Prescription opiate medications have become the most commonly abused drugs in the United States. When used for medicinal purposes, prescription opiates work well at relieving moderate and severe pain symptoms.

While hydrocodone is just one of many prescription pain reliever drugs, it is the most frequently prescribed pain medication, according to the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Not surprisingly, hydrocodone also ranks as the most commonly abused drug, both legal and illegal.

Widely used and just as popular, it was only a matter of time before hydrocodone street names entered the underground fray. Like any other type of drug slang, the more popular a particular drug, the quicker its slang or code names emerge. Hydrocodone street names have evolved along the same lines.

While hydrocodone’s intended role is for legal prescription purposes, legal only applies when the drug is used as prescribed. When used for recreational purposes, the potential for abuse and addiction increases considerably.

Hydrocodone Effects

Hydrocodone was first synthesized in the 1920s by Knoll, a German pharmaceutical company. By adding a hydrogen atom to codeine molecules, hydrocodone was designed to be easier on the stomach while still delivering the same pain-relieving effects as codeine. During the same period, the U. S. was contending with the rampant occurrence of opiate addiction caused by popular codeine-based cough syrups of the day.

A 1920s study conducted by the National Research Council found hydrocodone-type drugs to be less addictive than codeine-based remedies and so adopted hydrocodone as a less harmful medication. Interestingly enough, just a few of the hydrocodone street names refer to today’s hydrocodone-based cough syrup remedies.

Legal Status

Not surprisingly, a drug’s “status” pretty much determines where it becomes a commodity in the underground market. Likewise, hydrocodone street names evolve out of the drug’s status as a Schedule II/Schedule III narcotic.

Controlled substances are listed according to abuse and addiction potential with Schedule I drugs being the most harmful and Schedule V drugs being the least harmful. Rest assured any drug worthy of a hydrocodone street name carries a considerable potential for abuse and addiction.

Hydrocodone Street Names

Hydrocodone products go by several different brand names, some of which have their own hydrocodone street names. Examples of hydrocodone products include:

• Vicodin
• Vicoprofen
• Norco
• Lortab

Likewise, street names associated with these drugs go by:

• Vikes
• Norco
• Hydro

Abuse Practices

Hydrocodone drugs come in capsule, tablet and syrup form. While taking pills offers the most convenient method for use, recreational users have been known to crush capsules and tablets into powder form for snorting and/or injection purposes.

These practices deliver the full effects of the drug all at once as opposed to the slow-acting, time-release effects when taken as is. Rather than relying on doctor’s prescriptions, users access drug supplies through internet pharmacies, forged prescriptions and doctor-shopping practices.

Cough Syrups

Hydrocodone’s use as an antitussive or cough suppressant has brought about its own culture in terms of how these medications are abused. Hydrocodone street names and phrases depict how recreational users ingest these medications.

The phrase, “sippin’ on syrup” refers the hydrocodone-based yellow cough, Tussionex. “Tuss” is another name that specifically references the drug’s antitussive effects.