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vicodin

I recently had hernia surgery. One in august and one in january.I experienced some post surgery complications. The doctors prescribed vicodin for pain. It has been eight months and i am still on vicodin. Now i am on vicodin es. I tried to stop for two days and never experienced anything like the pain i went through. My doctor is trying to wein me off but it is very hard to stay on target. I am scared and worried what will follow. Is ther hope. SINGER.
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Avatar universal
thanks for the input. here i sit at 4:35am. i can't lay down anymore. the pain in my side and stomack is killing me. i still have some vic's left but am trying to have enough until i see the doctor the end of next month. i can not believe he cut me off cold turkey after 5 years. i know it's because he has not seen me in 6 months but i have not had coverage and moved out of state. i'm moving back to calif. and will have coverage next month and can go to see him. after checking the forum i think my side problem is cronims. all signs point to this.  did you get night sweats even when you were taking the pills? i get them every night. i'm so tired of having only one way to lay at night. i can only lay on my leftside with a pillow againest my right side other wise i have pain and my stomack hurts. god is there no end to this. i don't know how to go on any more. all i have is pain and addication.what a living hell
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Avatar universal
hi tonit!  i live in southern califoria and can say that as of today i am 8 days clean!  hallaluja!!!  i just wanted to let you know that i also had the swollen stomach and being off the Vicodin for 8 days its somewhat better.  if it weren't for the fact that i'm going to Disneyland tomorrow i would be on my treadmill!  it will only mess up my ankles and make them hurt.  i'm already uncomfortable with aches, adding one extra isn't what i want if i'm going to be walking all day...  i am looking forward to excerise and feeling better AGAIN!  by the way, my vicodin habit was approx 18-20 pills a day...  sometimes more...  i just wanted to let you know that if i can help you in anyway, please let me know.  if you need support and strenght you are in the right place...  these boards are what ultimately got me to where i am today..  i wish for peace within you...
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Avatar universal
JR.
I am sooo sorry about your pain. I hope that you have someone to help you with the packing and the move. I will be praying that God gives you relief, emotionally and physically as well as for spiritual strength.

You said that your stonach is swollen as well. Again, I am no doctor but I would get my liver checked. I am here to help in anyway that I can. I hope that you remain in this forum. And I truly hope that your doctor finds the problem and quick.

Keep me posted.

In His Love, JR.~
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thank you for your note. i'm moving in april to calif. and will be eligable for medicare and then i will be going for tests for pain in my side. it is the right side and my stomack is wollen. i have to sleep on my leftside with a pillow againest my rightside. i did some research here on stomack problems and same type symptoms. they seem to relate to crohns. i've had the pain for a year now and in the begining i had coverage and saw the doctor. they did some test but could not find anything. the doctor saw it could be scar tissue but now it has gotten worse. after reading about crohns it seems i have all the symptoms. so i will have the doctor check it as soon as i get to calif. and have health coverage. as far as the vicdon goes i'm trying to spread them over until i see my oter doctor in calif. as he will not give me anymore until i see him.  i hope i can do that. the withdrawal i s hell. i can't belevie the doctor who has been giving me them for 5 years would all of a sudden stop until i get there. you would think he would realize the problem. it is mostley the ache in my legs that drives me nuts when i'm out of pills. i can't lay down at all. i feel like i want to cut off my legs. i also notice that the pills have a effect on my side. it sometimes makes it hurt more. i don't know what i'm going to do if i don't have enough pills until i get there with all the packing and things i have to do to move. i pray everynite for help. god bless you

toni
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Avatar universal
JR.
I do apologize for the short post and I will get back to you later this evening. I know about those night sweats and sleeplessness. You did not say what side is causing you the pain. If it is your right side, somewhere around the bottom of you rib cage, then I would get it checked pretty soon. Especially if it is ongoing for the last 6 months. I am no doctor but I would get it checked just for peace of mind if for nothing else. I pray that it is nothing and I pray for wisdom in your daily living regarding your physical condition that requires the meds.

