liver failure from 20 vicodin over 12 hour period?

[done4good]

I have had an on/off thing w/vicodin, percoset and tramadol. I had not had any vikes since about dec 15th. I just got a new script and have been throwing up all day. I realized I actually took 20 in about 12 hours.
Can I die from liver failure?
I've thrown the rest out by the way.

[mr.lucky66]

yes you can but probably won't this time. Vicodin has a ton of tylenol and not much narcotic but enough to keep you coming back. It seems to be the most commonly abused opiate these days or on this forum. Sometimes I think people would be better off on oxycontin because it won't damage or shut down your liver but it can shut down your heart and lungs from overdose a lot easier than vicodin. The best thing to do is to take none of these poisen pills but that's easier said than done but I'm glad I'm doing it

[done4good]

ok so you think if I've stopped throwing up now and I'm not in a coma I'm ok not going to the hospital?
I'm really scared...called poison control and they said I'd die
I'll never never take it again. I just tossed 70 pills
I've been researching rehabs for alcohol...this is not the way I want to die

[road2recovery]

If i were you, I would go to the ER.., just to be on the safe side...
r2r

[Puckster12]

this is not to be sarcastic but if you're here typing on this forum you're probably not gonna die..  but you did the right thing by throwing the others away.

[troubleinohio]

its hard to say. maybe your stomach just cant handle that many at once. I know i used to puke alot when I'd overdo it. Google the symptoms of liver failure and see if you have any other signs of that-   thats only other thing i can think of to tell you other than going to the ER to have your levels checked. Let us know how you are doing as soon as you can. Glad to hear you chucked the rest of the pills!

[Sithtiger]

I doubt you'll die from that, but they're right....to be safe, you should go to the ER!  I was taking 60+ Vics a day for a month and I'm fine, but I'm sure it's possible for another person or me (when I was still using) to take 20 a day and have liver failure.

By the way....FYI.....liver failure is a very slow and painful process.  I was told by a nurse practitioner that it's a very painful way to die.  Many times we need a push to get us to stop.  You'll find very shortly that you'll have allot more energy without the Vics!

[avisg]

if you have been vomiting GO TO THE ER this is not something to guess at ....

[avisg]

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 blood tests, AST and ALT, 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.

[worried878]

once i had been without and got 12 5/500 lortabs and took them all in a matter of hours..i felt soooo sick...no liver failure as i had my blood tested when i quit..but i9t was enuf tylenold...6000 mgs to make me sick taking it in a short time...i did not usually take 5 mgs as the 10s had the same tylenol content....but when u r addicted u will do some stupid things...it was my moms 50th wedding anniversay party and i felt awful/in the process of trying to geel great for the party!   i am sure if i woulda kept doing this i would have eventually damaged my liver..especially drinking on top of it

seems like when i used to deprive myself of pills..like take less one day..it would make me want to take a ton the next day..for me tapering was not really an option and ct worked best..and getting rid of any leftovers hanging around the house or pharmacy

[done4good]

I'm still alive to come back and tell you and it is only because I did go to the ER. I was in the hospital for a week and my liver levels were over 10,000 at one point..completely off the chart, literally. Their machine didn't go any higher. When I got there they admitted me against my wishes. I thought they'd give me an antidote and send me home. They had to give it to me via IV because my levels were so toxic. After 2 days my family was called and said I had gone into liver failure. I was told I was on the transplant list but probably wouldn't get one because of the alcohol involved. I told them I didn't deserve one anyway. My shame was off the charts as well.

What Avis wrote was correct. You can feel fine for a couple days after the vomiting but the liver levels keep going up. What I did was incredibly stupid but I was mixing alcohol and vicodin and had no idea of how many I'd taken till too late.

When I was released from the hospital all I could do was rest for 10 days. I have never been so exhausted in my life.  Then I admitted myself into a 28 day rehab. It was the best gift I ever gave myself. I'm now 5 months clean and working a recovery program. My liver levels are fine but I still have a lot of fatigue and exhaustion, plus depression issues which were there before.

So, thank you to all of you who listened and replied, especially those who told me to get to the ER. I was really scared and needed that extra push out the door I guess.

It's so strange looking back...I had forgotten I even wrote on this forum that night. I wanted to see some of my other posts from when I was trying to detox alone, just as a reminder.

