Hydrocodone: Uses In Therapy, Characteristics And Side Effects
Many substances can be classified as pharmaceuticals or drugs, depending on their use, their addictive potential, their effects, and other characteristics. Although the essential difference between the two is that a drug has a therapeutic use, and a drug does not.
In this article we will learn about hydrocodone, a semisynthetic opioid. We will talk about the differences between opium and opiate, compare hydrocodone with other substances, and see what uses and effects this type of opiate has, in addition to its side effects.
What we mentioned in relation to the difference between a drug and a drug is what happens with hydrocodone, a semisynthetic opioid that is made from an opium substance called codeine Opium, as we will see later, encompasses substances that come from a plant called opium poppy.
Thus, hydrocodone can be used as a drug and as a drug. This substance produces analgesic and pleasurable effects and can be used to treat pain, or for recreational use, having significant addictive potential.
Origin of the substance
Hydrocodone is a semisynthetic (man-made) opioid, and is synthesized in laboratories. That is, it is not natural, it is not obtained directly from opium, but is synthesized.
It is made in laboratory settings from codeine ; Codeine, also called methylmorphine, is an alkaloid (a type of substance) that we find in opium (opium encompasses a series of substances that are extracted from a plant, and that we will learn about throughout this article).
Hydrocodone began to be used in the United States in 1943. However, itIts use is controlled and restricted, since it is a substance with a very high potential for abuse This is thanks to its inclusion in the Controlled Substances Law, 5 years ago, in 2014.
Its addictive potential is high, and that is why its use must be well controlled and if taken, take with great caution. This is why hydrocodone only supplied with a prescription However, despite being a very addictive drug with side effects that can be lethal, this substance is increasingly consumed in the United States.
Characteristics
As we have seen, hydrocodone is synthesized in a laboratory from a natural opioid that we obtain from the opium poppy plant (from its seeds). Its main therapeutic indication is the treatment of pain Additionally, interestingly, hydrocodone can also be used for coughs.
At a chemical level, it is derived from codeine, an alkaloid substance that we can find in opium. Regarding its format and routes of administration, we can find hydrocodone in different formats: in pills, capsules or syrup Thus, it is always usually administered orally.
Comparison with other substances
If we compare it with morphine the quintessential opioid analgesic, we found hydrocodone to be slightly less potent in terms of pain reduction (although the difference is minimal).
On the other hand, compared to codeine, the substance from which hydrocodone is synthesized, we see how hydrocodone is slightly more powerful than it, and this is demonstrated by certain studies.
Effects on the body
But… what effects does hydrocodone produce, in addition to reducing or eliminating pain? It also generates a pleasant effect, like “happiness”, as well as a pleasant sensation that can even reach euphoria, a feeling of tranquility, etc. All of this makes it an addictive substance and a drug, because people tend to become addicted to pleasure.
In addition, hydrocodone also has some effects typical of heroin, another semi-synthetic opioid that is also one of the most addictive drugs.
Finally, and as we have mentioned, it also produces a cough-relieving effect that also occurs in codeine.
As we have seen, hydrocodone is a substance that can be used as a drug to reduce pain, but also as a drug, and when its use becomes abusive and additive, it ends up being harmful to the person. Thus, it is a substance that can potentially be dangerous, as we will see below.
Like any drug, hydrocodone can cause certain side effects. Generally, these are nausea and vomiting, constipation, tiredness and euphoric symptoms. In severe cases, breathing difficulties may appear
Combination with other substances
Hydrocodone Side Effects They can be even more serious if their use is combined with other substances, medications or drugs Thus, if we combine hydrocodone with other drugs such as alcohol, barbiturates, cocaine or amphetamines, it can cause significant heart, lung and kidney failure.
On the other hand, it can also cause heart attacks, amnesic symptoms, coma, or even death.
What is opium?
As we have seen, hydrocodone comes from codeine, which in turn is part of opium. Opium includes opioids obtained from the poppy or royal poppy, a plant; its scientific name is Papaver somniferum. Specifically, the substances are obtained from its seeds.
The effects produced by opium are basically of three types: analgesic effects (reduce pain), pleasurable effects (or a feeling of peace and tranquility) and euphoric effects.
What is opium used for? From its compounds, medicines can be created, used especially in treatments that cause pain such as cancer treatments. It is also used to create addictive drugs, such as heroin.
Differences between opium and opiate
We have seen how opium is a natural substance from the seeds of a plant, which also has analgesic properties. Opioids, such as hydrocodone, on the other hand, are psychoactive chemicals derived from opium. They have effects similar to opiates, producing a state of happiness, calm and reducing the person’s pain.
Opioids can be of two types: endogenous (those synthesized by the body itself naturally, through the Central Nervous System (CNS)) or exogenous. Exogenous opiates try to mimic the effect of endogenous opiates, and are divided into three subtypes (where we will find hydrocodone): natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic.
1. Natural exogenous opiates
Natural exogenous opiates are extracted directly from the opium plant (the poppy or royal poppy). In this group we find morphine, widely known, and also codeine and thebaine
On a chemical level, these are the alkaloids (a type of substance) of opium.
2. Semi-synthetic exogenous opiates
Semi-synthetic exogenous opioids, also called artificial opioids, are synthesized in laboratories. Hydrocodone is part of this group, a semisynthetic opioid. But how are they manufactured? From the previous opiates, the natural ones that we extract directly from the opium plant.
Specifically, hydrocodone is synthesized from codeine, an alkaloid substance found in opium.
Another well-known semi-synthetic opiate, used as a psychoactive drug, is heroin, which is synthesized from morphine.
Finally, we find a third artificial opiate: oxycodone, manufactured from thebaine (another alkaloid from opium).
3. Synthetic exogenous opiates
Finally, synthetic exogenous opiates are more artificial than the previous ones, and that aim to imitate its effect. The difference with semi-synthetic opiates such as hydrocodone is that its structure has nothing to do with the alkaloids of opium, unlike semi-synthetics. Some examples of synthetic opiates are methadone and pethidine.
Methadone, for its part, is widely known for being used as a drug for the detoxification processes of people addicted to opiates (as maintenance treatment). Broadly speaking, what it does is simulate the effect of the drug without causing the damage it produces.
