This community is a place to share information and support with others who are trying to stop using drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other addictive substances. Discuss with others, the symptoms of addiction, addiction recovery, ways to quit like tapering and cold turkey, and withdrawal symptoms. If you are interested in general "chat", please visit our
Addiction Social Community.
Starting now, moderate your withdrawal as follows: Take full (2-tab) doses of over-the-counter Imodium (immodium) to stop the runs (it will also help a bit with the cravings); take frequent hot baths or jacuzzis to ease the muscle aches; if you've got them, take gradually decreasing doses of Valium or Xanax to help you through the anxiety, insomnia and cravings for the codeine. Drink lots of water, eat balanced meals and take vitamins to help your body to purify and normalize itself. Try to take short walks to help defuse the tension. If you can, have a friend help administer all of these things for you. It will take 4 days to a week for the physical withdrawal to run its course. Then hook up with an AA group or an addiction specialist to handle the long-term psychological cravings that will continue for weeks, months, even years. That's it in a nutshell. Good luck, Roy.
I would rather avoid the drugs all together but the imodium (immodium) sure sounds rt. As I sit here wrighting this to you I am aching all over, my joints, back and bam what a headache!
I never thought that using an over the counter drug could be so detrimental to my overall health. Before I started taking these things I weghed 210lb's. Over the course of a year I have dropped to a meager 165lb with 0 muscle tone and a terrible appetite.
I have not taken any Tylenol w/codeine in 24 hours and it has started to get uncomforable.
I am somewhat of an idiot when it comes to my problem, I thought that maybe I was getting a flue but nono thats not it..is it.
I have tossed all my Tylenol out and have nada in the house, its dunday and nowhere to grab som, my wife will help me out, I kno wshe has been concerend about this for sometime but I WOULD SIMPLY BRUSH IT OFF AND SAY "LISTEN I ', INSOME FN PAIN HERE BACK OFF" Well now its time to fight the fight. If you have any suggestions that may help me over the next 3 days or so I WOULD APPPRECIATE IT! :?)
Roy
we live in Canada and I am soooo upset that we are able to purchase this drug over-the -counter.
If this drug wasnt so easily accessible....I bet this habit could have been kicked a long time ago... ( at least Im hoping it would have been) just a trip down to our local drugstore....and bang....here you go...ease the pain.
This sucks for addicts!!!......
I'M ANGRY........
I know I am slowly killing myself and do not have will power to stop. My abdomon is severly swollen from the built up fluids from my kidney's and liver. I hardly eat and will only drink coke, and if forced to eat it's only junk food. I have to take laxetive's to move my bowel's which is not often. I am severly depressed all the time and smoke alot of pot to top of the feeling of bliss.
But to all the people reading this, Do your self a favour and kick the **** and make it harder to buy these drugs over the counter.
How I started was, I injured myself at work, the manager bought me these pills and there you have it, ADDICTION FLAT OUT!!
I do not blame my boss, nor should I, I take them knowing the risks, but do our children. I dont think so, they trust us to make their decesions on health matters for them.
And do as the directions say, take as only as directed and see a doctor if the problems resist. So I beleive that the doctor should prescribe the codine and the chemist supply the head ache paracetemol type only.
I did not type this for any other reason but to let other's know the dangers of this drug.
Thank you for reading and take care.
Like, for example, ACC. asa, caffiene, codiene.
Theoretically, it makes abuse by a relitively smart human being impossible due to the liver damage caused by Aspirin and Acetominophen.
Anyone who could get addicted to these 8 mg codiene pills is in for an extremly bad time, not only with the addiction, but with the liver damage as well.
Thanks BOBWON
1. A number of spelling, grammatical and punctuative errors no graduate level student would be caught dead making.
2. "some peoples opiate receiptors in the brain absorb more of the drug than others causing higher medicinal effects" Wrong. Codeine, in and of itself, only very weakly binds to opiate receptors and has little anagesic effect. It is, however, metabolized into morphine (among other things) by the liver. Some small percentage of people lack the enzyme that accomplishes this, and Codeine is useless as an anagesic in this population. The morphine thusly produced then binds strongly to opiate receptors and this is what results in analgesic effect.
