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Hydrocodone....Am I going down wrong path?

When my husband got sick with a bone infection in Feb. he went through multiple surgeries. During this time he was prescribed LOTS of hyrdocodone 10's and Percocet 10's ....We were both going through a lot and I would take them to do things like clean house, ect...because of the energy it gave me. I was only taking them every once in a while then and had no problems. Now we are in November and I find myself taking them almost everyday. I have took them for weeks then stopped for a couple weeks and was fine. I don't feel like I need them, but that I just like the feeling they give me. I have not found myself NEEDING them. I have taken them for days then stopped and did not feel sick or like i HAD to have them. But, can this change suddenly? I have also noticed that it takes more  to get the same effect as 2 used to do. Now I can take 3-5  Please give me your feedback!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!
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1374653 tn?1289239473
I think Brian did a masterful job breaking this thing down for you. You said, "I feel like I could stop if I really wanted to".....deep down in your heart, you know that does not sound right.  One of the most important steps to recovery is coming to the full realization that you have a serious problem.  I started taking pills for the feeling and had the same attitude about being able to stop.  Your situation is tough because you and your mate are enabling each other, but that can always work in your favor in you decide to become partners in recovery.  My suggestion would be to prove to yourself that you could stop, by stopping.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you so much for all the responses! I was surprised to see so many people respond to my question. I really do appreciate this!! To JAYBAY- Yes, my husband knows and I am more worried about him than myself. In the last two days I have only taken 6 tens....3 yesterday and 3 today.....but he took 6 day before 8 yesterday and 3 today...then he said he didnt even "feel" the 3 he took today, although i was high for about 4-5 hrs. I am ready to stop and I look foreward to talking to everyone. I notice he may be in a worse situation than me but its hard for me to tell him to stop when I dk if I am strong enough to yet either. I'm a college student and they really do help me with staying alert and give me energy to get assingments/homework done. I know this isn't good but I feel like i could stop if i really wanted to....Its been 3 weeks taking them pretty much everyday...maybe skipped a couple days here & there...I appreciate your advise!! Keep posting :) THANK YOU ALL!
Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
You are right to be concerned.  Be VERY concerned.  Any time you reach for a pill or other substance as "mother's little helper" to get through your day, you're in trouble.  Right now, you can stop abusing the pills will little more than a little insomnia.  If you keep going like you are, even with a few days of a break in between using, one day you're going to wake up and realize you are physically dependent and dope-sick and looking for that pill just to make you feel "normal" again.  It's that sneaky.

Does your husband know you've been taking his pills?  There's a couple reasons I'm asking.  If he needs them for legitimate pain, he is obviously running out early by allowing you to take them.  How is that flying with his doctor?  Does your husband even still need them for pain or is he in the same unfortunate situation as you?

I'm glad to see that you are questioning your behavior.  That means you know you're harming yourself but also that you have a good chance to stop before it's too late.  Like everyone else said, take your pick of about any thread on this forum and you'll see hundreds of people just like you who became addicts in the same way you are - through abusing prescription medications.  There is no shame in being an addict (or, there shouldn't be) but there IS shame in knowing it and not doing anything about it.  Are you ready to quit?  
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
Have you decided what you are going to do? We are here for you to help you through this.
Talk to us! We never judge because we have no right too.
Sure hope you come back!

