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Been on Fiorinal/cod 30mg cap.
by laysea, Feb 07, 2003 12:00AM
Hi I am a 37 yr old female married with kids and I was in a car accident over 3 yrs ago which got me on my roller coaster ride with pain meds, I started on vicodin es for about 2 yrs then they stopped working then started on fiorinal/cod for the past year and I take these on a daily basis and find myself taking them even when I don't have any pain, I try to stop but start getting a headache so end up taking one. I know I am addicted but am afraid to stop. does this certain med damage your liver, kidneys, heart and so on. I don't know what to do. My doc was out of the office for 2 weeks and I ran out so I seen his associate and he refused to refill my meds so I found another doctor who did. I feel terrible about this, I also see the same doc and he freely gives me 60 pills at a time usually with 2 refills, his associate was so rude to me, he told me I needed rehad to get counsleing and just his attitude twards me, he is very strict on giving out pain meds so he said I should have known better than to ask him. Is the best way to stop is to cut down slowly or go cold turkey? I don't think I could handle just stopping is that a professional way to get someone off these meds when they have been on them for years on a daily basis. I just need some advice on the best way to kick this habbit, I don't feel just taking the pills away at once is right but I could be wrong. any info you can give me is appreciated. Thank You
Laysea
Laysea
If you scroll way down you will find a thread all about fiorinal/fioricet addiction. (fioricet is the same as fiorinal except it has tylenol instead of aspirin). There is a whole group of us and there is one poster who was taking the fiorinal with the codeine. You will not be able to add a comment to that thread because it is full. Maybe we can start a new thread here.
I stopped for the umpteenth time on November 22nd, this time I stopped by slowly tapering. I fessed up to one of my neurologists (I had 5 or 6 of them who were prescribing this drug for me and none of them knew about each other). He started me on a taper and then I saw an addictionologist/neurologist who is very familiar with this drug and she is monitoring me and also has me on a drug called "neurontin" which has helped with the cravings and the anxiety and insomnia which are part of the WD from this drug. (I have quit this drug cold turkey and it was hard because I suffered from alot of anxiety, insomnia and rebound headaches).
I suggest you scroll down further and find the thread (it was started back in September by a poster named Connie51) My story is there as well as many other people who have been hooked on this drug.
Believe me if you are starting to go to different doctors it can only get worse. That is how I started and I ended up with a whole address book full of docs.
Trust me you don't want to go there.
Please keep posting
Golden Slipper
Sorry I meant to address that to you Laysea.
Again welcome and please keep posting.
Well, you came to the right place! I, and many others on this thread have been right there in front & beside you, some, for 20+ yrs.
Few things:
Right now, scroll down 80% & find "Fiorcet Addiction" thread. You will learn that not only are you not alone but you'll learn a LOT about this very addictive, seductive drug. THAT'S AN ORDER!
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, go cold turkey off this med, because of the bultabital. Codeine, OK. Just did that one myself & no prob. But as you read thru the thread you will understand that cold turkey off bultalb. is almost asking for seizures, delirium tremens & sometimes death. You'll understand once you read the thread.
You didn't say how much you take per day but as an addict & knowing this combo all too well, I'd have to say your words are resplendent with hints that you are, or VERY close to becoming one. The fact that your heart tells you to seek help here says much, n'est-ce pas? Do you mind telling me how much you are taking? And for the record, if you said 50 p. day, well it wouldn't knock any of *us* over!
I am *not* a med. practitioner of any flavor but as a journalist/writer (meaning utterly anal about research) & having read what everyone else has been taking, not to mention myself (!), I'd say, fret not right now about your liver, heart & kidneys...for now. If you've taken tylenol or aspirin in high doses for a long time & drink regularly & fairly heavily (causes dbl whammy on liver), I take the above back. But AS A NON MEDICAL PERSON, I'd say, assess what your intake has been, do the research, read our thread & it should set your mind at rest for the moment. You can also try all sorts of natural detox's such as Milk Thistle which is purported to be for the liver over-inundated with drugs and other sundrie items. You can also have your doc check your liver enzymes which is just a blood test like getting your hemagloben checked.
We have a fabulous thread tho we seem to have been cut off :-( Nice to do to an addiction grp w/out any warning! One fabulous woman is Kat49, whose name you'll see just below your post on the Q&A page.
Pls read the thread. It is long but reading it is worthwhile.
Take care, keep your chin up & DO NOT hesitate to send me questions. AND REMEMBER: You will get thru this! And I'm 105 lbs. & taken FAR more of both substances for much longer than I imagine you ever could & I'm not only alive alive & kicking but feeling better than I have in, oh, a decade! And I'm almost off it & 2 yrs. ago I was on 115 a wk. of Fior. Plain & tons of Tylenol 3. And in our grp, sometimes I feel like an under-achiever!
