why does hydrocodone make me feel this way?

[rocketship]

I have a prescription for hydrocodone 10/200 (it's a capsule specially made with 10mg's of hydrocodone and 200 of Acetaminophen) that I can take up to 3 times a day for up to 3 months because of a torn ligament injury - but I tend to just take the medication here or there if I have pain.  I'm interested in this website because I am concerned about becoming addicted and I find it a wonderful resource.

Most of the people I know who take pain medication like vicodin/norco or their generics, get tired from them but I get hyper.  I become a chatter box, I can't sit still, I certainly can't sleep and my heart rate accelerates (my doc knows this).  So, my question is.... why, what, or how does hydrocodone interact with my body to make me hyper when others get tired??

I don't take any weird supplements or other medications. I have always been like this with pain medications all my life.  Heck nyquil makes me hyper too. Even when I had surgery early this year with general anesthesia and they were pumping me full of pain and anti-nausea medication afterwards and had to stay the night in the hospital I only slept for about an hour.  When I had to be sedated for another procedure they had to give me the absolute max dosage of meds they could...I only weigh 140lbs.  Maybe I'm just odd!!

[odaat1]

STEER CLEAR OF THEM!!!

[HottRodd]

GET OFF THEM ... IN MY OPINION, YOU ARE ADDICTED

[kekreuzberg]

ya, srhjns92, your physically addicted that why you get the *****, your body is in withdraw,, i started the same way, for 3-4 a day i started taking 2 10/500s a 325mg soma and half a xanex bar , sometimes id drop 2 tabs in a shot of crown then case it with a soma and a xanex while i was smoking a fatty lmao.... i called it my "cocktail" if you watch duck dynasty? i was happy happy happy lmao, your at a crucial moment though, your either gonna walk away...or its going to get worse, best thing you can do, eat three square healthy meals a day, take a one a day vitamin, take benadryl or advil pm to sleep, drink a lot of water, tea, koolaide stay away from carbonated drinks, and keep yourself busy, oh and take pepto a couple times a day, i had to go to a detox facility to get off them, i had to be medically detoxed because i was so bad i risk cezuires and other health risks i was dehydrated, malnuritied, i was freaking out, i couldnt work, i couldnt even bring myself to take a shower, its was a close to death as ive ever been......ive been in 6 car wrecks 3 motorcyle wrecks and ive been shot with a .45 and my detox was the worst,...id literally rather be shot again.....seriously,,, its nothing to play with take my advise and stop now

[kekreuzberg]

ya im the same way, i started because of a back injury, i started taking them at work to because i felt like i had more concentration (im an I.T person) i could sit through ******** meetings i had more patience with people, i was FEARLESS on my motorcycle, id be high on opiates and benzos (xanex) riding wheelies down the highway at 100mph, at 32 years old i was running from 7:00 am till 2:00 am the next morning sleep a couple hours get up pop somemore tabs and do it repeatedly till i just felt out for half a day then start all over again, now im 38, i quit taking them, ive had to adjust my whole lifestyle around it. i def cant run like that. my prioprites changes, i was spending....$600 a week on pills, ...its no beuno my friends

[srhjns92]

umm i have a question? okay on October 24th i got surgery i had a mass on my heart. well, my mom an sister are very addicted to tabs an ive always told myself i would never be like that! before my surgery i never liked them. they would make me feel weird an tired. but after my surgery they perscribed me loratabs an i had no choice, i didnt wana be in pain so i took them. and at first i never felt anything cause i was in bad pain so i never got the buzz my mom an sis always talked about. but after a month i kept getting perscribed them i would only take up to 3 10mg a day. but after my pain stopped i kept taking them cause they eventually gave me energy an i was always in a great mood. its been 3 months since my surgery an im still taking them. i take whatever i can get but i dont ever take more than 4 10mg a day.but ive noticed, when i dont have them i feel really tired an sweaty palms an irritated! i can barely get up to clean, take a shower. and i get the S**TS i just wana know if you think i could be addicted to them?? when i have money i usually spend half of it on pills an the other on stuff i need. so i dont think that im fully addicted i just like them alot. they make me feel good. my sister will spend all of her money on them as well as my mom. but they have been on them for about 8 years! its only been 3 months for me...what should i do? i dont like the way i feel when i dont have anything! idk what doooo??? what do u think?

