Pain killer addiction

[mommyalshahin]

Okay...here goes.  I have a friend, really, a friend that is addicted to Hydrocodone.  I don't know the effects of pain killer addiction or withdrawal.  She is tired all the time, constantly complaining of pain when really there is nothing medically wrong with her.  As I said before, I don't know what addiction does to a person because I have never been addicted to anything except cigarettes.  When she doesn't have a pill she complains of her legs and back hurting.  In my mind this is because she wants the pills, am I correct?  I don't know very much about things like this that is why I came to your forum.  I have so many questions like do Hydrocone pills mess with your immune system (she says they do), what are some of the ways to help her quit, is tough love a good thing?  I just need help helping her and showing her the way out of the darkness.

Thanks,
mommyalshahin

[babs_01]

Keep fighting until someone figures out what is wrong.    I was lucky and finally found a dr that believed me and tried to help instead of saying i was addicted or depressed!  

If you dont fight for yourself, nobody will fight for you!

[aki42]

babs_01 I agree with you 100%. I am still not diagnosed even after months of tests(mri,ctetc). I can say I use to be in extreme pain and doctors thought I was lieing to not go to school before. I am lucky in the fact the pain has gone down some what.Now I have a doctor that knows I am in pain which has helped out a lot.

~Sorry to go into my own problems just trying to help.

[babs_01]

I used to always tell people that I didnt feel good, that my back hurt and I had headaches and all I ever heard was that i was a hypochondriach and I just wanted the pills.  Nobody, including my family or drs believed me because I was never able to tell them exactly what was wrong with me.  After 8 years of this I was finally diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Please, please dont just disregard your friend because they cant be specific about what is wrong with them!  Tell them to fight to find out what is wrong and if one dr wont help, find one that will.

[aki42]

Well I would never assume something. She might have just not be diagnosed correctly. Like me but that is just another story. I would take a look at this link provides good info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocodone