taking 8 norco a day prescribed by Dr for chronic headaches, will this hurt me?

[katelefor]

I am 28 perfectally healthy except for chronic migraines due to head injury from a car wreck
I get migraines so bad I can't stand up(throwup split vision etc)
I go tos doctor  that adjusts my head and neck and I do physical thearpy there as well he prescribes me 8 10/325 norco per day I don't take more than that
I tried oxyvontin ang it was too strong
I have taken pain meds for 5 yrs
I got off of them once because of conviction but 1 year later I stared taking them again because of migraines
Can I take them the rest of my life and be okay? I take an herbal  body cleanser every 3 months to clean my liver and kidneys
I also take herbal water retention- diuretic pills so I won't be bloated is that ok to take every day? Please let me know what you think I would like an unbiast opinion thanks!

[Ga Guy]

I think that you're taking an awful lot of opiates. We all have to choose what demon is the worst, the pain or the drugs. I also have migraines, not nearly to the extent that you have, but about 1 a month. Opiates actually make my migraines worse. Have you tried other migraine drugs? Imitrex? Axert? Axert is the one I take, and as long as I head it off before it starts, it will reduce the severity or knock all of my migraines out. Give the people here a full history of what you've tried and they will make suggestions. My suggestion is to find a non-opiate  migraine drug to control the headaches, and then get off the pain meds. They will begin to bite you before you know it. They did to me.

[marcatj]

i can only speak from my own experience, but having taken 8 norco a day myself off and on for 9 months, i very much was not ok.  my life became pretty unmanagable.

as for the physical stuff - what this is doing to your body - i'm sure others can give you more info...

it also sounds like a really high dose, btw.  i've never heard of that many being prescribed for use in one day...

good luck to you...
mj

[megan123]

I also am prescribed 8 norcos a day for fibromyalgia. My bottle reads take 2 every 6hrs for pain. So, that's 8 in a 24hr period. marc is right---most people I know also say that is rare, but its all new to me because my doc just started me on them 2 months ago. I get 180 a month with 2 refills. Then I have to go for a re-check. The pharmacist told me that my script is a 22 day supply instead of the usual 30 day supply. Now you got me kind of worried, too---is my doc prescribing me too many? I really and truly take them for pain, sometimes the fibro gets so bad, I am in tears from the pain. These norcos I have have been great for pain, and they do elevate my mood, I'll be honest.
That's why I started doing a little research and I found this site, to see if others are taking as many norcos a day as I am. I know I'm not addicted to them...but now I am wondering what's going to happen when I stop taking them altogether....from what I have been reading here on this site, it doesn't look good for me when I stop taking them.

[peekawho]

The trouble is, that eventually that won't be enough, and you'll have to take more and more.  And then either your doctor will get nervous and cut you off, or something else will happen and you'll be up the creek without a norco.

They're probably ok for short term (week or two), but anything beyond that, you'll be better off looking at other methods of chronic pain relief.

[mom2rachie]

Your body will become dependent onthem whether you're taking them as prescribed or not.  It's just a fact.  8 norcos a day is usually the most you could take but that being said it doesn't necessariy mean that you should. I suffer fromthose types of migraines too.  I can't even wath Tv or answer the phone.  I get sick to my stomach from being dizzy.  I can't keepfood down.  I had to get black out shades for my bedroom and wear a sleeping mask so that light doesn't make it worse.  I too had to take pain medication for it.  Non of the migraine meds ever worked on me.  
As far as the fibro goes.... well if you are in that much pain perhaps something stronger that is al ittle more long lasting and a controlled relesae wouldbe better like oxycontin.  1 or 2 pills will last you all day.  But, of course you will eventually become dependent on those too.
The amount of tylenol is what's distressing in hydrocodone.  I believe it's 325 for norcos so 325 times 8 is 2600 and that is a safe amount to take I think.  4000 is the daily limit I believe
It's really up to you to decide if this is a problem for you but you will experience withdrawal after taking them for a prolonged period of time.  Talk to your dr about being tapered down.  

[Addicted2Pain]

Yes, you can take these pills for the rest of your life and be OK. Be sure to have your doc do regular check-ups on your liver.