3. "Codeine enters your blood stream and binds to the receiptors" NO, See above.
4. "causing pain messages to be blocked off from the brain" Doh! Blocking pain messages is something completely different (anesthesia) and is vastly different than the opiate's effect of analgesia. Anesthetics are entirely different classes of drugs - like lidocaine or halopentane. Opiates on the other hand, do NOT block pain messages, rather they alter your emotional response to those messages.
5. "After continual heavy use the chemical doesn't break down on the receiptor (SIC) causing a build up surrounding open receiptive (SIC) cells (you mean 'sites'), which then takes more and more of the chemical to actually become obsorbed (SIC) and binded (you mean 'bound') by the receiptor (SIC)" Wrong. Utter gibberish. The effect of tolerance is partly manifested by the reduction in the numbers of active receptors that results from repeated exposure. It is also partly due to the increased rate of metabolic clearance and reuptake of the neurotransmitter at the synaptic cleft (in other words, the exact opposite of your theory) and partly from decreased production of endogenous endorphins - all of which also develops from repeated exposure to opiate/opiods.
I could go on at length, but I have grown bored with this (and you.)
The thread you posted on is very old these posts get looked over alot.. If you want advice or answers i suggest you post this as a new question so members will actually see it and be able to answer
Tinamat
1. NA (Narcotics Anonoymous) works, (www.na.org) Find a group in your area and do everything to get clean, its a challenge, you will likely relapse, but stick with it.
Good News : If you stop taking it your body will start to recover and cleanse itself within weeks (plus many withdrawal symtoms of course).
Bad News : Any permanent fibrosis (scarring) on the liver is there forever, get blood tests to check for liver enzymes ALT and AST levels if you suspect you have liver problems.
B. This website has excellent info : http://www.medicinenet.com/tylenol_liver_damage/article.htm
Here are some excerpts :
How is acetaminophen processed (metabolized) in the body?
The liver is the primary site in the body where acetaminophen is metabolized. In the liver, acetaminophen first undergoes sulphation (binding to a sulphate molecule) and glucuronidation (binding to a glucuronide molecule) before being eliminated from the body by the liver. The parent compound, acetaminophen, and its sulphate and glucuronide compounds (metabolites) are themselves actually not harmful. An excessive amount of acetaminophen in the liver, however, can overwhelm (saturate) the sulphation and glucuronidation pathways. When this happens, the acetaminophen is processed through another pathway, the cytochrome P-450 system. From acetaminophen, the P-450 system forms an intermediate metabolite referred to as NAPQI, which turns out to be a toxic compound. Ordinarily, however, this toxic metabolite is rendered harmless (detoxified) by another pathway, the glutathione system.
How does an overdose of acetaminophen cause liver injury?
The answer is that liver damage from acetaminophen occurs when the glutathione pathway is overwhelmed by too much of acetaminophen's metabolite, NAPQI. Then, this toxic compound accumulates in the liver and causes the damage. Furthermore, alcohol and certain medications such as phenobarbitalor carbamezepine (anti-seizure medications) or isoniazid (anti-TB drug) can significantly increase the damage. They do this by making the cytochrome P-450 system in the liver more active. This increased P-450 activity, as you might expect, results in an increased formation of NAPQI from the acetaminophen. Additionally, chronic alcohol use, as well as the fasting state or poor nutrition, can each deplete the liver's glutathione. So, alcohol both increases the toxic compound and decreases the detoxifying material. Accordingly, the bottom line in an acetaminophen overdose is that when the amount of NAPQI is too much for the available glutathione to detoxify, liver damage occurs.
What happens to a person with acetaminophen-induced liver damage?
