Thank you so much for your emails!!  I must have re-read them a thousand times.  

The difference between vicoprofen and vicodin is that vicoprofen is hydrocodone and ibuprofen instead of hydro and tylenol.  I was taking 3 - 7.5 mg. 4 times per day.  I never had a craving for the drug, never took more than was necessary - the doc did tell me if i hadn't taken my full doses during the day 4 pills at bedtime would be fine.  That was the only adjustment I ever made.  About a week ago, for the first time in months I woke up with zero pain.  I stopped taking the pills then and thought I would die.  So I called the prescribing doc and he said to stay on the pills.  I was very conflicted because I knew I no longer needed them.  So, I continued taking the pills only to avoid withdrawals.  I called the doc again last Thursday and said I wanted off and asked how - they offered no help just an appointment for me to "discuss my options" tomorrow.  So that is when I tried on my own.  I couldn't take the pain, chills, sweats, nausea, runs, etc. so I went to the ER.  The doc there prescribed clonidine which lowers the blood pressure.  I have slowly been getting better.  Taking the clonidine and vitamins.  Yesterday I was so tired, I couldn't move, so today I cut the clonidine in half.  I think it is helping because I am thinking much more clearly.  One thing that is completely different is how thirsty I am.  I have had 3 - 16 oz. bottles of water plus a few glasses of apple juice and I'm still so thirsty.