Hydrocodone addiction is one of the easiest to come by, thanks to the wide availability of drugs that contain some amount of the drug. Considering many over the counter cough and cold medications contain this drug and most doctors think nothing of writing out prescriptions for Hydrocodone products even for children under the age of 10, it should be no wonder that teenagers looking to experiment with mind-altering drugs often turn here first. This age group leads the alarming statistics of Hydrocodone addiction cases.

People suffering from a Hydrocodone addiction tend to go for any amounts and types of the drug they can get their hands on. Often, it can become almost like a scavenge hunt where they are visiting friends and relatives to look through their medicine cabinets or maybe visiting a variety of doctors to get prescriptions for ailments they may not really be suffering from. What they are really suffering from is Hydrocodone addiction.

Of course, now that more attention has been placed on the issue of Hydrocodone addiction and there have been government mandates on products marketed to children under the age of 6 which contain this drug, more doctors are making an attempt to watch for possible Hydrocodone addiction among their patients. Unfortunately, patients can simply see another doctor once one doctor refuses to write out a prescription.

So, it’s very clear that Hydrocodone addiction can fly under the radar without detection for quite some time, often not coming to light until dangerous behavior leads to very negative consequences for the addict. That leads us to what someone who suffers from Hydrocodone addiction actually goes through when they are in the throws of the addicting behavior.

Side effects while on the drugs can include extreme drowsiness or an extremely relaxed state of mind, nausea and possible vomiting, dizziness, and constipation with long term use. The appeal of the drug is the euphoric and light feeling that seems to ease the struggles of daily life and cause the addict to lose their inhibitions and feel free. It is this altered state that many teenagers find enjoyable and funny.

One major problem with Hydrocodone addiction is that many addicts will simply drink large bottles of cough and cold medication in order to get the higher doses of the drug they need to feel their high. Since most of the medications are mixed with Acetaminophen, there is a serious risk of overdosing on that as well as the Hydrocodone itself.

Many people who are brought into the Hydrocodone addiction by someone else who has been doing it for a longer period of time may be informed early on that high doses of Acetaminophen can cause severe health risks, but many young people who come to the addiction on their own accord may know this.

Since most parents keep medications that include Hydrocodone in their bathroom medicine cabinets just in case they are needed, it is very important for the bottles to be checked to ensure they are not being used when unauthorized.