Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.

Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

This community is a place to share information and support with others who are trying to stop using drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other addictive substances. Discuss with others, the symptoms of addiction, addiction recovery, ways to quit like tapering and cold turkey, and withdrawal symptoms. If you are interested in general "chat", please visit our Addiction Social Community.
Post a Question Back to Forum
 | 
MedHelp Member's Question

4-1/2 months pregnant and concerned I was addicted to Vicodin ????

by Christina, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Hello. First time here and I SERIOUSLY need some answers. I am not a long time addict. I have had NO problems with additions of any type so what I'm going through right now is very scary. I am 4 and 1/2 months pregnant and my doctor prescribed Vicodin for severe migraines that started right after I got pregnent. He said that the drugs weren't known to cause birth defects so because my migraines were unmanageable he gave me a limited supply. After spending the next month calling my doctor to get a 10 pill refill every 3-4 days, I explained that it was ridiculous and that he needed to give me enough until I saw him the next month (90 tablets). Little did I know what I was in for. After taking them the second month, 3-4 times a day my doctor and I decided to ween myself off and see if my migraines were gone. I had been concerned about taking them anyway so I decided to stop taking them at all. OH MY GOD. My question is: Are these withdrawals...light headaches, cold sweats..I'm hot but my skin is cold but I sweat everywhere all the way down to my wrists, diarreah (spelling??)tired, close to anxiety attack for which I have been diagnosed in the past so I know what they are, no energy, I scared I'm going to die, ACHY, everywhere, neck, arms, wrists, slight nausea, moody, cry all the time......today is day number 3 and I can make it thru if I know that what I'm feeling has a name or a known cause. It's been scary because I thought I was having a horrible pregnancy and I felt like my body might reject the baby. I'd feel light symptoms while I was taking the Vicodin but only when it came time for me to take another one. SO, I've been kinda yucky for the last 2 months and I thought it was because I'm pregnant. Please respond and tell me if I have hope
Member Comments (39)

by for Sick and scared/beware of Vicky!!, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Hi Christina

Hang in there. You are having withdrawl symptoms but that is normal when you take something like vicodin for a few months on a daily basis. This does no way mean you are an addict. You may find yourself wanting to take more just to make the symptoms stop but dont do it because then you will have to start all over again.

If you notice yourself wanting more vicodin and doing anything to get it, obsessing over getting it, worrying about it when you know you are almost out, finding excuse after excuse to get it because you feel like you will go nuts if you can never have it again....then its a reason for concern. But do not think just because you feel ill after stopping the drug that your addicted because it is normal to withdraw. Hope you feel better. It will be over in another day or to so hang tough. Write and let me know how your doing. Hey....you never know.....you just may have the flu instead of withdrawls.....they feel the same way!!

A friend who knows

by Julie, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Actually, I am new here.  It won't let me post a new question so I hope people will see what I say.  I spent at least 2 hours last night reading every single post on this website.  I had no idea there were so many people who go through the stupid routines that I go through every day.  Hiding it from family, friends, work..the list goes on.  I'm so tired of this but I don't know what else I can do.  I do have chronic pain and I still can't even get a real diagnosis.  But I can say this.  I would much rather be addicted to pain pills than live with chronic, excrutiating pain for the rest of my life.  And that I'm only 21 years old makes that out to be a long time.  There are just so many doctors that just don't understand what it's like to be in pain all the time.  I can't even go out with my friends or do things with my family because of the pain.  I can't go to the movies, because I can't sit for that long.  I am always cancelling plans at the last minute because I got a sudden attack of severe back pain or a horrible migraine.  What my friends must think of me to always be turning down invitations to go places.  Vicodin has made me be able to live my life again.  Sure, I may be at the mercy of this drug, but at least I can live a somewhat normal life.  Most of these doctors out there are too worried about their patients getting addicted to prescribe something that will give real relief.  NSAID's are  a complete joke and are prescribed so freely to anyone that is complaining of pain-even if the cause is clearly not an inflammatory condition.  I can honestly say that I've taken them before and have actually tried to stay on them and see if they started to work.  They have actually made the pain worse at times.  And to the people that come on here saying that talking about our withdrawal problems is not good for someone trying to recover-WITHDRAWAL is part of the process of addiction.  That is a fact.  A lot of us wouldn't be able to get through it without knowing there are others experiencing the same thing.  You can't make the road to recovery without going through all of the experiences of addiction, which includes withdrawal.  Anyway, that's about all I have to say, please anyone respond if you have any insight to what I've said.  Julie.

