Please help

[bluespence]

I posted a question last night and I got one response (thank you) but was hoping for more...how is everyone getting so much prescribed medicine from their Doctors? I am taking Tylenol w/Codeine and I get 120 tablets at a time and it is supposed to last me 15 days...last time I took the 15 day supply in about eight days and when I was out and had to wait for more I thought I was going to die. My whole body hurt, and I felt so anxious and irritable..just plain horrible. But I keep reading how so many people are taking way more of the dosages of thier meds and I am wondering how you get your Doctor to give you that much?? I know I am getting addicted (mainly physically) and I don't know how I will function if I am cut off...but the one day I was out of meds was so UNCOMFORTABLE...thoughts, suggestions???

Thank you, Denise

[oxysbliss]

I suggest QUITTING!!

Alot of us dont get those prescriptions from doctors..Alot of us buy them on the street or do things illegal to get them.......

[slowlybetter]

Hi Denise,

Welcome to the forum.  From my own experience after taking Tylenol 3 for a while it doesn't work very well. It sounds like you are building up a tolerance to it and you may need something stronger so you won't have to take so much to get you through the pain.  120 tablets every 15 days is quite a bit and the Tylenol is terrible for your liver.  I know you wouldn't find a doctor to prescribe any more than that.  It is actually a good thing though because if you have more than 4000 mg of Tylenol per day then it is terrible for you liver.  In fact it really isn't good to have it everyday from what I have read but when you are in pain I guess you don't have a choice.

My doctor has never given me that much pain medication.  I had horrible pain, like an 8 or 9 out of 1 to 10 scale on a daily basis.  I had surgery and my pain is better and I have just tapered down over a couple of months and am on day three with no meds.  I still have pain but I am trying to get through with tylenol and aleve.  My withdrawals haven't been that bad.  The worst part was the leg cramps but I still was able to sleep last night with a heat wrap on my legs.  One reason I want off the meds is because the more pain medicine you take the more pain receptors you have and you become MORE sensitive to pain and so you need more medication.  What type of pain problem do you have?  Is it something that can be fixed or is it a lifelong thing?

As far as your question about how do people get their doctors to prescribe so many pills, I don't think everyone gets them from the doctor.  And then there are others in pain management and they do give more meds but they wouldn't give more Tylenol 3 because of the Tylenol.  If you were in pain management (I think you have to be referred there, someone correct me if I am wrong) they would probably put you on something without Tylenol that was longer acting and then give you med for break through pain.  Does that make sense?  Some people take long acting forms of morphine, oxycodone, and other things without Tylenol.  But typically pain management is reservered for very severe cases (which might be you, I don't know your situation).  If I were you I would be really careful about the Tylenol because of your liver.  What do you do for 7 days out of the 15 when you don't have meds?  Do you work or have children?  I know it must be terrible!  I just feel a little blah and I don't like it but I can function.

If you have more questions feel free to ask....hope this helps a little.

SB

[nikki1975]

i think most people on this forum are trying to quit taking these addictive narcotics. You just cant believe the amount of pain you going to cause yourself if you continue taking these meds. And like the previous post said after a short while your tolerence will be so high that you will have to take a lot to just live your daily life and still have the pain

Please take this seriusly and seek alternative pain managment avenues
I am here just finished kicking the pils and geting my old self back. You will become a prisoner to those things

But noone can tell you to stop utill you are ready to. I just hope you dont learn the hard way and let many years pass by ...

Wish you luck

[jbow]

I go to a pain management clinic. They had me onn a 5mg fentanyl patch and if you are in that much pain, that is what I would suggest. It will help control the pain and hopefully you will not abuse it. I was on one every 48hrs as the 72hrs did not work for me. Also they give me 120 Vicoprofen, they are 7.5 hydro and along with the patch I only needed 2 or 3... sometimes 4 a day. I would always have some left over, even when I was on 90 a month. When they upped me to 120 a month I had many left over, like over 100.

I got really tired of the patch because of sleeping 12 hours a day etc. and decided to get off it, the extra vicoprofen really helped.

I would suggest that you find a pain clinic and address your pain, the patch does not get you "high" but controls the pain.

I am in some pain now but not as much as I thought I would be. I am tapering the vicoprofen now.

Good luck...

J

[bluespence]

Thank you all for your input...the reason I started the pain meds was because I had severe pain in my neck shoulder and arm. I was diagnosed with degenerate artritis of the spine. I have been taking the pain meds for about three months, but now when I try to quit my whole body aches and I am very irritable. I do have two kids ages 10 and 8 and when I am not on the meds I am not very patient with them. I also felt very anxious when I was not taking them and once I got my refill I could just feel my body relaxing and it was so wonderful. I hate the pain, but I am not sure what to do now. I will try to find out about the pain management thing and talk to my Dr about switching to something else. I just don't think I could go cold turkey since I was suffering so much just for the one day I was out. (maybe I am a wimp)   :)

I figured out of all the pain meds Tylenol w/codine would be the least addictive because I have heard stories about oxycoton, pergacet, vicatin, etc...so taking any of those meds kinda scared me...but now that I am having these symptoms with the Tylenol w/codine withdrawal, maybe somthing else would be better...

Thanks you guys for caring!  

[LadySundown]

I read your post and I'm curious about the fentanyl pain patches you're on. I was on them and have been tapering off for a long time. I'm down to a 12mcg now. You mentioned a 5mg fentanyl patch. They don't go that low. They start at 100mcg/hr. There is a 50mcg and a 25mcg. The 12mcg is used when people taper off so they don't have to go from 25 to nothing.

I hope your day is going well. Have a great day......LS