This is more of a statement than anything else and I guess in the end it's a good thing. I've been taking Vicodin/Norco for 14+ years. I was off of it for nearly 2 years and then went back on it because of kidney stones. I felt better on Vicodin than off, I discovered. The problem is, to keep feeling good, you always have to increase the dosage. That's not good at all for many reasons....the worst is your body will eventually shut down if you keep doing this.
Well I did some looking around and found that some doctors were treating people with Suboxone for depression. It has been shown to actually help people. I asked my doctor to try this and he agreed. When I first started taking this, I didn't like it at all. I was anxious and I had a problem breathing a little bit. I thought this was just something that would go away....and it did. Well I was on Sub for about two months and then I had a really hard time breathing! So much so that I thought I'd have to go to the ER. I didn't but I tested it quite a few times. Initially when this happened, I was abusing it a little. I had done it before and nothing happened.
Going back a few months...something similar happened to me when I first started taking Vicodin again. I did this because of kidney stones initially. I had a really hard time breathing and it felt like something was squeezing my heart. I asked my cardiologist if Vicodin could be causing this and he said no. Well, it started exactly when I started taking the Vicodin. I thought it strange, but hey, doctors know more than you right.....uh yeah.....right. This lasted for about 2 months and then it went away almost completely. The docs wouldn't refill my Vicodin and everything that I still had...what little I had...went away. They refilled my Vics again but the breathing problem didn't come back.
So I started taking Suboxone and like I said I had the breathing problems at first and it went away. I was abusing it sometimes and it was OK. Anyway after two months I had a breathing attack and the sensation that something was squeezing my heart. Anyway it didn't just go away. In fact with the Sub, it would often get worst after 4 to 8 hours. It would take 12+ hours to get better. Anyway even when I took it as prescribed it wouldn't go away. At best, it would get better but not go away and after I'd take a dose, it would come back again, although not as bad as the first time...it was still bad enough! Anyway it seems that my body has changed and while I can take Vicodin/Norco, I have some trouble breathing. It's not too bad with Vicodin but clearly my body doesn't like it anymore. Oh and when it was pretty bad with the Sub, I also had some edema on my left ankle.
When I did go to the ER last year with the original breathing and heart problem...although they didn't find anything, I was told to look for swelling in the extremities. So when I found this, I was shocked. Maybe my heart is fine...at least that's what the Angiogram said....I had that done last year. I think if I continue to take Suboxone and even Vicodin/Norco longterm, I think it will kill me. I've prayed so many times that God would help me stop somehow. Well, it seems He's answered my prayers! I can no longer take this stuff anymore. There's part of me that does wish I could take the Sub though as it seemed like it helped me, but ultimately it's not. No matter what good it did for me, I clearly can't take it. I have a very bad reaction to the Suboxone!