by cindy to christina, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Christina, me and everyone on this board is welcoming you.  What you are going through is classic withdrawal.  I am not a doctor and I wish Dr. Steve was still moderating this so you could have a real medical answer.  I think you need to check with your doctor for real reliable information.  However, I truly believe that 1) you are not dying.  Your body has been depending on narcotics to replace the natural endorphins and dopamime that the body produces naturally.  Since, unlike me, you have not been doing this for  years, once the withdrawal symptoms go away, and they will, you will be fine.  ) Try to remain calm and know that you are also cleansing your body of toxins during this time.  Believe that you are doing the best for your baby by going through this.  These are only horrible symtoms of YOUR BODY CRYING OUT!!!!  The baby will be worse off if you continue to use.  The baby will go through withdrawal if it is born while you are in an addicted state.  The best thing to do is what you have done, QUIT.  You and your baby will be fine as long as you do not use narcotics.  Your doctor was wrong to put you on something so physically addictive.  Vicodin has never been a cure for Migraines.  Somebody pleae help me here!!!!!

by for Sick and scared/beware of Vicky!!, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Hey Julie

I know exactly what you are going through here. I am in the same boat. Doctors treat you like a drug seeker when you are in pain and need relief. I am torn here though because I do not use narcotics anymore (cant find a doctor to give me them long term) but I would like to find one that will trust me enough to put me on some type of long term narcotic to ease my pain. It has been a very long time since I had anything other then over the counter meds to help my pain. But, after reading these posts all the time like I do, it does bring back memories to the withdrawls that I did go through when I finally ran out (and my doctor refused to help me any longer) he referred me to a pain clinic, but I never went. I just had to deal with the pain and the horrible withdrawls that I went through. Even something so lame as Ultram was bad to come off of ( it was worse than vicodin....and they say Ultram is not addicting!! HA!)

I also learned here that when you take narcs on a daily basis your tolerance for pain basically bottoms out after a while and even the slightest ache is a big deal to you. Actually I thought I was just a "tough cookie" to have to live with 3 herniated disks, arthritis in my back, messed up hips......nerve damage the list goes on and on (too young for this thats for sure!) and not have to take pain meds. Part of me wants to run out and find a doctor to help me but the other part of me reads so many of these posts and I am just lucky I am not there where they are again. There is so much good to learn from this forum and if you stick around long enough people will help you with advice and its all from their own experience so keep reading the posts.

Good luck

by to Vicodin Gurll, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
Welcome.  You are in an unfortunate situation.  You don't say what your back pain is caused by.  Generally, acute back pain is a result of some sort of injury or disease, and treatment with narcotics is usually just a short term thing.  With respect to the migraines, narcotics aren't the best treatment for those either.  Have you tried any of the newer medications like Zomig or Imitrex?  In short, at your age you will not find a doctor willing to keep giving you narcotics, especially for back pain and migraines.  Also, as your tolerance increases you will need greater dosages, something the docs are unlikely to provide.  Best would be to find some better treatment, get to the root of the cause (especially for the back pain) and not keep using narcotics.  Finally, if you are really using them just for pain, why are you hiding your use from your family and friends?  You're too young to already be on the road of addiction!  Janice

by to Vicodin Gurll, Nov 19, 2000 12:00AM
With all this talk of hanging chads, swinging chads, etc. in Florida, got me wondering, where are u Chad?  No doubt you're suckin down the oxy like there's no tomorrow.  Some people will just NEVER learn.  Oh well.

by Julie to Janice, Nov 20, 2000 12:00AM
The reason I am hiding my use of pain pills from my family and friends is because of the bad name the pills have.  Yes I am really in pain, and I don't see why I need to prove that to you.  I wouldn't expect someone like my family and friends or even you to understand what it's like for someone of my age to have to go through pain all the time since the age of 12.  I am still trying to find a doctor that will even believe I really am in pain to even give me some sort of diagnostic testing besides just x-rays.  Put yourself in their shoes.  A 21 year old comes to you saying she's in chronic, severe pain, yet there was no injury or trauma known to have caused it.  Automatically that always makes them think I want pain pills.  Sorry that narcotics are they only ones that work!  If I could have it my way, I wouldn't be in pain at all.  I do use imitrex for migraines, and it works.  However, like I said I've this back pain since I was 12 years old and have tried everything, and the only thing that works is narcotics.  I don't like it any more than you do, but I don't like the pain either.  I just want a normal life, and it seems I've never had one.  Gee, it must be nice for others my age to be able to go out and do things without having to come home crying because of the pain.  That's all I want, is some fuckin relief.