In CHRISTS LOVE, JR>~
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Avatar universal
in reading all the comments on vicodin i find some things in common with oters. i have been on vicdon es for 4 years. i have a problem with tenderness to the touch of any part of shoulders and pain in all joints. my doc. put me on it in order for me to function normalley without pain. it just lets me live a normal life. the side effects have been lack of sleep and night sweats. i moved to washington state a year ago and my pain became worse from the weather. i'm now moving back to california in hopeit will help.  i'm 65 and in transtion of getting medicare so have no coverage. my doctor in california just gave me my last scripte until i return there and see him. i'm very concerned as when i do not have any i get sweats and unbelevable aches in my legs. sleep is out of the question. withdrawal is hell. i also am worried as i've been having severe pain in my side (which seems to get worse with vicdon) i have been having this pain for a year but it just got worse in the last 6 months. it feels like i have a growth in my side. i have to sleep with on a pillow on my side. i don't know if this is a side effect of the pills. i really would like to get off of the pills but i can't walk or do anything without them. i guess at my age if i stayed on the them i don't have that much longer to go so it won't make a differnce. until next month when i can see the doctor i will not know if the pain in my side is a side effect of the pills. but i do know that the withdrawal is hell. i'm hoping this last scripte will hold me until then. i have been taking 120 a month. if anyone has had this kind of side pain with this pill i would like to hear from them.
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Avatar universal
Just came upon this sight. Here's the low down. June 2000, emergency Crash "C" section, put me out. After finding that I had spondylolithesis (sp?) during labor, on March 12, 2001 spinal fusion at L3/4 and 4/5. Six screws, two rods and bone graft off hip. 8 months later, find out one fusion didn't take so within one week of finding out I'm rushed to have another surgery, this one from the front...two cadaver bones put in disc space. Here's the fun part. I have a 1 1/2 year old and two other kids.
Vicodin since 6/2000 until now. I am so ready to get off of it. Soma and Norco were it for the last few months. Went off Soma last week and had terrible withdrawals. Dr. gave me Clonodin and Librium but replaced Librium with Valium. I am now taking a few (2-4 Vic a day) because Dr. said not to go off completely,after taking tons more stuff before this.

After reading your comments I am immediately making a journal and going to go down the mountain slowly and not try to do this cold turkey. Doesn't seem like the drugs the Dr. gave me to combat the "Jump out of your skin" feeling are working. I have no desire to go back on anything as long as my pain subsides. I feel polluted. Nights are the worse. Legs ache, etc. I am glad I came upon this sight and will keep you posted on my progress. No one knows what we are going through but us.Luckily I have a wonderful spouse and children but I know they'd like their mom and wife back. Me Too!!!!

Good luck to all. It is only the strength from within that can say no to those stinking pills (if you don't need them for pain anymore)
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Avatar universal
Does anyone have any suggestion for easing "Night Sweats"?  My skin temp is always hot as it is, and getting off of any kind of meds I create a veritable atrium underneath the covers and consequently freeze to death.  Does anyone else experience this?  It's just the sleeping time...
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Avatar universal
Hi Ketta,

I am not quite sure why a doc would read you the riot act with the medical condition you have that can reasonably expected to result in pain, therefore, you should be afforded treatment to make you comfortable. This is a very, as you well know, potent form of cancer - how are you doing and what are they telling you about prognosis and treatment? Regardless, you deserve to be comfortable. Don't deny yourself treatment you deserve. You have been through a mental, emotional and physical ordeal and you should be able to have access to a reasonable array of treatment, including drugs, if need be. If you have had abuse problems in the past, I think the best policy is just honesty (usually the best policy in any scenario) and let the doc know where your are at with your pain and ask for a reasonable medical plan - one doc for narcotics, etc.

Anyway, my thoughts are with you. Give yourself some credit for confronting this disease and hanging in there. And I hope things turn out well for you.

Addendum: ( and ketta. this is not a jab at you, I read a lot of threads today where  a lot of folks are listing their email and I think this is what Cindy was legitimatlly talking about in her post this morning. We should all be careful about listing our email on a national forum. The problem of course is if you want to communicate with someone off the board via email. Anyway, I agree with Cindy. I have put my various board names in Google and been surprised at how many results I see.)

Take care.

Peace,

JF
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Avatar universal
Singer, etc. I read your post and am feeling the same thing. I recently had surgery and still taking the meds. I am out now, but took my last two yesterday. I am irritated and clearly in some withdrawal. I am sore and in some pain, but can not determine if it's bad enough to warrant the vic.s. I am recovering from ovarian cancer. I am out and could ask for more and get them, but I don't want to make things worse. I'm concocting all sorts of scenarios in my head and am pretty sure this is not a good sign. I've taken hydro for extended time periods prior to my cancer. I had a doc. read me the riot act and therefore do not tell my oncologist. I got off them before on my own and believe I can do so again. let me know if you would like to email privately and share. ***@****
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Avatar universal
Hey Nod, could you post the recipe? Have heard of it before and think it might help many on this board.

Thanks,

Jack
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Avatar universal
Hi Nod, nice to meet you. Well you were where I am and I am trying to get where you are. You have come a long way. I think once you hit over the 100 mg hydro habit a day it is dragon time. Would you mind sharing with me how you got down to 2 from 15-20? If you want you may email me, post and I will give you my email address.

Congradulaitons, I am right behind you, unfoturnately I only have two weeks of stash, so, I have "set up" a situation that will force me. I have been over a hundred mgs. a day for about 9 months now, but on hydro for over 7 years.