However, as someone said, there is always the possibility that what you take today will not be enough farther down the line to ease your pain. I have been told by several docs, and one is very highly respected in my area, that I will probably be on my pain meds the rest of my life. Either that or learn to live w/the pain. Unfortunately, my problems is my foot, and I haven't figured out a way to get through the day w/o walking. :)

Don't know anything about the water retention pills.

[hockyfan73]

Hi megan...the reason that your pharmacist says its a 22 day perscription is that if you take 8 a day over a 24 hour period then 180 will, in fact, last exactly 22 days.  The problem is this. You forgot to sleep.  Now if you take two every six hours, (which is 8 in a 24 hour period) but sleep for six to eight of those hours, then you will only take six of them and they will then last you the whole 30 days (180/6 = 30) This is a disparity between Doctors and Pharmacists that I have never understood and had to figure out for myself  

As long as you aren't actually taking 8 a day (I know what the label says...but think about it...you do actually sleep)  Then you will have enough for the month.  besides...from your Liver's point of view (if it had one) six is going to be better for it than eight)  

So no, the doctor isn't giving you to much...just make sure you aren't taking too much.  (more than prescribed by doc that is...not misinterpreted by pharmacist)

Allen

[fishmeal]

80mgs of hydrocodone a day will cause physiological changes in the brain.  You will be creating more “receptors” to play catch will all of the opiates you are throwing at it.  It will be tough when the time comes, to get off of these meds and like Peekawho said, you will need more and more of the drug for the same effect.  I feel your pain, I really do and it’s not something that can be easily dismissed.  I also know that while being on opiates, the healing properties of the body are greatly diminished.  I’m hoping that someone will come along with a better alternative for you rather than trying to stay at that level for the rest of your life.

80mgs a day is a lot and I have never heard that it could be prescribed that high.  Just trying to go one day without would have been impossible for me before I detoxed, (I still am on suboxone and that is working well for me but it is still drug dependant).

It is good that you are asking these questions.  Please continue to do so?  It might save your life.  80mgs a day is at addiction level.
Best
fish

[Hopefalls]

8 norcos a day isent to high of a dose, if they were lortabs 10/500 that would be about the limit, but i have been given 310 norcos before for a month suply. 11 a day, the script read prn. or as needed

[kimmieb]

Your question is "is it too much?"  Well....for right now, probably not.  Those 8 a day probably control your pain adequately and you're able to function fine.  However, as everyone else has said, we can guarantee that a year or few down the road, 8 pills will NOT adequately control your pain.....maybe 10 or 12 will....then it will have to be 16 to get the same amount of relief.  By that time, you will begin to feel the effects of being on the medicine for awhile.  It's just a fact of the drugs -- they WILL lead to dependency/addiction -- it's just a matter of when.  I have been/was on hydros for YEARS before I started to feel like I was out of control with them.  One wasn't enough, two wasn't enough, now it's 4 or 5.....and I can bet if I stayed the course, in another year, I'd be needing and wanting 8 or 10 a day.  It's just the nature of the beast.  So, best to start looking at other options while you can still function and before the hard addiction really takes hold.  I know it's easier said than done.  I'm still struggling with it.....but wanted to share my thoughts with you as well.  Good luck with your choice.....and everyone's opinions/advice on this post are right on.  Blessings to you, K.

[katelefor]

Wow! Thank you to all of you who wrote back to me! I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to talk openly about it! I know that 8 per day is a lot but the alternative was oxycontin and me and my doc didn't want to go that route so the norco was the less of the 2 evils
Can anyone tell me from any experience if they have notice any signs of aging or looking "rough" while takinG pain meds? I am 28 and have always been very vain about the way I look I just want to know if this is gonna destroy what beauty I do have!  Also I read about people who have gotten off these meds and all they say is how its a daily struggle and how the urdge really never goes away, that's why I really dread getting off , I don't want to constantly want them and have it be an up hill battle every day!
I really apprecate your comments! Thanks!

[dendster]

Fishmeal....my question is to you regarding what happens to the brain. If the brain creates "more receptors to catch the opiates", then what happens in the brain down the road when opiates are required/needed i.e. for surgery? I'm currently withdrawling from not only nor, but percocet as well. (OMG...I can't believe what my Dr has allowed me to consume!) After 3 year of abuse, the drugs have become ineffective....unless I overdose. Will I regain the ability for opiates to again become effective one day or will I always require high dosages to eleviate severe pain?