[MSmith2220]

I would start a new section if you wanted to know an answer. BUT...

I'm surprised they didn't put you on another drug by now to stop you from taking so much at once. If I'm not mistaken even strait codeine is kinda weak compared to some of the things you can get. So switching and having you take less pills would be/is more ideal...

Have you ever tried to just not take them any more? Like a week or more? 2 weeks? If so, did you have to have them? That is the addiction, mentally. A lot of trouble comes from the "Physical" Addiction that your body gets when you stop taking the medication. Diarrhea, headaches, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, lack of appetite, all paired together for a week or more, all with really bad flu symptoms.

Anyway, stop taking them for as long as you can, that will do it for you.

[evamarsden]

These things confuse me. I am still trying to figure out if I even actually fit into the criteria of an "addict". I have been taking prescribed (straight) 30mg Codeine tablets for 3-4 years now, after being put on a looooong waiting list for surgery. I need a LOT of codeine to kill pain. I have been told I have a "low metabolism” for codeine, which apparently means my body is unable to synthesize as much of the codeine into morphine...or something along those lines. So I therefore had a high tolerance from the start and had to be given straight codeine, as taking that much paracetamol was giving me stomach problems. My script says to take no more than 8 tabs p/day, but from the beginning it took at least 10 (300mg) to have ANY effect on pain. I too noticed the extra energy and motivation, which I especially liked, considering my chronic major depression and severe social anxiety. So I DID start using them -now and again- if i needed to get something in particular done, or if I wanted to be able to go to some social gathering, which I would usually only be able to handle if I started drinking beforehand, and my body/liver reacts VERY badly to alcohol! I'm talking 3-day hangovers!! But with the codeine -no bad side effects at all- except if I change my mind and decide to sleep!! After 4 years, and already starting out on a high dose, it takes me a minimum of 20 tabs (600mg) of codeine to get even just a bit of that "nice" feeling. As my set limit is 240 tabs per month, I do need to ration, so I CANNOT take them every day. Is it still considered to be an addiction if I don't NEED them every day, I just LIKE them, and I have a very high tolerance?? I have told the doctor my tolerance is getting out of hand - but not stated exactly HOW many mg I am taking at ONCE. She has said that with people like me, the next logical step is to move me onto Morphine. Anyone had experience with that? Would it be better for me than taking so much codeine? I have no idea if it has any health benefits, or is simply stronger. So.....any idea's? And am I an "addict" - as such? Or maybe just on my way there?

[jad1977]

I have had an addiction problem with hydrocodone too would take up to 120 in less than two weeks of 7.5's- got to the point to one wouldn't work, so I would take two, then after a while, two wouldn't work so I would take three- I am still fighting this addiction and take them when I can get my hands on them- however that has become too difficult- its an addiction that when u need them they are nowhere to be found. I have found that even when I am not on them for over a month I still have no energy to get off the couch and do my household work- I am plum lazy- I have searched for something that will give me energy like this but without all the tylenol in it- I have tried caffeine, energy drinks, b vitamins, eating things that are supposed to give u energy- but none of these things do- it just seems that things that make others sleepy makes me up and cleaning and off my butt- however it does make me irritable with my children and husband.  Just need something natural that will give me energy- any suggestions???

[Nashvilleblondie]

Man, I gotta agree with you..I have been addicted since the Summer of 2006. My best friend is addicted too them also. ALL of our extra money goes to pills. We spend every waking moment looking for pills. Its the first thing we call each other about  in the morning and the last thing we talk about at night. I have NO LIFE!! Like the person said above I am a "slave"..when she and I cannot find pills we use coke or meth to get the "energy" from them, but it's NOT the same. Not even close. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE like Enemy48 said, just flush them!

[GoingToMakeIt]

You also might be upfront with your Dr about being an addictive personality type. There are many non-narcotic pain relievers out there.

[NautyOne]

Yep......Everyone I knew would tell me..." I don't know how you can take the stuff...it makes me feel weird and like cr@p.  Those are the non-addicts.......If it feels good....its probably bad for you.......except for ......you know what?  

That is a bad sign.  I would try some OTC's  aleve, or ask pharmacist what is best.

Good luck, and sorry about your accident.....

luv,
nauty............

