Most commonly prescribed painkillers (OxyContin, Vicodin, Methadone, Darvocet, Lortab, Lorcet and Percocet), while offering relief from pain, can also cause individuals’ bodies to start “needing” the drugs in order to feel just “normal.”
 
Here are ten warning signs to watch for if you think someone you know may be experiencing a dependency on these drugs:
 
1. Usage increase: increase of one’s dose over time, as a result of growing tolerant to the drug and needing more to get the same effect.
 
2. Change in personality: shifts in energy, mood, and concentration as a result of everyday responsibilities becoming secondary to the need for the drug.
 
3. Social withdrawal: withdrawal from family and friends.
 
4. Ongoing use: continued use of painkillers after the medical condition they were meant to relieve has improved.
 
5. Time spent on obtaining prescriptions: spending large amounts of time driving great distances and visiting multiple doctors to obtain the drugs.
 
6. Change in daily habits and appearance: decline in personal hygiene; change in sleeping and eating habits; constant cough, running nose and red, glazed eyes.
 
7. Neglects responsibilities: neglect of household chores and bills; calling in sick to school or work more often.
 
8. Increased sensitivity: normal sights, sounds and emotions becoming overly stimulating to the person; hallucinations.
 
9. Blackouts and forgetfulness: forgetting events that have taken place and experiencing blackouts.
 
10. Defensiveness: becoming defensive and lashing out in response to simple questions in an attempt to hide a drug dependency, if users feel their secret is being discovered.