Take care and yes I would agree with the statement that the hard part begins when you get off completely. However, a freind of mine who has been off for several months recently went a whole week without a craving!

The dragon can be slayed!

Peace, JF
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Avatar universal
Nod
Hi folks, nice to meet you both.  I've done the tapper thing successfully 3 times. Unfortunately the success was short lived.
How do I disipline myself...easy.. I can't stand the cold turkey withdrawal.  The hell of withdrawal has given me discipline.

Right when you start the tapper, get on L-tryosine, B6, and then a mega mutli vitamin. (the recipe) The more vitamins the better.  I start the tapper by cutting dose in half to start.  Thats the killer. In my case go from 15-20 down to 8.  After I do that for about 4-5 days, I get exactly what feels like the flu bug for about 1.5 days as my body says, "oh no, we want more."  The worst is over then. (remember, everyone is different)   After that go down to 7 for few days, then 6.... drop as you can tolerate.  The lower the slow is general rule.  Near the end I find that 1/8th of a pill takes the edge off and I can make 1 last an entire day.  Yes, its hard but when your out, your out.  KEY - write down your schedule and track it.  You have to stay focused on the goal. You may slip here and there but get right back to the schedule.

What stinks is after I'm off them the pain starts to really intensify(legit reason I started to use in first place) So there comes the dragon and the vicious circle again.

Hope this helps you.  Everyone is different with how they feel. My hard part starts once I'm off.  NOD

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Avatar universal
Hi, Nod!  I am new to this site, but am finding that this is where I can relate to people.  I'm reading a lot of the comments out here and finding out that I'm really not alone.  After surgery to break my leg and re-align my entire knee joint 6 weeks ago, I still am on 5 mg Vicodin pills.  I take 2 at a time and up to 5 times a day.  I'm working hard at finding it within me to start working my way down to fewer and fewer pills.  After reading your comments, I, like Jack Frost, am curious about how you worked yourself down to 2 pills a day.  Did you have a lot of sweating/chills, etc?  And how did you commit yourself to taking fewer and fewer if you had extras?  That's my problem....I try to cut back, but then I don't as I have plenty of pills.  I also play the mind game of telling myself that I'll go ahead and support my habit of taking 2 at a time right now since I have them....and that I'll just go cold turkey when my pills are gone.  The problem is that I end up getting more pills everytime.  So I'm curious about how you disciplined yourself to cut back.  I admire you!  And I want to follow in your footsteps so badly.  I'm so irritable right now....the ups and downs are terrible.  I just don't like who I've become at all.  I'm a religious person and I believe that God wouldn't deal me cards that he knew I couldn't handle....so I have faith that I can kick this habit.  I'm so desperate to kick it that I can almost taste it.  I believe I can get there....

As I mentioned in a previous comment....I have no one to confide in...so this site means the world to me.  I don't know any of you, but I need all of you right now.  

Take care.....
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Avatar universal
Yes, it's normal to experience sweating, chills, nausea, insomnia and a whole host of problems when we run out. I have fits of anger one moment and profound lethargy the next.  I just love laying in a bed of pain with insomnia all night....don't you? Then there are all the little mind games that begin to run on and on as to how we are to get more. Yep, it's bleak period filled with panic and desperation.

Our whole world is suddenly upside down and things don't look quite as "rosey".  It's no wonder that we do what we do to maintain our addiction's lust for more. Eventually, and it happens seemingly overnight, the two that worked yesterday have little effect. Naturally we go to 3,4,5 and so forth. It's a progressive disease in that one is too many and a thousand is not enough!

I don't want to be a wet blanket around this forum, but sadly, what I say is the truth.  We know who we are.  To the lurker in doubt, think about it and come clean! You can't go on this way forever in real time.

J.B.
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Avatar universal
Radioboy-- Hi i've never heard of parsel & if you dont know what it is I wouldn't take it. In Mexico the drugs arn't regulated like they are here & anything could be in it. If you have migraines there are other meds I take Midrin for migraines & it works well. Talk to a dr & see if he can help you. Good luck
Jasmine

