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Avatar universal

Please help!!

Been on Lortab, 3 daily 5/500, 2 years for pain in both feet.  9 different doctors cannot find the reason.  I am on day 2 without any hydros and the anxiety is almost more than I can stand.  Does this end?  I am shaking, cant sleep, both feet sting/burn and I cant help but think I am doomed to be taking these things the rest of my life.  

The biggest struggle I am having right now is giving in and taking the Lortab to make the pain go away or living with the pain the rest of my life.  I think this is what is causing me most of the problems.  Doctor says I'm dependent not addicted...what is the difference?  Any help would be appreciated.
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Avatar universal
hey friend, so sorry to hear you're in such a bad way.

YES it is normal and it totally sucks, but the physical stuff will pass SOON.  what you are describing sounds like what alot of us went through when we quit.

are you taking anything or eating anything to help you thru the w/d? have you read the thomas receipe as well?

i pretty much stayed in a hot bath the first 48 hours, and used benzo's the first week to help with the anxiety.

it'll get better, and soon.  it really will...

i hope this helped...  

-mj
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi there,

I believe it means you are physically dependant not mentally.  A lot of us here have had to take them to feel mentally ok.  We get to the point where our brains are not functioning properly without the drug.  Something to do with our opiate receptors.  Fladdict knows a lot about this - I am sure she will fill you in.

The feelings you are describing last about a week.  The first few days being the worst.  There are things you can do to make yourself more comfortable.

See the Thomas recipe posted lower on the board.  

All my best,

Shelby
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This is normal because your body has learned to depend on the drug being in your system..............It will get better in a few days (usually 3-4).   Keep posting to let us know how you are doing, ok?

Shelby and Mar had great information to follow.
tzt
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
What about weakness?  I have no energy at all.  Cant think straight and am in a really bad mood.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Unfortunately the energy will take time to return to normal on its own.

Are you eating?  There are some things right now that will go down better then others - ice cream really helped me.  Gave me some energy.

The Thomas Recipe helps with the energy part too.

You are going to need time though more then anything else.  I am sorry to say there is no real quick fix for this.  I do not want to push another drug on you but Benzo's do help calm your mind.  You just have to be VERY careful with those - they are addicting also.  Taken only for the first few days though - you should not have any problems.

Shel

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
unfortunately, that's part of it too...

for me, i loaded up on multi-vitamins, and thx to a member here giving me the info, the vitamin waters really helped too.

(i'm sure some other members can be more specific about additional vit's that might help.)

what you will have to remember tho is PATIENCE.  it will take a little time.  but i assure you you can do it.  and it DOES get better, sooner than you think... the first few days tho - physically - are the worst, so just know that.

keep on posting and asking for help too.. this forum has really helped alot of people.

and what you are feeling is NOT forever.. it really isn't.

warmly,
mj
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
you mention pain a few times, is that why you take them? Only you know that, not your dr,not us. what does your dr say? does he say i dont know whats wrong but heres a scrip for pills? do you see just 1 dr? have you tried any kind of physical therapy? do you crave the pills to relieve pain only or do you "feel better" mentally? these are questions only you can answer. you may want to go to na.org,go to litature and look up the pamphlet "am i an addict". if youve taken 3 per day as prescribed for 2 years then yes,at the least your dependent in that you will experiance wds when you quit. these can be mild if you listen to the advice you can get here. in 3 days (72 hrs) the narcs will be out of your system and youll feel physically better but why are you out of pills? do you crave them to relieve the pain in your feet or do you also "feel better" mentally? maybe you should spend the day reading posts and decide where your at between dependent and addicted. gl to you
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Last doctor that I visited said I had a bulging disk in my back which was pinching my sicatic nerve causing pain to run down the back of my legs into both feet.  A few weeks later I had a shot in my back to see if that would help....it didn't.  

The pain does go away after taking a Lortab...and yes...I do enjoy the pain free feeling.  At first I thought.,..ahhhh...this is what it feels like to be pain free then realized that not only was the pain gone but I had the "High" feeling.  What is scarry is that it took me over a year to realize the difference.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Its so hard when there is real pain involved.   Is there anyway to lower your dose and still get some relief?    I have heard that there are non-narcotic pain relievers that you could try (prescription strength).   I have tried several but when my back flares up they really don't help.  You probably have tried some too.   On this forum I have learned that there are many other non-narc available but I just didnt' know at the time and I did ask for several non-narc before resorting to vicodin.   I wished now that I would have kept asking to try more non-narc meds even while taking the vic and soma which did help the pain hugely.

Warmly,
tzt
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Cant take NSAIDS or asprin.  3 years ago I had a 2 diverticulum rupture and then had 12 inches of my lower colon removed.  30 days after that I had 2 ulcurs rupture during the night and I almost bled to death then had a blood transfusion to keep my alive.  Doc said all this was due to the Advil & asprin I was taking to help with the foot pain.  At that point I was taking up to 8 Advil a day and would add in a few Excedrin.  That is when the Lortab began..really no other options for me.  

What is scarry is I know that if opiates are the only option for me it is only a matter of time when the dosage has to go up.  I'm at 5/500 now..which will turn into 10/500 which will turn into Perc's and so on.  I'm really scared right now and worried about the future.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Have you told your dr that you are uncomfortable being on the loritabs?  If so what does he/she say?

I know when I told my dr. he said that i should stick with what works.  What i didn't tell him is that i wasn't taking them as prescribed.

Is there any pain reliever w/o aspirn or the other stuff you can't take?

What is good is that you arent on too high of a dose of loritab and your withdrawal should be less intense.  
When I took the vicodin and soma as directed it relieved the pain.  I just started taking more because I wanted it to take away the pain AND give me a buzz.

tzt
Helpful - 0
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