 mg.
Both hydrocodone and oxycodone are often crushed and snorted in an attempt to get a more potent and faster-acting high. Oxycodone without acetaminophen can also be crushed and injected. These methods of administration can increase the risk of developing pill addiction.
Morphine
Morphine is not as potent as oxycodone. However, it has a longstanding history of effectively treating severe pain. When used in tablet form, dosages range from 30-120 mg. Morphine can also be administered as a patch or injection for severe and constant pain. This provides stronger pain relief. Those with painkiller addiction often inject the drug to get more substantial effects.
Fentanyl
Fentanyl is one of the strongest painkillers known. It is 100 times more potent than morphine. It is available as tablets, buccal film, and a transdermal patch, and the person absorbs it through the membranes in the mouth or through the skin. This medication can also treat breakthrough pain, which occurs when one takes pain medication and still has episodes of pain.
Fentanyl is the largest single cause of overdose deaths because of painkiller addictions. Fentanyl can easily be produced in illicit labs. It also can appear in common street drugs, such as heroin. Because it is so potent, it has a high risk of overdose when people do not use this medication under medical supervision.
Hydromorphone
Hydromorphone or Dilaudid is available as a tablet, an extended-release tablet, or through an injection. It is for treating long-term moderate-to-severe pain. It can cause severe withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it abruptly. On the street, these painkillers are often available in pill form. The person then crushes the medication and injects it to bring on an intense high.
Getting Painkiller Help
If you’ve experienced withdrawals from attempting to stop taking drugs on your own, you may be nervous about seeking painkiller addiction treatment. However, several replacement medications can greatly ease withdrawal symptoms caused by pill addiction. When used as part of an addiction treatment program, these medications can help you recover. You don’t have to fight your addiction alone, and you don’t have to experience severe withdrawal symptoms.
Help for Painkiller Addiction at Midwest Detox
If you have an addiction to painkillers, you’ll need help to overcome it. At Midwest Detox in Maumee, Ohio, we have experience in treating pill addiction. We offer detox, medication-assisted treatment, and addiction therapies to help you stay clean and sober. Contact us today at 833.647.0392, or contact us online to start your road to recovery.