I am so very very lucky to have had a wakeup call. When I was using I felt like I wanted to die so many times, the total utter despair was overwhelming. But, when it came right down to it, laying in that bed in the hospital with my sister telling me she put me on a prayer chain...I wanted to live.

Feel free to ask me any questions or message me directly.
d

[CATUF]

wow!  what a story . . . . thank you for posting that.

good to hear about the rehab and the program you're working --
my version of self-help, top-secret recovery almost killed me.

what's the word on your liver?

CATUF

[mk1964]

Uh....just curiosty, I think it's great, but how in God's name did you get to 60 Vics....and manage to get off?
If you don't mind sharing. Really, it does give hope for those who are on like 15-20 a day.

Thanks

[mr.lucky66]

I didn't see 60 vics a day but have heard of doses like that before. It a killer dose of tylenol for most people but not everybody. As far as 60 vics and narcotic level, it's not that much as compared to a heroin user or heavy oxy user but that's not the point. The point is that you recovered and are sober . That is huge and I'm glad!

[done4good]

Thanks catuf, my liver counts are normal but there is still some tenderness in that area. My dr believes my close call is also contributing to my overall fatigue as well. Hard to tell since it could also be PAWS  or a combo of both.

Anyway..a word of caution (and just my opinion)...if anyone on here ever asks if they should go to an ER, I highly recommend answering YES, no matter what your personal experience or what you've heard. I think that in my case, I had an intuition that something was very wrong. I too had taken lots of vikes and/or ultram and/or percosets in the past, but never really combined them with a lot of alcohol (at least 2 bottles of wine...and counting.) Prior to this, I had never gone to an ER in my life, much less for any drug/alc related incident.
Most of us who post here are addicts. We don't always tell the truth, or, in my case, completely know it. We can tend to minimize things... lol..ya think?;-) Though I was not minimizing the number of vike, I was vague about the alcohol. I very much appreciate those who told me to err on the side of caution and GO.

may we all be free of the chains of active addiction...
d

[done4good]

I didn't take 60 vikes...I took 20 in a 12 hour period plus a bunch of alcohol. It was the combo that almost killed me.
My original script was for 90. After I had been vomiting for a few hours I got the bright idea to count the remaining pills...70.

I'm so thankful not to be on the merry go round anymore. I was going from booze to ultram to vikes to perc to klonopin to wine to ambien.
yeah...now I take vitamins and an antidepressant and the ocassional advil.

[road2recovery]

I really got the chills when i read your post...i am so glad you went to the ER..I think we know our bodies best,  and when we think something is just not right, then we need to listen to our bodies....

I have been concern with my liver for such a long time..Even though i have had test done, i am still very worried..., even with the clean time i have, the milk thristle that i have and still take...When our minds get clear and we realize how much tyenol we have put in our systems it is pretty scary.. I have actually taken probably the same amount as you did that day, in the same amount of hours...I guess we just never know when it will happen...I really hope the lurkers and ones trying to stop read this post.., and realize that this is very real, and our livers can only handle so much...My concern does get less with time, but I still get feelings that i need to test every so often to be sure..

I am so glad you are doing so good....God bless
r2r

[catmagnet]

If you're still alive and breathing, I wouldn't dwell on it. I took massive amounts of vics for YEARS(over 15) along with alcohol, zannies, weed, unknown pills and things just handed to me and I took it anyway( no kidding ). I worried about liver damage too, which I'm sure I should be dead by now anyway. Yeah, I forgot to mention the 25 -10mg ambien I took after my last and final relapse.I fell down the stairs, fell out of bed, didn't know which way was which, and finally fell into the tub and hit my head so hard it knocked me out. And hurt a lot of other things . That was the final straw with me. Did I mention 103 norco10/325 disappeared out of my husbands bottle in 3 days when all that was going on?? Yep, I stole them. Thats was it for me. The day I was done. The point in all the rambling is I'm still here after 90 or so days, I can type, think, function, and be happy. I can't change the past. God obviously wants me here for a reason. I've become active locally in my home town to help others now. Hugs and prayers...cat..=)

[done4good]

Thankfully the liver is one organ that does repair itself. I'm just glad to be here to tell my story. I hope it can help someone else.

[catmagnet]

We're glad you're here, too. I didn't mean to sound so brazen in my reply. I just re-read it. =0  I just wanted to re-assure you that there are many others who have survived much worse. I wasn't downplaying your situation...peace...cat...=)