Three clinical stages (phases) of acetaminophen-induced liver injury have been described. During the first phase, that is, the initial 12 to 24 hours or so after ingestion, the patient experiences nausea and vomiting. For the next perhaps 12 to 24 hours, which is the second phase or the so-called inactive (latent) phase, the patient feels well. In the third phase, which begins about 48 to as late as 72 hours after the ingestion of acetaminophen, liver blood test abnormalities begin to appear. Most notably, extremely high (abnormal) levels of the liver enzymes such as ALT and AST in blood tests, are common with this type of liver injury. The outcome (prognosis) of the liver injury can be predicted fairly accurately on the basis of the patient's clinical exam and blood tests. For example, at one extreme, if the patient develops severe acid buildup in the blood, kidney failure, bleeding disorders, or coma, then death is almost certain. Only a liver transplant can possibly save such a patient.
What should be done if acetaminophen toxicity is suspected?
Patients who are thought to be at a high-risk or even only at a possible risk of developing acetaminophen liver injury should be given the antidote, N-acetyl cystiene (Mucomyst) orally (or intravenously in Europe). This drug works by indirectly replenishing glutathione. The glutathione, as you recall, detoxifies the toxic metabolite of the acetaminophen. The N-acetyl cystiene is most effective when administered within 12 to 16 hours after the acetaminophen was taken. Most physicians however, will administer N-acetyl cystiene even if the patient is first seen beyond this 16 hour period. Thus, a British study showed that patients already with liver failure who then received the N-acetyl cystiene were more likely to survive than patients who did not receive the antidote. Moreover, the survival occurred in these patients regardless of the time of initial administration of N-acetyl cystiene. Finally, people who recover from acetaminophen-induced liver damage are left, fortunately, with no residual or ongoing (chronic) liver disease.
I take hydrocodone 10/325 at about 8 pills per day. This is probably going to cause long term liver damage. I get them legally over the web. I want to tell my doc and ask him to perscribe staright codiene 10 mg so I can stop damaging my liver. I will prolly continue to do the 10/325's anyway if he won't perscribe. Are there any doctors out there who would see the logic in this and help me out ?
Bedrock
I'm guess that Roy was in Canada where Tylenol #1 is legally sold OTC.......One regular tylenol 3 contains 30 mg of codiene, Roy was taking 160 mg, so the equivilent of 8 tylenol 3s per day......Not quite junkie levels. I just wanted to equivicate the statements. On that small of a dose of codiene I'm not sure "junkie" is ths most polite or accurate description....The dose of APAP however would be beyond the max per day (4000mg) at 6500mg, probably not deadly though on short term.
Extracting the codine I never heard of if I would have I'm sure I would have done that just to save the liver. I wonder if that's possible in percs and vics. is it?
I've always wondered the difference between oxycontin and oxycodone? enlighten me please.
I loved oxys but thankfully I dont know how was able to bring myself back down to percs. Dont know if this is better or worse but definately cheaper.
And a word of caution posts pertaining to the process of how to do the extraction will be deleted. its not appropriate for an addiction forum.
I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS THOROUGHLY WITH MY DR. HE IS A GOOD GUY, YOUNG AND VERY EASY TO TALK TO. HE SAID HE WOULD CHANGE ME TO MORPHINE (30 MG. PILLS), BUT FELT THAT HE DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO DO THIS. HE DID, I GOT PRESCRIPTION FILLED AND TOOK ONE. OMG, I WAS SO SICK FOR 3 DAYS I CAN'T TELL YOU. SOOOO, THERE THEY SIT IN MY MEDICINE CABINET. ANOTHER WASTE OF MONEY.
I DON'T ABUSE MY MEDS AND TAKE ONLY AS DIRECTED. WHAT OTHER CHOICES DO I HAVE.?????????????
GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO ARE HAVING PROBLEMS. I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU....
Good luck to you..
I was taking 9 pills a day probably 5-6 times a day - sometimes more often.
I decided I couldn't do this to my body anymore so....