Bugslifew--Hi I just wanted too give you my opinion. I think there are lots of risks taking any med when you are pregnant, like your baby could get addicted now wouldn't that be sad. I would talk to a dr as soon as possible about this they can put you in the hospital & detox you (it's painless) or ween you of them. It also sounds like an antidepressent might help you. Also I would talk to a dr about all of the risks it might scare you away from them until the baby is born. Let me know how things go ok.
Jasmine
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Avatar universal
I am pregnant and have been taking Vicoden, about 3-4 a day whenever i have them...i am 4 months along..does anyone know the risks, and also how i can stop this? it's eating away my life..and yet i can't stop not even for the the life of my unborn fetus.
i keep telling myself i'll stop next week, and i'll be clean b4 the baby is born. i don't always have access to them, but when i do, i take them. i am soo scared, but yet can't stop this horrible cycle. I feel like they get me through life, they make me happy and able to cope with my baby and my marriage.
if anyone has some advice, i sure need it.
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Avatar universal
I never thought this could happen to me...I'm a 27 and have so many things going for me...and I'm finding that I'm struggling with addiction to Vicodin.  I've had terrible knee problems and was on the medication for several months before I had an Osteotomy in January.  I had my Tibia broken and my knee joint re-aligned.  It's the most painful thing I've experienced.  It's now 6 weeks after surgery and I'm still taking the medication.  The doctor has cut me back from the 7.5's to the 5's.  I take 2 at a time 3-4 times a day.  I've tried stopping, but I get very restless and I sweat a lot....is this normal?  I'm scared to death!  I've also noticed that I'm extremely irritable lately.  I'm wondering if this has something to do with the medication as well?

I go back to the doctor today for the 1st time since my check-up right after surgery.  I'm scared....I've only got one dose of medication left....I have to admit that I'm scared how I'll handle things if he doesn't refill the medicine.  But yet I want to get off of it too.  I'm just very, very scared.  I don't have anyone that I can confide in....

I'm curious to know what the best way is to go about this....should I talk to the doctor about decreasing the dosage day by day....or should I just go about it cold turkey?  Also, how long do the withdrawl symptoms last?  For example...the reslestness, the irritability and the sweating....they seem to be the worst ones for me.  I would love to hear from anyone with any advice....

Thank you for letting me share....and for listening.
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Nod
J.B.  Your posts have helped me quite a bit over the last year or so. Thanks my friend, Nod
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Avatar universal
If you have a good relationship with your doctor and really want to get off the drug you might come clean and say you are haveing problems. He can perscribe a couple of drugs that will help you get off the vics. In tapering it is important to pick a period of time, say three weeks, where you go down incrementally. The smaller the amount you are taking the slower you should taper. The are recipies and forumlas to help with this. Although you don't sound as if you are at this point of severity. Here is a link that may help.

http://pub37.ezboard.com/fthenewaddictionmedicineforumfrm15.showMessage?topicID=1.topic


Peace, you can do it, this can and does happen to anyone, don't be ashamed, just decide what you want to do and go for it.

- Jack Frost
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Avatar universal
Nod
I agree with JF, sounds like you should talk to your doctor about getting off the vics.  You certainly seem like someone at the beginning stages of addiction, so the sooner the better. Ask yourself the following two questions as to why you may not want to talk to your doctor about this: 1) you might be embarrassed or  2) you don't want your source to dry up.  

My answer now is #2, and I struggle daily.  It used to be #1 and I wish to God I could go back and do all over.  I started like you over medical issues, and now have cronic pain that certainly requires treatment.  Unfortunately, the drugs became more to me than just for pain relief.  Please don't make the same mistake many of us here have. The longer you wait the deeper you get.

On positive note I have tappered myself down the last 3-4 weeks from 15-20 7.5's to only 2 the last 2 days.  I am almost there.  Now the hard part starts again.  I'm going to eventually win this battle, but sure is one I wish i never had to fight.  

Take good care, keep us posted.  Nod
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Avatar universal
Has anyone ever heard of a Medicine called PARSEL?  It was brought back by one of My friend from Mexico - suppose to be for Migraines, but I don't know what's in it.
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Avatar universal
I'm sure you know that by now you have an addiction problem concerning hydrocodone.  It doesn't mean the end of the world for you, however.  Did you say you've been taking it for eight months?  The physical withdrawals won't be too harsh, if so.

If, as you say, you are playing games with the meds and yourself such as counting pills and telling yourself that you can handle them realistically....whoa! We've all had the best of intentions and have failed utterly, left to our own devices. Our minds have been imprinted! It sucks bigtime!

How you get away from Vicodin and stay away from it and all similar drugs is your "baby". As depressing as this sounds, welcome to my world! It's fairly easy to detox from a drug...it's the staying away from it "power" that is important.

J.B.

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Avatar universal
jf thank you for listening and giving me hope. this is something i never dreamed could happen to me. i went in to repair simple hernia problems and end up with a bigger problem. my doctor continues to prescribe vicodin decreasing the amount of pills daily and weekly. the only problem is i have to cotroll the amount myself. it is easy to say i will take 3 a day and then 2 a day but when you have the whole months supply in hand i cheat and tell myself i will catch up. i am really trying but it is very hard. who could beleive that someone who never even smoked pot during the days would get to this point. i will keep the forum informed. thanks singer.
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