Brian
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
I want to add to what the poster above, this_big said. He said you'll find most of our stories start out right where you are at. I can't even start counting how many first time posters typed almost exactly what you had typed. So many say that their spouse was prescribed them and that they had a headache, a toothache, etc, and took one. The loved how it made them feel. It gave them that added energy so many of us can use. They noticed how they could get twice as much work done during  the day and still have time to do other things such as play with their kids. Most say it made them feel like superwoman or superman. But if you read most of the posts they come here seeking advice way too late and are already a full blown addict. They are here seeking advice because they can't stop. I hope you aren't at this point quite yet but if you don't put a end to you abusing the pills you will be before you know it. It may be tomorrow, maybe next week, or if you have been taking them for a week straight without a week off in between you may already be in a tough situation. Many of the other posts you will read are about people that took them for legitimate pain reasons. I'll use my self as an example. I mentioned how I started due to a back injury. For the first year I hated how they made me feel but they controlled my pain. Addiction didn't even cross my mind at all. I had never had a problem with anything in my life and I just looked at it as a medication I needed which I the time, I did. I never took them for the energy, the high, or to feel better mentally. What I'm trying to get at is I took them for all the right reasons and eventually it ended up biting me in the butt before I even had a chance blink. I didn't have any sort of warning from my body or from anyone else. I look back now wishing addiction would have crossed my mind. Now if I would have like the feeling or the energy buzz I would have noticed I was addicted long before I did.
I'm not judging at all when I say this because I have no right too. I am an addict so it's not my place to judge. I say this trying to help. You are taking these pills for all the wrong reasons. You are taking them for the energy and because you like how they make you feel. Let me ask you this, if instead of the pills if you were to of drank a glass of wine instead of a pill at the same times during the day in which you now take a pill would you think you have a problem with alcohol? If you had to drink a glass of wine in order to get the added energy to clean the house or do things would that raise any red flags? I'm guessing your answer is yes. Right there you should realize that you have a problem. Is your problem too big to where you can't put an end to it now and move on with life? I'm not sure. But I can assure you if you continue down this road you will wake up one morning an addict. Once you cross the line into addiction your life will never be the same. Addiction does not go away. It is something that has to be dealt with for life. Once an addict, always an addict. Your either in active addiction or recovery but you will never go back to the way you were before.
You know you are walking a tight rope and are concerned or you wouldn't be here asking for advice. Please take our advice and put them down for good. When you do stop taking them, and I hope it's immediately, if you notice it's more of a problem than you had thought, please come here for support. We are a great group of people that will not judge. So many here have started the way you have. I pray that you caught this before it gets more out of control than it already is.

Brian
Helpful - 0
753324 tn?1457819192
You've gotten great advise from above posters. Like they said just read some posts you'll find most of our stories start out right where your at.Good luck
Helpful - 0
1494729 tn?1304881080
I was never prescribed i took them for the hell of it and thought I'll never have a problem with them and now it's been a year and a half later and me and my buddy was snorting vics like it was the fun thing to do ..now on my 2nd day and having w/d ***** *** and i don;t even know what to do any help is welcome i say u better quit though cause those little suckers have a way of really making you want them real bad....one day at a time ..i hear day 3 and 4 are the worst is that true anyone know...???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
HI Welcome to the forum....I second what Brian wrote to you...I also took them for legitimate
back pain but started to have the same thing happen I needed more for the same effect
somewhere I crossed the line and started waiting till the end of my work day and took my whole daily dose at once....I couldn't perform my job wile on them and by the end of the day I was in terable pain....taking them like this not only got rid of the pain but also gave me a buzz at the same time....I liked the way it made me feel....well several pain management doctors later we went to stronger and stronger pills the whole time I was abusing them
as a last resort they put me on methadone I spent 6 1/2yr on that and it quit working
now I had a monster of an addiction to get rid of....it took me 8 1/2mo to get off that stuff
going in and out of withdrawals along the way....you need to end your recreational use b/4 you wind up like Brian or me....withdrawals are no fun the stuff your messing with will get its hooks in you if you keep playing with it its only a mater of time please take our advise and give it up....if you suffer with the mental cravings that drive you to use N/A has a good program to overcome this part of the addiction most of us can stop its staying stoped that takes all the work keep posting for support and read the post to see what you might be getting yourself into good luck and God bless.....Gnarly
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
If you continue down this path your tolerance will continue to rise. You have already noticed this own your own.
The longer you take them the harder it is to stop taking them. I started taking them due to a legitimate injury. The first year I took as prescribed without a problem. I then noticed myself taking more and more trying to get the same effect. Within a few months I was taking 5 times the prescribed amount.
Back to the tolerance thing. After time your tolerance will grow so much that you will not be able to take enough to get that energy buzz you once got. You will end up taking them just to keep from getting sick. You are definitely playing with fire here. Your best bet is to put them down asap. Just browse through this forum and read the many horror stories. There are literally millions of people addicted to prescription pain meds in the US. It is only a matter of time before you are one of them if you're not already.
When was the last time you took a few weeks off from taking them? If it has been even a week since you last tried this you may be in for a big surprise.

Brian
Helpful - 0
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