Prescription pain medications can also lead to addiction. Learn about the 5 most addictive painkillers.
Proper pain management has always been the goal for hospitals and doctors treating patients with acute pain. Advancements in medicine allow physicians to release patients earlier to manage their pain levels from the comfort of their homes.
However, the effect of prescribing some of the most addictive painkillers has led to an increase in substance use disorder. This is because the most potent pain medications are opioids, which are highly addictive.
What is Opioid Use Disorder?
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a brain disease that causes a person to misuse opioids despite harmful consequences. Sometimes, OUD is known as opioid addiction, and these terms have become interchangeable. The opioids in question can be both prescribed and illicit. Currently, the most addictive painkillers are sold on the street, mainly fentanyl.
All painkillers influence regions of the brain involved in reward and pleasure. Principally releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine to achieve the response in the brain.
Addiction to Painkillers
A patient may start off taking opioid medication as prescribed, while others take them recreationally from the start. Either route can result in addiction and may easily lead to an overdose or death.
We have compiled a list of five medications that are some of the most addictive painkillers on the market today. Physicians prescribe them for the treatment of acute pain. Although, in cases of terminal illness such as cancer, physicians permit long-term use.
Most Addictive Painkillers
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list. Many more addictive painkillers and other prescription opioids are available.
Fentanyl
Fentanyl is one of the strongest opioid drugs on the market. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. It is not a long-lasting drug, so it is useful for surgery recovery and breakthrough pain.
Breakthrough pain is when a person is already taking an opioid but has temporary pain that breaks through the opioid barrier. Physicians reserve fentanyl prescriptions for severe cases.
Time-release formulations of fentanyl provide strong pain relief over a span of time. They come in two forms—a lollipop and a patch.
Fentanyl also comes as a small piece of film that dissolves under the tongue. Patients can also seek out a dissolving pill as well, but it is less common.
In hospital settings, nurses inject fentanyl intravenously. For the individual misusing the drug outside of a hospital, this is highly dangerous. The difference between a therapeutic dose and a deadly dose is tiny.
As with any opioid, the main symptoms of fentanyl misuse are euphoria, drowsiness, lethargy, mellowness and pinpoint pupils. Building a tolerance to fentanyl happens very quickly. A dose that provides a high one week will probably not create that intended high even a few days later.
There are many other analogues or formulations of fentanyl that exist only illicitly. The category of novel psychoactive opioids has many different fentanyl formulations.
Oxycodone
Oxycodone was once an oft-prescribed prescription painkiller. The formulation releases pain medication into the body for up to 12 hours.
This medication helps patients with severe, long-lasting pain. It makes life easier for these individuals to function as normally as possible and participate in daily activities.
Patients do not have to take the medication every four to six hours. They can focus on having a regular daily routine.
The downside is that it is one of the most addictive pain medications available. Some prescriptions provide medical use, but most end up on the black market for sale as recreational opioid drugs.
This medication caused a public uproar in the 2000s over prescription painkiller overdose deaths. Many patients were over-prescribed due to misinformation from pharmaceutical companies.
Some brand names of oxycodone you may have heard of include Oxycontin, Roxicodone and Xtampza ER.
Percocet
Percocet is the brand name for a painkiller containing both oxycodone and acetaminophen. It is a controlled substance available by prescription only and is available in a variety of strengths.
This addictive painkiller treats moderate to severe pain. Percocet prescriptions can quickly become habit-forming.
If misused, Percocet can produce a sense of euphoria and pleasure.
Percocet works in the body in the same manner as illegal opioids such as heroin. As with most opioids, tolerance to Percocet forms quickly. This causes people to take increasingly higher doses of the drug to feel the effects once experienced with lower doses.
With continued use, physical dependence also forms rapidly, leading to full-blown addiction.
Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone, in combination with acetaminophen, relieves moderate to severe pain. Acetaminophen relieves pain and reduces fever in patients. More commonly, people know acetaminophen as the over-the-counter medication called Tylenol.
Hydrocodone can become habit-forming when taken for a long time. Additionally, acetaminophen can cause other unwanted effects when taken in large doses, including liver damage.
The most familiar name for the combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen is Vicodin. Its classification deems it as less harmful or abused than OxyContin or Percocet. Still, new, more potent versions of the drug are on the market.
Vicodin was once the most frequently prescribed opioid in the country. In 2010, there were more than 139 million prescriptions for this drug filled. With relatively easy access to Vicodin, the medication misuse rate almost quadrupled within ten years.
Since then, prescribing guidelines for prescription opioids worked to prevent over-prescribing. A state-wide database monitors patients and providers to curb doctor shopping.
Demerol
The generic name for Demerol is meperidine. Demerol is an oral pill or an injectable solution. It helps relieve pain, and the potential side effects of this medicine include seizures, shallow breathing, rashes and hallucinations.
As with all the other pain medications listed above, Demerol combats pain but can become addictive. Effective in childbirth, Demerol also helps manage pain from accidents, heart attacks, severe accidents and medical conditions such as cancer.
People sometimes misuse Demerol to escape troubling situations and to numb emotional pain. Some misuse it to cope with extraordinary stressors. In uncontrolled settings, Demerol is highly addictive. People may take more and more of the drug to achieve greater feelings of pleasure.
The longer an individual misuses Demerol, the more likely it is that their body will become physically and psychologically dependent. This can lead to intense withdrawal symptoms if drug use stops abruptly.
If you want to know whether a medication has a risk for dependency, talk to your physician or pharmacist. You can also learn more about specific medications online, as well as any interactions that may occur.
Signs of Painkiller Addiction
It is wise for families to recognize signs of painkiller addiction. This way, they can get a loved one’s help as soon as possible.
Symptoms include:
- Energy swings from high to low
- Pain medication goes missing
- Visiting different doctors frequently
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of employment
- Poor impulse control
- Self-isolation
- Evasive behavior
- Frequent lying
- Claiming fictitious painful conditions
Painkiller addiction is treatable. Opioid addiction treatment is available in different forms. The most effective method includes medication-assisted treatment in conjunction with substance use counseling.
What is the most addictive opioid?
By far, the most addictive and deadly opioid is fentanyl. However, illicit carfentanil is popping up around the country. It is a synthetic opioid one hundred times more potent than fentanyl. Its medical use is for terminal cancer patients and those recovering from severely painful surgery.
Other powerful, addictive painkillers also contribute to the current opioid crisis. Some of those include:
- Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
- Codeine
- Oxymorphone
- Morphine
Current prescribing guidelines for painkillers limit the amount of medication dispensed given to patients. Still, formulations of these drugs exist on the black market.
Opioid Addiction Treatment at AppleGate Recovery
If you suspect that you or someone you care about is addicted to painkillers, reach out to AppleGate Recovery. It does not matter how the addiction began; what is most important is that you seek help.
Treatment for painkiller addiction is available and accessible through AppleGate Recovery’s services. We treat every patient with the dignity and respect they deserve. Our providers understand that painkiller addiction can happen to people from all walks of life.
Contact us to learn more about medication-assisted treatment and how AppleGate Recovery can change your life for the better.
