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Sounds Like: LORE.tab
Classification: NarcoticAnalgesic
Controlled Substance Act Schedule: Schedule II
Other names for Lortab
Compared to other opiates, Lortab generally stops short of being exceptionally addictive. It still, however, leads many to addictive behavior and is definitely chemically addictive. It’s a semi-synthetic opiate whose effects are comparable to those of OxyContin. Repeated use often yields dependence and addiction as the body gradually builds up a tolerance for hydrocodone.
One of the primary concerns for addiction to Lortab is that Lortab statistically correlates with future heroin abuse. As such, Lortab carries the reputation of being a heroin gateway drug. When taking Lortab becomes a problematic habit, it joins the ranks of other opiate pain medication abuse, which makes users 40 times more likely to abuse heroin later according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That correlation comes from Lortab abusers seeking a less expensive way to get the same high, and heroin can cost as little as a tenth of what a single Lortab pill costs.
Lortab abuse can cause constipation, disorientation, dizziness, hallucinations, hearing loss, paranoia and many more symptoms. Anyone concerned that a loved one may be addicted to Lortab should look for tightly constricted pupils, jaundice or weight loss. Repeat use can eventually lead to fulminant hepatic necrosis, which is a kind of liver failure.
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Lortab relieves moderate to severe pain. For instance, it might be briefly prescribed to a new mother after delivery. It’s comprised not only of hydrocodone but also acetaminophen, the latter popularly branded as Tylenol. Hydrocodone acts on the brain to chemically alter what physical sensations are perceived and how the body responds to those sensations. Its ability to do so becomes a dangerous option, however.
Physicians generally prescribe Lortab with fairly specific instructions. However, they also may give widely varying instructions for taking Lortab based on the reason it was prescribed in the first place. Regardless, the most important thing for anyone taking Lortab to do is to take it only as instructed without deviation. Larger amounts or longer use than what a physician advises can cause significant problems including overdose. Lortab overdose typically involves liver damage, and it can be fatal.
Physicians also need to be told when the medicine appears to be decreasingly effective in relieving pain. That’s because a decrease in the pill’s effectiveness could suggest overuse. Even the regular doses that a physician might prescribe could still lead to habit-forming behavior.
Hydrocodone should never be administered to a child. For that matter, anyone to whom no physician has prescribed the medicine should be taking the pill due to the many risks involved. Both of these scenarios constitute misuse, which can lead to not only addiction but also overdose and possibly death. This is part of why it’s illegal to give away or sell Lortab.
Lortab also comes in a liquid form, which is often administered intravenously via syringe. If not by syringe, it may come with a medicine cup or a special measuring spoon. Measurement is not a step one should skip, and anyone prescribed liquid Lortab without a dose-measuring mechanism is advised to ask the pharmacist for one.
There are physical signs of addiction to Lortab. Some of these are recognizable only when enduring withdrawal from the substance. Others, however, are experienced even when actively using.
Slow heart rate
Drug dependence when a substance is illicit
Jaundice
Paranoia
Stomach pain
Twitching of the muscles
Weakness
Weight loss
Rush Limbaugh, host of the highest-rated talk radio program in the U.S., revealed in October 2003 that he had become addicted to hydrocodone. He said he began taking the substance along with oxycodone to treat chronic back pain. He told listeners at the time that he would be headed directly to a rehab facility right after his segment.
Hole’s Courtney Love, widow of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, was arrested for assault and reckless endangerment, and she was also charged with illegal possession of hydrocodone and oxycodone.