pain killers

[counselor]

Last year about this time i started smoking pot and that was when i was 17. I am 18 now and i just caught buying pills at school. After smoking for a while i laid off of that and started taking painers. I didnt start taking them because i was in pain i just did it because i saw the effects it had on people.(friends) At first 1 did the trick and made me feel great,but then i started taking more and more.For the past almost year now i would eat anywhere from 5 to 12 a day. The last time i took any pills was 3 days ago and i took 10 percs.What im asking i guess is how long will take for me to get over the physical addiction and withdrawles? I've been sweating and feeling pretty damn bad for these past 3 days,but will it get any worse?

[steve to diane]

No your symptoms should be getting better real soon. The first 3-5 days are the worst.  You better quit while your ahead. Take it from experience, I started like you and it escalated, then withdrawals can last a year.  Before you know it you;ll be on Methadone, and eating out of garbage cans, haha just kidding but it's possible. Stop the pills now.

[Mike P. to Ken]

I just got a message on the board here. It was unable to bring up the forum because there were:

TOO MANY USERS!

OH MAN! That is hilarious. I am one so I can laugh. Happy Monday all. To the dabblers - stop now. To the long time addicts - may we someday find the joy we find in dope in the sunshine alone. Just a little West Coast hippiness for a Monday. Take care all - Mike P.

[tom to Ryan]

I agree with Steve, day 3, physically at least, should be about as bad as it's going to get. It sounds like you haven't been on them for all that long, so you have an excellent chance of leaving all this behind for good. It's actually quite significant that you've gotten to day three on your first attempt at quitting. I'm impressed! Filling the void with an activity you really like is a good way to combat the psycological withdrawal, which hangs around for a while. After the physical withdrawal subsides, sitting around doing nothing can be dangerous. Try to occupy yourself with something you loved before you started doing the percs. You'll never have a better chance than now. Good luck, Ryan. Let us know how you make out.

[Paul]

I can speak from experience when I say the tapering off program at www.oxycontinnightmare.homestead.com works.  And thats oxycontin - your problem is alot easier to overcome.

[From Aunt Lindy to Mariah]

Lets hear from you girl!

[barbara to pain and lortab]

The only Mariah I can think of is "they call the wind Mariah"! Actually it's Saomai and I really wish I was on southern Okinawa yesterday! Not to kill myself, only to see a great peice of wind!

Unfortunatly I am not a millionaire so I cannot chase most storms this year. But I hope to see my fair share right here on Guam. It's my turn damn it.

I would even see it sober for a change. My last sober storm was Super-Typhoon Kim in Saipan back in 1986. A long time ago.

[Mariah to everyone]

Hi!  I'm still here.  Sorry I've kept you all wondering, after all the time everyone has put into me...  I had to go out of town in a hurry & had no Internet.  I've really missed everyone!  Thank you Tom & Brian for the great advise & support.  I have to admit, I have slipped a couple times & taken 2 at a time.  I was on cloud nine!  I feel bad about it, but it also made me realize how bad it was when I was taking 4 at a time.  Because if 2 can make me feel that way, imagine what 4 was doing to my baby & I just didn't feel it because I was used to it.  I think if I took 4 right now, I'd be in the hospital.  I haven't taken that many at a time forever!  But, I've only slipped a couple (2) times.  I've stayed on my schedule (usually 2 a day).  Those couple of times I took 4 a day.  And you're right Tom, I took those 2 at a time when we were at our friend's house & they do it. So everyone was high, including my b/f & he gave them to me, but I took them.  But, I felt guilty & I'm still doing pretty good, I'm starting to feel better now.  GUESS WHAT!!!  I finally made an appointment to see a doctor.  That was a huge step for me, but I did it & it's on the 21st.  I know I'll feel better once I tell a doctor.  I found a good one, everyone loves her.  She will only take new pregnant patients, nobody else can get in to see her.  So, I got in.  She was my friend's doctor & she smoked weed during all 3 of her pregnancies.  So, I hope she'll be understanding when it comes to my addiction.  I'll let everyone know what she says Thurs. or Friday.  I can't seem to get past taking 2 a day.  I haven't been able to do just one.  I get all crazy when I start thinking about taking none.  I just think that I have 5 months to go & that seems unreal to go without pills that long.  I have found that it is more mental than anything for me.  Sometimes when I want one really bad, I just pretend I already took one.  That works, believe it or not.  I just lie to myself & I don't feel bad anymore!  Weird, huh?  I'm feeling the baby kick more & more.  I feel better about everything all together.  I want to thank EVERYONE for EVERYTHING you've done for me.  The support & the kind words are greatly appreciated!  Thank you...
Love You All,
Mariah  :)

[tom to Mariah]

Mariah! so good to hear from you ...

