im addicted to darvocet

i was prescribed Darvon when i was 14 for my scoliosis im now 21 i took Darvon maybe once or twice a day for a few years than i became an addiction i took up to 9 pills in one day i liked the way it made me feel but i stopped taking them up until about a year ago i don't remember why but it seemed easy no even though my prescription says to take 1 pill 4 times daily i take 4 pills at the same time every night  i still have back pains but i defiantly abuse the prescription i guess i just want to know if taking 4 at the same time every night can affect my health and how i know i need to stop so im going to lower my dosage until i only take it when i really need it i just don't want to die from this and please i dont want any lectures just kind advice

thank you
laura

[worried878]

darvacet is not very strong..stopping it should not be that hard..alot is mental...the tylenol content of darvocet is why many choose darvon....  10 darvocets is 6000 mgs of tylenol...well over the daily amt u should take which is 4000 in divided doses/and even then for short periods//not 4000 mgs of tylenol daily for extended periods

U r asking someone to give u advice on taking 4 at one time?  that is sumpin u need to ask ur dr as this is not a medical type forum...u need to take them as prescribed by ur dr...4 each night is not probably what he meant when he rx'd every 6 hrs etc...u say u dont want to be lectured??  no one here has the nrg to lecture u..only nrg to help u if u want help...no one here will tell u it is ok to take 4 darvocets at one time..if u r looking for validation then u may need to look elsewhere..i do wish u luck..be safe and remember addiction only gets worse and not better as time goes on..u r not too deep in..but the personality changes that go along with addiction r very clear in ur post..be safe..keep posting

[NautyOne]

You are prescribe 4 per day. and that's what you take.  How you take them is not the best way, and is giving you clear signals that you are becoming addicted them.  I can almost guarantee that eventually you will start needing them just to get out of bed in the morning.  I started out at two in the evening for many years before I got addicted to them.

Get out now before they take over your life.  Find another night time hobby....:-))

luv,
Nauty................

[LissyH]

My pain management doctor told me that the FDA has changed the recommended daily intake of Darvocet to only FOUR per day (that's down from the SIX per day that was once considered safe.)  The reason?  Darvocet contains large amounts of acetaminophen (Tylenol) which sounds safe, huh, since it's an OTC (over the counter) medication, right?  WRONG.  It has been proven that acetaminophen, in large doses, damages the liver irrepairably, sometimes necessitating a liver transplant!  This is no joke.  In addition, if you are consuming ANY alcohol at all, it interacts with the acetaminophen, ramping up the damage to the liver.  

If you take all four pills at the same time, you are bombarding your liver with amounts of acetaminophen that the liver just cannot safely handle.  Every time you do that, you put yourself at risk for liver failure.  I saw a television special on a girl in her twenties that it happened to...she drank an adult beverage and took two Tylenols for a headache, all within an hour or so of each other.  She was an extreme case, but her liver became acutely damaged within hours and she was in liver failure.  She was waiting on a liver transplant (someone has to die and donate a liver that is a match for her body) for her only chance to survive.  Yes, hers was an extremely severe, quick and unusual example.  But, there are hugely-increasing numbers of people suffering liver damage and, at first, they have no idea how it happened.  Of these cases, the ones where alcohol abuse was ruled out, they were traced back to chronic use of large dosages of acetaminophen!

A lot of people don't know acetaminophen (Tylenol) is in a lot of medications they take and never suspect it is in there...examples:   Alka Seltzer Plus Cold and Sinus, Excedrin PM, Sominex Pain, Thera-Flu Flu and Cold, Sudafed Cold and Sinus, Goody’s Extra Strength Headache Powder, Sinutab Sinus Allergy, Comtrex Allergy Sinus, Anacin PM Aspirin Free, and the list goes on and on.

So, if you take a Darvocet and combine it with one of the above-mentioned products (or many more I don't have listed), you are in danger of exceeding the FDA's recommended SAFE dosage for avoiding liver damage.  Then, if you add an adult beverage (or several) into the mix....you've just ramped up the effects of the acetaminophen.

The simple answer to your question about taking all four Darvocets at bedtime is:  DON'T DO IT!  I just included a lot of other information to explain WHY you don't want to do that and WHAT the possible severe and/or fatal outcomes could be.

Take care of and be good to your body!  It's the only one you have!  Seek and listen to your doctor's advice and put aside your fear of being honest with your doctor if you need help in conquering any addiction/dependency!

Blessings!

Lissy

[mtgoat911]

you could taper off your pills slowly, start by taking the perscribed dose, then decrease half a pill every 3 days until detoxed
make sure you have help with this, do not do this by yourself!!!!
i would like to give you some pointers for controling pain without meds if you are interested
i am a recovering opiate addict with pain issues, after becoming dependent on narcotics i gave up hope that i could control my pill intake
i use an alternative medicine doctor now, its so funny that my insurance will pay for all these mega pain pills but say no to non traditional pain treatments
CRANIAL SACRAL THERAPY , FOOT REFLEXOLOGY , NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIANS , CHIROPRACTIC, MASSAGE, ACUPUNCTURE
and if you do have to stay on pain meds please tell your doctor that the darvocets are not working, like other people have said too many of these pills can slowly kill you
"""Scoliosis may not cause pain but the affected surrounding tissues such as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments will cause pain.  In my opinion, the pain of your right side which is also the side of the scoliosis protruding (convexity) may be due to the muscles being over-stretched due to the curve of the spine.  The pain is worse with sitting and any forward bending motion because this will cause more stretch to the muscle.  Imagine you are constantly stretching your hamstring for 2 months straight without ever letting the muscle rest.  It is the same concept.  A chiropractor or an acupuncturist will be able to assist you in management of your condition.  """
i stole this from another medical forum
one last thing i can pass on, its a good idea to read about addiction, since you have developed this addiction to pills its time to look into treating the problem
http://www.12step.org/references/na-basic-text/na-chapter-1.html

[sway1]

many people think that because darvs are not that strong that they are somehow less addictive and/or easier to kick. for some, perhaps that is true. NOT FOR ALL! i had horrible experiences over and over trying to kick these little pink suckers. although 4 per day is not a lot, taking them everyday is the addictive part. treat them just like something stronger with regard to weaning or stopping cold turkey. they are not as innocent as some would like to believe. i have been hooked on everything from heroin to speed. i am not guessing. please respect darvs for the narcotic that they are.i wish you all the best and if i can help in any way, please let me know. peace, sway