What is Kadian?
Kadian is a pain medication used to treat severe, long-lasting pain, mainly in cancer patients. Kadian is classified as an opioid analgesic (narcotic) and is prescribed only to patients that are opioid-tolerant.
Kadian was manufactured as an extended-release version of morphine. The goal was to produce something that worked just as well as morphine but lasted much longer since morphine’s effects quickly fade. This makes Kadian a highly sought-after substance for people who are struggling with addiction and want something stronger to counteract their tolerance.
Even though Kadian is rarely prescribed, it’s become widely distributed illicitly and is commonly misused by people with or without a prescription.
How is Kadian Used?
Since Kadian is stronger than other common opioids like hydrocodone, it’s important to follow the dosage instructions carefully to reduce substance misuse and potential addiction. Doctors will closely monitor their patients taking Kadian so they can interfere if they believe it’s being misused.
Kadian is taken as an oral tablet, and the dosage is usually 100 mg once a day. The opioid is meant to relieve pain for up to 24 hours. If someone who has no tolerance or experience with opioids takes Kadian, the single dose could cause a severe overdose.
Some expected side effects of Kadian are constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, dry mouth, nausea, and vomiting.
Kadian Addiction
Kadian is only given to patients that are opioid-tolerant; people taking Kadian might quickly build up a tolerance for it as well, possibly leading to substance misuse. Misusing Kadian does not always mean someone is addicted to it. An addiction indicates strong, uncontrollable cravings for Kadian, and these cravings often cause someone to constantly seek the opioid or other opioids to satisfy those cravings.
Since Kadian is prescribed to patients who are experienced with narcotics, someone struggling with addiction may seek the opioid since its potency surpasses other lower-dose narcotics. One dose of Kadian will produce stronger effects than several doses of a weaker narcotic.
People who become addicted to Kadian might start mixing it with other opioids or alcohol to produce a stronger effect. They may also display a lack of interest in other aspects of life, and they might ignore work or even sleep to obtain and take Kadian.
The Importance of Aftercare
Opioid addictions have the highest chance of returning to regular substance use. The best way for someone to stay in recovery is to find a medical detox center to help deal with withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from Kadian is challenging because the high potency causes people to experience uncomfortable — sometimes painful — withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms can become so unbearable that, without medical supervision, recurrence of use is likely.
The Recovery Village has 24/7 medical supervision to ensure that all of our patients are comfortable and have support when they need it. We care about your long-term recovery. For more information, contact us online or call our 24/7 helpline at 877-427-7401
The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.