I went down to 7 pills a day 5-6 times a day for 2 days, then went down to 5 pills a day 5-6 times a day for 2 days, then went down to 4 pills a day 5-6 times a day for 2 days, then 3, then 2, then 1 on these 2 days that I was only taking 1 I found I had a headache (not like when I tried to quit cold turkey) just a headache - so I took 1 T1 and an extra strength Tylenol for another 2 days - then I was taking 1 extra strength Tylenol for 1 day.
Weaning myself like this I honestly find I don't crave them!
I couldn't imagine my daughter growing up without me because of some little pill that I was too stubborn to get off of - as it would have eventually killed me!
I hope this helps at least 1 person because I know what it is like to be hooked on these stupid little white pills.
You are stronger than them - GOOD LUCK!
Trout
God bless,
Graeme.
I am about to turn 35 and tip the scales at 118 lbs. I take 20-30 t1's a day for the past 8+ years. Somedays up to 50 pills.
I feel like s***!
I don't really know where this addiction came from. I guess most of us never know. From reading the posts I speculate it had something to do with past operations and the administration of other Opiates such as morphine. Although I know I have a "highly addictive personality".
Here's my list of excuses;
Pain management
Controlling emotions
Not that bad
Easy to hide
Doctors are dumb
Easy to get
Numbness of all senses
Better than "crack"
Now, I do consider myself to be smart enough to "know better". I realize that nothing can help my addiction. Not love , not heroism, not a windfall lottery. This thing I call pain is not the responciblilty of a little white pill.
As I sit here sipping my wine and smoking a "fag", I have to think ."what the hell is going on with me that I cannot kick this ".
I checked myself into a rehabilatation centre a couple of years ago only to promptly check myself out again. You see, I was not a "crackhead, pothead, or the like". I look , and act so "normal". I was way to affraid to admit the ADDICTION is One Word. Thanks to this and other blogs I am well aware that it is all the same.
I am posting here because I want everyone to read what I have read. You are not alone. I was brought to tears by some, laughed with/at others, and a little ticked with a few. All told, I realized that this not about me or my addiction. Addiction is ..
sitting here wanting to define it, but not really being able. I will keep trying. I hope you will too.
I wish everyone the best.
For pain, at first nobody would prescribe me anything, A few emergency doctors gave me a small amount of percocet tablets, Bassicly I was going for months screaming in terrible pain with NO medications, so I was taking over the counter drugs, with no codein, aspirin, ibuprofen, tylenol in amounts of 10 pills few times a day, I mean 10 pills at once. I just used to swallow them all at one time and they didn't work at all. Than finally I managed to get into the hospital somehow, because I needed help that no one would give me. They were just sending me home with explanation that nothing is wrong with me. How I gotten into the hospital: Because no one believed that I have so much pain, they believed that I am deppresed so they were giving me antidepresants which I wasn't taking so I had a lot of bottles full of that BS - they just make you worse, make zombies out of you or you feel like you are truly a junky or some crazy person, you get halucinations and all kinds of crazy side effects from those. I swallowed full bottle of 30 pills and went to emergency right away, told them that I wanted to kill myself and I got scared.That was all the lie but it was the only way to get help, because I couldn't live in that terrible pain alone at home anymore. So they believed me, they cleaned my stomach and lock me up for one night , than they transferd me in the ward for not dangerous patients :)) the next day, and they helped me than, after 3 months of excrutiating pain, screaming and crying at home without any help. They diagnosed me with something, condition on my knees, they gave me amitriptyline and lorazepam, some physiotherapy [kind off, that doesn't work any way]. They gave me aspirin and 10 days later they send me home, but I was eating at least some nutritious food at that hospital which I wasn't able to prepare for myself so I got stronger at by that time used to the pain a little bit. I was advised not to do heavy exercises, but I couldn't stay disabled like that especially because i had no one to take care of me, so when I got out of the hospital I went to the gym where they wouldn't let me in at first, but i convinced them. So weights, walking, I learned how to walk again like a baby, it took me six months to start walking somewhat normally and a little better, even though in the hospital i was told that i am never going to be able to walk again, I didn't give up, and again without any real pain killers, still in pain but i decided to fight it any way i could.5 years later the pain was completely gone and I was able to not just walk normally but run up the stairs.
