support

where do i start? i have been reading posts for months and i finally have the nerve to write. i realized i was ADDICTED to lortab 10 and ambian about 2 months ago. i was running out of lortab early and felt like i was catching the flu. everytime i ran out i got so sick! i take up to 10 lortab aday and 2 to 3 ambian at night. if i run out of lortab i end up taking ambian during the day to help get me through the withdraws. i feel like i have no one to talk to and my family is not so supportive. i feel as though i am about to lose everything. my family, my husband, my job! i used to be able to hide this addiction but it has taken over. lasdt month my boss pulled me to side and told me i was going to lose my children because i was filling over 1200 controlled scripts a month and the state was watching me. how can i gain controll over this? pease help!

[tooklastdose]

you have come to the right place.
hang in there.  Life can be good.

[Mangee]

I would love to offer advice but I am not versed in those drugs. Hang tough and I am sure someone here will try to help. If no answer now, try again after a bit.

[Zillialee]

I'm not sure what lortab is, but if you go see your general practitioner they can help you, give you some non-addictive meds to help you with the withdrawals. I tapered off of my "drug of choice" (narcotics)  I guess a lot of people can't do this but I take my last one tomorrow and I went from over 100mgs a day down to 7 today.  I would go though withdrawals daily because I took my pills at night (since I could not afford to feed my addiction 24-7, it was already costing me over $700 a month)  Anyways, I learned about some options for meds to help with withdrawels and bought everything on the "Thomas recipe" and started it all last week.  I actually feel GREAT!  Have not been "high" off my pills in a week and can't beleive how out of it I was.  Anyways, keep posting on here and there is sure to be someone with more info. on your pills.  Good luck whatever method you end up using.

[brace]

i am taking hydrocodone 10\500. my doctor put me on subox for a month and then put me back on the hydro.

[beach777]

Ok...first calm down. It's totally doable. You can quit lortab/vikes/hydro (they're all the same/different name same drug). Now I don't get the part about your boss and filling 1200 controlled scripts a month. How does your boss know that and is that 1200 dollars worth and how would he know who's watching who? The only thing I can see is your boss knows you have a problem. Before you decide what to do, you need to know where you are:  so you can get your act together and do some damage control on the front end. Once you figure out how "exposed" you are, then make a plan and quit the drugs.....period....the withdrawals max out at 7-10 days. You can do that standing on your head in s---t. Pull yourself together, face it and get a plan. You probably don't need rehab but if you go sometimes it can save job/kids/marriages.....again depends on your situation. I'm all about self-preservation. Pull your head together and fix it. You can do it. You took the first step.

[brace]

i just read your profile and it is very encourging. My doc. put me on subox, then tramadol, then back on hydro. The subox made my hands and feet numb. Is that common when taking subox?

[brace]

My boss was told by my dentist. (they are friends) I am not sure how it works but i guess the state gives the doc a print out of what you are taking.???? i am not sure exactly how it works. My boss just told me i was being watched by the state. A few months later I went to my pain mang. doc and he said the same thing and then put me on subox. Two months later he put me on tramadol. One month later he put me back on lortab. I know i have made a big mistake and totally abused these meds.

[brace]

Should I go back to my doc and explain that I need to back on subox. I cant seem to pull it together!

[grievingwidow]

I am really confused about the "1200 part", you could not be actually filling 1200 different prescriptions a month or even 1200 pills given the dosage you are on.  Are you sure about this?  I also do not understand your dentist speaking to your boss about this, I am sure it has to be against the law with HIPPA, I would definitely check with an attorney and if you want to wait until you have your addiction under control fine, but he should not get by with that.

[brace]

yes it is against the law with hippa. I was filling over 1200 pills (controlled substances) I was filling ambien, adderall (adderrall), concerta, lortab and percs all within a 2 month period. I know what I have done is wrong and I am here to try to fix it. Here is a little more detail so my situation is a little more clear. I was filling 30 ambien every two weeks, along with 30 concerta, adderall (adderrall) and 120 lortab and 90 perc.

[Savas]

I'm not sure what your boss is talking about. Yes, the state keeps track of all controlled substances, but they're more concerned with the doctors who write the prescription than the patients who take it. Maybe he was just trying to scare you. And your in a tough spot. Your dentist just broke patient/ doctor confidentiality. I don't care if they are friends, what he did just put him in jeopardy of losing his license if you should choose to report it. What they're doing is just wrong, by the way. Be careful, perhaps they just want to help, but they lack the knowledge and experience to do so properly (as they've shown).
(Oh, if your getting that much, they COULD be concerned with the idea your dealing and selling it. 1200 is a lot! Is this a typo?))

Of course, the addiction is the big problem. But now that your boss knows, it puts you in jeopardy. So remember what I just said. That way if your boss starts to discriminate against you becuase of your problem, you do have a card up your sleeve.

You should talk to a doctor about getting a blood pressure medication like clonidine to take for the withdrawals. Over the counter meds for stomach and what not should help to.
You might want to ask a different doctor than your prescriber. Sadly, many doctors respond to you telling them that they've given you an addiction by cutting you off. And while you want to stop, you want to stop on terms that can be productive and safe to your life. Otherwise you'll end up cut off and on a worse drug like methadone because your in pain, panicking, and just take the first help they offer...which tends to be methadone maintenance. If you think your bad now, try that for a few years!

[brace]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to my post.

[grievingwidow]

You are very welcome.  We really do understand and we do care.

Love, Cindy