I'm proud of you for following through on your committment to see a doctor. Good going on the lorcets, too. Very impressive, as a matter of fact. It's funny how you can get your body to respond to smaller doses so quickly. One thing, though, if you resumed the 3-4 at a time, you'd be back where you started in a matter of hours. Once you've been addicted to this stuff for a while, you can roll the tolerance back to some extent, but it comes back very quickly, much faster than it did the first time. After being addicted to vicodin for ten years or so, during which I got up to 75 per day (with the tylenol removed, of course), I now use it from time to time legitimately for back pain. I take two now, and have to just shake my head when I remember buying the stuff by the bagfull. When you go crazy just a little at a time, it's amazing how normal it all seems. One day, you will look back at all this and shake your head, too.
It sounds like you're learning one of the great lessons of parenting, that parents have to do the right thing, not necessarily the popular thing. Let us know how your appt goes. Good luck.

[loanne]

well, brian, i'm down to 2 percs a day at 1/2 perc every four hours.  since monday.  is it time yet to got to 1.5? or should i do a week at each new dose?  it's not so bad.   kinda anxious,  stomach crampy, gas, minor diahrhea.  but iam soooo determined to get off of these things.  after doing a week on 1.5 i was going to go down to 1.25 for a week, and then 1/2 morning and night.  am i doing thia right?  help.  please.

[Mariah to Tom]

As always, thank you for your kind words.  They mean the world to me.  I don't know if I've ever wrote about it on here or not, but one of the main reasons I got hooked on these things is because I had a severe ear infection & the doctor gave them to me.  I was only taking 1 every once in awhile.  Then when I got that earache, I had to take them exactly every 4 hours.  I knew when it was time for a pill, because my whole head would pound with pain.  I've had these on & off since the first time & I've always had pills & antibiotics around to take for it.  The point to this story is, I think I'm getting one!  What am I going to do???  If it is one like before, which I pray to God that it isn't, the pain will be horrible!  I woke up about 4am & I noticed my ear having that same old feeling & I got so scared.  An earache sounds like nothing to most people, but the ones I have are next to child birth.  No joke, they're bad!  Well, I go next Thursday to the doctor.  I'm kinda nervous about everything.  I wonder what she'll say?  Will she know from a UA or from blood?  I'm just trying to decide if I should just come out with it or not?  I'll let you guys know what happens...
How do they take the tylenol out of pills?  I've never heard of that.  How can you take those for your back & not be tempted to take more & get high when you know what it feels like?  That would be hard!  You're a strong man.
I'm so bored with my life right now.  There is nothing I want to do anymore.  Really, I can't think of anything we did before that was interesting!  It's just when you're high everything seems fun.  My b/f is getting on my nerves so bad!  He smokes weed too & I can tell when he's high, I feel like I'm talking to the wall.  I've been trying to get him to quit with me, but I don't think it's going to work.  I'll write more later...
Thanks for everything!
Mariah

[barbara to pain and lortab]

Mariah,

Sorry I referred to the typhoons, I did not see your name so far down on the threads and mistook that line as a joke by someone.

I see your dilemna and wish the best for both you and your baby. I know you are in a more than a difficult situation. I only wish I had some advice but I don't know much about your type of predicament.

I would think there would be some pain killers that would help somewhat get you through the pregnancy. I take Ultram, two every four hours and they help a great deal. They are listed as non-narcotic so not as hard to obtain for your doctor but they act like narcotics. I do not know the affects on pregnancy so you need to talk to your doctor heart to heart to find the right answers. I wish you luck, hang in there.

I am doing much better, now that after almost one year I finally got a clear diagnosis of Partial temporal lobe epilepsy. I thought all along it was alcohol withdrawal. I am still over 90 days sober and don't plan to ever drink again even though the shakedowns are not from the booze. I still am physically dependant on alcohol and can never go back to it.

[tom to Mariah]