Peace.
This post is 8 years old. If you want to talk, you will have to start a new post. See you out there...
Try posting this in a new post (Post a Question). This is a post from back in 2000.
And who cares how old this thread is, it has some good stuff in it that new people need to read.
When I was younger, I cared less about my liver. But you know, Tylenol (acetam-) can really mess up your day when you are eventually sitting in a hospital weekly on dialysis because you trashed your kidneys.
I switched to Vicoprofin due to that very reason, but I am in no better position now. Ibuprofin is just as bad, messes with your stomach over a period of time.
Withdrawal sucks, but it is the only way. Unless you have Xanax to help with the overall nasty physical garbage and the sleeplessness. But, hot baths, a lot of water and natural juices, plus anything else that will help, is the only way. I have found that when I am having some pretty seriously messed up cravings that sugar works. At least temporarily.
In treatment, that is what they will give you the first 4-5 days, Xanax to mellow, and something to help you sleep.. then you are on your own. The physical effects are pretty bad that first week, but you need therapy after that. Detoxing is only the first step. Its the long term problems you will come up against that you really need treatment or NA for. Because everyone gets to this point because they couldn't say no to themselves in the first place.
It's hard to go it alone, but there are millions of addicts out there who go through the same BS when they decide to stop. I promise, it gets better every day....I cut my intake from 25 to 20, now I go down to 17, and my body is already pi$$ed off.
I wish I had all that money back that I spent on drugs over the years. I could have a freakin jacuzzi tub and some killer stock! Maybe in something as pathetic as Starbucks. A junkie stockbroker. He he... Oh well! : )
I know I must stop, lately it seems my body craves more as I get headaches more often and my body hurts more often. I've stopped in the past but it's certainly tough - especially when you do it quietly without anyone knowing your addiction.
Good luck to all, keep posting - nice to get info and relate stories to help.
It started in 2005 while going through a divorce with a very abusive man. To summ it up he amputated my wrist and hand. Yes he went to jail but only served 6 months. Reason: He had a mental disorder and could not help him self. This was BS to me. GOD BLESS AMERICA. Now as to me, because of the loss of my hand I have cronic pain every second of every day. The pain management Drs put me on OxyCotin 80mg 4 times a day. I could not function I told him I wanted NO more. So he puts me on 10/325 Percocet along with other non narcotic pain relievers. He had me taken 2 percs 4 times a day, So what happens after a year???? 2 percs did not help my pain no more I would need 3 then 4, 8 times a day. This was way out of hand and I could'nt take it anymore. My script last me 7 or 8 days and I'de go 3 weeks without any pain relief and I would feel like I'm dieing. When I turn to my Dr he only wants to put me on a heavier medication and I can't do that. I just wanted to stop it all together. So here I am today 8months no pain medication and I feel I have control again. I deal with the pain what else can I do. I will have it 4-ever. And here again another Dr wants me back on the percocet again. I'm afraid. and I refuse it. Is there anything out there for pain that's non narcotic???? If you know of something please let me know. Thank you for listening. God Bless You All
Copy your post and start a new one with Post a Question. This is an old post and you need answers.
At first I switched to regular Tylenol and took immodium for the diarrhea after quitting. I also took Milk Thistle to cleanse my liver and it helped. When your healthy enough walking and running can help too. In time I went to ibuprofen only and then I only took something if I was really in pain. My biggest problem was a fear of pain without self-protection. The withdrawals from T1's took about 2 months to really get through for me, but they can be overcome so do not give up or give in during a crave wave. I had to deal with a lot of past unhealed emotional issues and a possible chemical imbalance that kept me on edge and looking for relief all the time. I asked God to help me and for me this really helped a lot.