Take care & do write me if you are so inclined. YOU WILL GET THRU THIS!
Dancing in the Dark
I tried to reply to your msg but that thread is full too! I'm feeling a major national article coming on....charging $ for a question, cutting ppl off, no warning. Before I hit the editors, I'll ensure if I'm 100% correct or not. If I'm not....I too have been going thru holy hell these last few days so forgive me! You all are my support grp & I went to buy but the pharmacist knew I'd quit & engaged me in a long conversation, soon lost the urge & quickly decided to tough it out. Tough it was & then some. But I was so proud of myself for not acquiescing!
Fortuitously, Golden has started another thread under the Question near the top about Fior/Cod.
I know you're busy but as you recall, we talked on the phone a few wks. ago about contractual work for you thru a long-time client of mine. Can you email her ASAP today? I know you're busy & sad with the funeral but she wants to reward the contract Mon. & your proposal, she liked best! In other words, she must talk to you today, at least by email. So, dash her off an em to set up a time for a good yaw & I'm pretty certan you'll get the contract.
You GO Girl! Her email is ***@****
Dancing
They wouldn't cut us off without warning & then try & skank funds out of us to keep up our much needed camaraderie, would they?
I would think not but I am much confused.
Ideas?
Dancing in the Dark
FINISHED!!
As far as your friend on Ativan...I took it over 10 yrs. ago *very* briefly but what I do know is it's a benzo, right there in bed with valium. And having come off valium...my god, I couldn't wish that nightmare on ANYONE! And the Ativan? Whatever picnic that was purported to be, I wish I'd never been invited!
I had a meticulous doc & she'd give me *just* enough for my out-of-town trips & no more. I was on the verge of screaming at the conference (I was planner). So, took the mildest as directed, 3x a day for 10 days 3-5 x a yr. That was all I got & all I needed. But she warned me & the more I learned, being much later addicted to valium, the more it frightens me. They're both in the same family/class, alas,
Maybe you know (?) better than your friend (who's ever honest with themselves?) if she *really* needs it, how much she'd be getting & if you think she has the propensity to abuse.
I'd stay on the other side of anywhere to keep distance from benzos. What does she need it for?
And as I keep asking myself. Has anyone ever died of pain? And what the heck do ppl do in places where meds are completely beyond their reach? That represents over 2/3 of the population! I've never seen soul reeling about on any broadcast, holding their head, so in pain they stop because they can't function? Or, even complaning! They get the same maladies but methinks they're too busy fighting to survive to worry about obtaining pain meds. We live in an instant society & medicine is only a small aspect of this problem.
QUESTION: If a major war broke out tomorrow, wherein N.A. was attacked, would the emphasis on pain mgmt:
a) go up b) go down c) stay the same
*I* think that was a rhetorical question.
But that's probably just me & I am waxing philosophical because I worked all night!!!
GOLDEN: Will you tell me how you are doing? I've thought & wondered much how you're doing off fior. as I'm almost there myself & utterly terrified. You've so inspired me.
We need a new F thread, n'est-ce pas? Everyone I get on that's new is full after 5-7 msgs.
BTW; How DO you open a new thread since I note you so masterfully did it?
Keep in touch & keep that petal to the metal. You have much inspired me.
Dancing in the Dark
I still have cravings and headaches, but I am trying to deal with life "one day at a time" that for me anyway, is the only way I stay sane. I also see an addicitonologist and a counselor once a week. It is not easy, but neither is being addicted to this **** and having to constantly figure out where you are going to get your next script.
Sad to say I made a career out of it. I wasted alot of years abusing this stuff.
I hope we can keep this thread going for a while. In answer to your question about starting a new thread, you just have to post a question to the forum. I think, at this point, they are limited to 2 questions per day, or maybe it's just 1 question, I can't really remember.
I do love reading your posts. Keep up the good work.
KAt, Linnie, Connie and JR where are you guys?? Hope you are doing ok and if not all the more reason to post.
Please let us know how you are doing.
Golden
Im sure your main doc would be pissed if you told him what happened. In the first place, even if you do need to get off narcs, it is your pcp who should discuss it with you and set up a taper schedule and give you any necessary meds to ease wd's. I found my doc more helpful than I could ever have hoped for. He even admitted it to be "our" problem. And WE would work together to get me out of this hell with the least possible misery. He treated it like any other malady I could have needed treatment for. It was just another office visit that he would research/diagnose and treat the problem. All he asked of me was to be truthful and open with him since addiction treatment is a touchy matter with him essintially being your unknowing supplier.
O.K. Im starting to ramble. Your post just hit a raw nerve. Too bad you can't hook that dude up on about 2 year habit of 400-500mg of oxy/day and then cut him off ct