Hi, again, Mariah
I'll answer your question about removing Tylenol from pills. I'm not posting this because I want to encourage people to take higher doses of Vicodin, though. I'm posting this because I think it's criminal of the drug industry to combine a potentially toxic drug with a known drug of addiction. They will tell you with a straight face that the Tylenol enhances the analgesic affect of hydrocodone. Give me a break …
The reason they combine things like aspirin and Tylenol with narcotics such as codeine and hydrocodone is so they can sell them under Schedule III, instead of the triplicate-requiring Schedule II. The problem is, addicts will take Vicodin in whatever dosages they need to, regardless of the danger posed by Tylenol. I guess they consider death by liver failure to be an effective cure for addiction.
Anyway, here's how you take Tylenol out of vicodin and Tylenol #3's: Hydrocodone and codeine are water- soluble, Tylenol is not. Dissolve the Vic's in a glass of room-temperature water, stirring it up thoroughly. Put the glass in a fridge set for cold. For the next 20 minutes, the Tylenol will fall to the bottom of the glass, while the hydrocodone or codeine stays in solution. Use a straw to drink the water, taking care not to touch the Tylenol sediment at the bottom of the glass. This method isn't perfect. It won't get rid of all the Tylenol and it won't yield quite all the narcotic, but it will get close. Beats dying of liver failure every time!
I'll tell you how I can take Vicodin now for pain and not wig out on it (Tylenol and all). Believe me, if it did what it used to do, I'd be flying on it still. There is a "spell' we addicts break when we hit bottom and achieve at least some measure of recovery. There may be a physiological reason, I don't know, but, for me, Vicodin just doesn't affect me the same way, or, at least, I don't perceive it as being the same. It just doesn't float my boat anymore. Most drugs don't, actually. I like to think it's because I'm different, that I'm thinking on a different level. But I really don't know.
Take care, Mariah. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm very optimistic about your future …

[Mariah to Tom]

Barbara,  You don't have to apologize, I didn't think there was anything wrong with what you wrote.  I thought it was cute.  Thank you for your support & all your kind words.  I'm glad you're doing better.  Keep up the good work.  Thank you for caring...

Tom,  Hey!  Shows what a dummy I am!  I thought you could get them from the doctor that way, but that is a good idea.  I'm glad that worked for you & you are okay.  You didn't have anything bad happen to you from taking all those pills for that long did you?  I hope not.  It must be in your head that the pills don't feel good anymore.  I wouldn't think that it would just stop doing what it does?  Do you?  Must be because you remember how hard it was to get off of them & you don't want it to feel good, like you said.  I don't know...  But, I'm glad you do feel that way.  If you were getting high, you wouldn't be here to help all of us.  You're a good guy & we're lucky to have you on here!  Thanks!  Take care...
Mariah  :)

[Mike]

I take about 15 vicodin a day. I have been doing this for about a year. What is the best way to stop? I tried cold turkey & it kills me. Also, what is this doing to my body?  Thanks, Mike

[nick vanhorten]

After a car accident i starting using vics and darvocet and have been unable to shake the relaxing spell it puts on me. I will not beat this alone and if you think you can your nutz. i was a person who did not even drink before this and now i am a mess. when cut off i went to the internet and have spent well over 1000 ordering this stuff. but i have become physically dependent on this when off it i want to die. wondering how to get off of this stuff.

[Mary Chiwana]

Yeah anyway I just read what you all wrote and I think you should all lay off the ****.  But I'm sorry but I know how it stuff's up your life and especially your baby.  I had a baby once and I killed it by taking to many pills I guess i just forgot I was pregnant.  And it turned out still born anyway sorry and I do fell pain for you all.

[mac daddy mike]

PILLZ RULE *******!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kaniela]

Well here I am addited to Hydrocodone help
taper? cold turkey?

[grievingwidow]

Hi, hey you might want to post your question by starting a new thread, you posted to a thread from the year 2000!  We have been having this happen rather frequently since our forum changed last week.  Somehow you hooked up to this post, don't ask me how.  But just to the top of the page and click on "post question" and start a brand new thread with your question, you might get more responses.  There are many people here addicted to hydrocodone.  Some people swear by cold turkey and some by taper - it is a personal choice.

Love, Cindy

[FLaddict]

Thanks... I have been trying to direct them all myself... was getting to be a bit of work... LOL... I hope medhelp has a solution for this... I am hoping they will email me back tommorrow... see if they can close old threads to new posts or something or a way to direct people to the main page instead of the archives..

[ASHW31]

when you stop taking vics after about 1 year @ about 10-15day is there anything you can take to make the first 3 days better? (vitamins,tylenol) Or even after that?

[Savas]

Yes, there's a clonidine taper you can try. Try a search on clonidine or thomas recipe. Also, check the dates on posts you reply to, this thread dates back to the year 2,000, and people tend to see the date and not look at them.

[kydiver]

getting off the stuff is hard, I have major back and spine problems and am now on Suboxon 12MG a day.  It does not give the high, has allot longer half life ( this is why Oxy is so bad// the ups and downs)

I was putt on this after going through detox.  The thing they used to help me through this is, Darvacet 200MG every 4 hours x8, x6, x5 and down to reduce the cold feeling effect, but the most helpful thing was .3MG of clonodine x 4 hours (this is a blood pressure med, that helps big time with withdraws, its all over in about 5 days.

Clonodine is not a narcotic and doc will give to help with withdraws if your straight up with them.

Good luck