I did have an odd thing happen tho. While I was taking regular Tylenol and then ibuprofen later after I had quit for a month or so, my muscles began to lose their potassium and I ended up paralyzed from the neck down and hospitalized because of this. I guess prolonged diarrhea can leech potassium out of your body. I take OTC potassium now to counteract any effects if there is anymore cramping or paralysis in my muscles. I wished they didn't sell the pills here in Canada OTC as well, but I know that the answer is me working out my addiction issues. I still fear that I may die from too much liver damage, but at least it won't be because I am still abusing this nasty stuff. I'm praying for you all.
I have spent the last 20 years of my life working in the retail field, the last 10+ of those in Management. It is an extremely stressful job at times as most careers are nowadays in this crazy world. I used to get a lot of headaches at work from the lighting and the stress of the job. I took the regular headache medicines but found that they weren't really doing the job. Someone gave me some T1s and so my addiction was born. Having a Pharmacy in our store(and yes I do live in Canada) made it very easy to get and no one ever asked any questions. When people did inquire years later I simply started buying them elsewhere. Soon enough 2 at a time didn't seem like enough and 4-6 hours between sometimes seemed to long...So the doses got larger and the time between shorter.
This went on for years. I did have some stomach troubles but started taking Immodium to regulate things. Someone suggested to me that I chew the tylenol and it would be less harsh on my stomach so I started doing that and have had very few stomach troubles since. Not the greatest taste but I found Coke the best thing to wash it down with. Now please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to give people better ways to take tylenol. But while you are it will ease the effects it has on your stomach.
We moved to larger city almost two years ago. With all the stresses of the move, leaving a company I had given the better part of my life too and trying to figure out what was next, I found myself taking a lot more tylenol. At my worst I was 16-20 T1s a day. I took T3s and oxy when it was available as well.
Shortly after we moved I got very sick with anear/throat infection. When they took blood tests at the hospital they noticed something off in my liver. When the nurse asked me about it it i mentioned that I took tylenol and she seemed satisfied with that. I asked her if it was a problem and she said no it wasn't a big problem. This concerned me a bit. While I was sick I wasn't taking tylenol and started to feel some of the side effects: bad dreams, waking in a cold sweat, feeling panic stricken. I decided to face a fear and on my last visit I talked to the doctor about my addiction. It was really the first time I admitted I had a problem. He said that it wasn't a problem with my liver right now but could be over time. I decided that I already had the start and was going to quit. But life got the better of me and with tylenol still lingering in the house it only lasted about a week. It was a small victory but all the stresses in life were too much. When I took a night shift job until i could find the job I was looking for things seemed to get worse instead of better until just over a week ago.
On Friday May 9th of this year I had 7 tylenol left. Usually when I got that low I would start to panic. But something was different this time. I would always say I was going to quit at the end of this bottle, much like smokers do. "This is my last pack, honestly. I'm serious this time." i always said i was going to do it smart and slowly wean myself off but it never worked. I'm an all or nothing person. That Friday i was going into my weekend to work which was sometimes stressful. I took 2 tylenol on Friday morning. Taking tylenol on the way to work was a ritual. i'd usually have 3 on the way to work, 2 more once i got there and 2-3 shortly after. That's 7-8 tylenol before my day even started. I took another 2 on Saturday morning and 2 on Sunday morning. On Monday May 12, 2008 I turned 40 years old and I took my very last tylenol. I thought that there was not a more fitting day to end an addiction that had been with me for a large part of my life.
So what makes this time different some may ask. You tried before and even made to a week without but went back. The only answer that I can give to that is that sometimes you just know. I've done a lot of reflecting recently about turning 40, and about how tylenol has affected my life and the lives of my family. I looked in the mirror and didn't like the person staring back at me. Basically I had had enough. I realized that tylenol was doing the exact opposite of what I was taking it for in the first place. It made me feel depressed all the time, gave me headaches, basically made me feel miserable.
I know that my addiction is a war that I will fight for the rest of my life, but for now I will take some pride in winning this small battle. The one thing that i'd say to anyone frustrated with trying to quit and not succeeding. One day you will finally have enough and you will find the strength within yourself. Always remeber that "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Take that first step, you'll be so glad you did.
