Opiate Addiction - Weaning Off - Concerned About Dopamine / Please someone who knows a great deal about this

Do you know if theres permanent dopamine damage from taking hydrocodone for an extended period of time (6-7 months straight,it was max of 75 mg a day for the 2-3 months (last 2 - 3 months) I took (only 2 times - 85mg) before that i was taking 30-45 mg max a day, possibly 50 sometimes(the first 4 months) and i was taking them before that every so often, like 1 or 2 or so every week. I started weaning down, on Monday I had horrible withdrawal, now its Friday and i'm a bit better and down to 35 mg, Im trying not to take it tonight, I can't sleep well but i know that's part of withdrawal. I feel a general malaise about everything and i want to be back to my old self but i was reading that the pleasure part of the brain is damaged and may not go back to normal. i'm so set on quiting totally, i just want some reassurance that my brain will go back to normal, any advice? thank you.

Barry

[SouthernLady458]

I am addicted to Hydrocodene.  I take up to 10 per day, 10 mg.  I have an appt. this coming Monday with an addiction withdrawal organization that has inpatient and outpatient treatment.  I've been on the hydro for about 3 years, and have never quit completely....and at this point I take so much that I know I'm going to need help.  I don't know the answer to your question about dopomine but I am really interested in the answer if you find out.  I will add that to my list of questions I want to ask when I go to my appt. and I will also research the internet and see if I can find out any info.  God bless you and all of us who are haunted with addiction.  

[stoney234]

"This is your brain....this is your brain on drugs....seriously, our brains do return to normal with time, the pathways need to be changed back, chemicals and receptor sites activated again.  This does happen, but the interesting part to me is that we are so worried about AFTER, that the fact that TODAY we are foggy, flat, emotionless, depressed, miserable, confused on the **** is not the concern.  Talk about denial.  I have been sober and clean 8 years, and relapsed 15 years ago, and now almost off .25mg. sub.  I have cooked dinner 2 times this week(another miacle), and am feeling again and it is a f*****miracle.  Do not complicate this, with the help of this site you can do it.  Keep Coming.One Day at a Time...We recover.

[imakamera]

Your brain will go back to normal. But I highly suggest that you stop taking all opiates completely. That is the only way you will get your brain chemistry back. I have kicked heroin via suboxone then methadone treatment, that easy ******** didn't keep me from relapsing because it didn't allow my brain to reboot after about a year of damage. I just recently kicked an oxycontin addiction of about 300mg a day habit, I did it cold f***ing turkey. It was the most excruciatingly difficult and unbelievably painful experience I have had to go through in my life and it has taken me a month, after withdrawals, to get my brain back to normal, but it is worth the month of anxiety and depression that follows (abstinence syndrome).So just bite the bullet and get off em completely, f**k opiate substitutes that ween you down and rob you of the torture you NEED to experience in order to stay clean. You got a little habit, so you should be all good in about two weeks, Good luck, it's a battle, but the choice is Life or as sad sad numb life filled with misery and struggle and an early death, you choose....
P.S drinking alcohol helps during and after you kick, but be very careful because in excess it can contribute to anxiety and depression, and it would just suck to kick an opiate addiction and become a ragging alcoholic... Right?