I hope if nothing else that my story reaches that person who feels like they are all alone. You are not my friend. You certainly are not. If anyone ever needs a caring ear from someone who fights the same disease as you please don't ever hesitate to email me at ***@**** and know you have a friend. Take Care.
He posted a U-tube music video on his myspace yesterday and told me I should look at at. It was about being on codine. I called him and he denied it, buy he sounded really loopy. So I decided to drive to see him. Something was wrong with him. He was drinking out of a huge water bottle that he didn't want me to have. I took a sipn - it was like lemonade that tasted funny - maybe like tylenol. He denies this to me and won't talk to me. Can codine be mixed in a drink like that?
There are posts in this thread which could mislead those who are new to taking T1's and/or those who haven't (yet) begun taking them in large quantities.
Anyone playing around with T1's and reading posts here from people who are seriously addicted to them - i.e. those who are taking 60 to 100 pills a day, MUST be made aware of the fact that these Tylenol junkies are obviously filtering the pills to remove the acetaminophen (325mg in each T1 tablet).
Taking 60 to 100 T1's at one time (as they come out of the bottle) is a ticket to an extremely painful death caused by liver failure. Just 6000mg of acetaminophen can cause fatal liver failure, and 60 T1's contain 19500mg. If you are taking more than four T1's at one time, or more than twelve in a 24 hour period you are damaging your liver. If you plan to take more T1's than that, you better learn how to filter out the acetaminophen. . .
Anand Lamkhade
Nalanda chs, Tisgion naka,poona link road ,
kalyan East , near prasad hotel
tal. kalyan
dist- thane
state maharastra
country india
I have some experience with addiction. Quite a few years ago I was described as polyadicited: i.e. I used a mixture of alcohol, cannabis, prescription sedatives, OTC medications such as promethazine and pretty much whatever I could lay my hands on.
Having read most of the posts here there is a lot of good advice. All I can say is:
1) Daily use of opiates will lead to addiction. However, if the opiates are for chronic pain use a 'managed addiction' can be considered to be better than long term chronic pain so I prefer not to use the term addict for those who have a genuine medical necessity rather 'medication dependent'. The same goes for some other illnesses and medications used to treat them.
2) Drug withdrawal is a harsh thing. I have first hand experience. It was bad. However, for an addict (i.e. someone who is placing a substance in there body to change the way they feel without a serious diagnosed psyciatric condition) that pain is needed, and should NEVER be forgotten just to remind you what lies in wait for you if you use again. Benzo. interventions may ease things but humans learn from pain.
3) Be open and honest with your doctor. He will probably give you a few shots at an opiate reduction program WITHOUT the added substances that destroy the body you get in OTC meds
4) If you get clean, it is time to address the underlying issues that made you use in the first place. Personality extremes/disorders and problems such as depression are a good place to start. Many addicts have a personality disorder, or underlying mental health problems
5) Any mental health problems you may have are completely masked by drug using and can only be sorted when you are clean
6) NA can not do you any harm, even if you only go for a month and decide it is not for you at this time. The door will always be open if you need it.
7) If you are fully aware of the dangers of what you are using are but are unable to stop, yes, although no one wishes this 'label; upon another person, you are addicted to a drug. i.e. a drug addict. This is simply a fact. But remember, many famous and sucessfull people have been addicts and recovered. This is not a stigma but rather an illness. No one want's to be ill.
And really good luck. Anyone with a problem that reads this.
When you reach out for help you are no longer alone. The best ideas you had which did not solve the problem become replaced by tried and tested ways that have worked for many others when you reach out and ask for help. You are no longer alone
Im on day 2 from talking percs. Im trying to feel better but cant stay awake very long. I actually threw up lat night I feel like Ive never felt before. Please help me if you have any idea on how to feel abit better!!! I hope tommorrow is abit better, I cant go on like this and promisce myself Im done with all this ****.