[idareyou2]

I was just prescribed hydrocodone a week ago after being in a nasty car accident, and ended up with head, neck and a back injury. I am someone who needs to steer clear of addiction because I get addicted easily. I went 2 days without taking it to see if I could handle the pain on my own...and I can't so I had to take it yesterday. Should I just completely quit taking it and see if my doctor can prescribe a non-narcotic pain releiver? What scares me is, I like how it makes me feel aside from it taking away the pain.

[lonestar_61530]

i think this is pretty amazing that there are other ppl who felt the same way i did when i was taking them, my doc had me taking 3 at a time at 12 to 15 a day. i hurt my knee a few years back and have been on them hydro/vicod for almost 2 and a half almost 3 years, i been off them for a week to the day, and i have been so down that i just dont care and went to a doc for depression and these pills are not working at all. once i got over the withdrawls of not having them, i started smoking to help my knee which ***** cause i hate smoke and am allergic to it but it helps pain, to be honest, i would rather thake my pills and cut off a few years from my days, than to go another day feeling like i will never be happy again, i dont wanna do anything, move, i cant sleep, i barely eat, and i feel like i am letting my fam down this *****. ill be on them soon once i get my next surgery but i hate waiting. my knee kills and i hate feeling this way..........by lonestar_61530

[kimmieb]

yep, it's the energy that most addicts get addicted to in the first place....read the forum...it's all over the board here....that's how it first starts for everyone....and then you start to love that high and the energy that comes along with it....like you can be superwoman or superman or supermom or superdad and do everything and then some....

now, as for me, i get the exact OPPOSITE reaction when i take lortabs....i get drowsy and sleepy...have never gotten extra added energy or a high from them....and yet i got extremely attached to that "calmness" that they gave me....so think they're bad for you either way!!!!!

[lady67]

Oh how I remember those days.  It amazing how that one little pill can make you feel like the life of the party.  Unfortunately after a while, no one wants to be around you because you are an addict.  Please be careful using those little gems.  They can cause havoc before you know it.

[bobby139]

I agree w alot of the comments here, it seems like the ones that get addicted to the narc's is because it gives u energy and makes u feel good and easier to talk to others, its a high that at first is great BUT it turns from great to pure hell, so if it is doing that to u stop taking them cuz u will get addicted...I also agree w oxyaddict i was just like that if laying around it would mellow me out but if doing something it was like almost crack it got me going 100 miles an hr....the ppl that it makes sick and knocks them out usually dont get addicted..So what i am taking forever to say is STOP THEM
bobby

[NautyOne]

your not alone.......thats just how I got addicted.  Nothing unusual about that.

Nauty.........


be careful

[oxyaddict420]

I can get mixed feelings.  Most times I get energy, talkative, almost crackhead like.  Then other times I am just like half nodding out and just chillen, even at times passing out.  Alot of it has to do with what I am doing when taking them.  

If I am just lying down on my couch and watching a movie, then I might be more likely to just nod and chill, as to where if I am up and around at family's house visiting or doing something then I can get very jumpy, talkative, sweaty, overdoing everything!  

It all depends on the individual

[Moby237]

I used them for pain as prescribed after i had a large baby-ouch.. i was given them for 3 months. I loved the energy it gave me, and was kind of sad when they were gone. I fortunatley did not have an addiction to them, but if i took them longer than i was prescribed i certainly could have. good luck, take em as presribed & you should be ok:)

[worried878]

I remember a long time ago they gave them to me after sinus surgery...i did not like them because i wanted to rest and they made me feel hyper but uneasy...after neck surgery i requested tylox but they gave me lortab...i was supposed to rest and i was cleaning the walls when my friend got here to spend the night with me!   I still did not like them....then one day..I did...loved the feeling and I was so talkative and "fun"   it took away alot of the seriousness that comes with my personality....the euphoria made me forget about all my problems and I just slipped into it and next thing i knew i was hooked.....just be very safe......if u  to make u feel good mentally...it is a bad sign

[enemy48]

Whoa.....you're bringing back memories.  Now I'm recalling how I started w/lortabs.  I used to get knocked out and sleep when I took.  (Had minor surgery)  Then I started to notice the opposite after only 3 or 4 days.  I liked the energy.  

I stashed the rest of the bottle away in the med cabinet & went back to work.  I couldn't wait for the weekend, because I had a hugh project in the garage to tackle, and I remembered how the lortab made me speed, so I planned to take one and get the job done.  That went on for a few weekends, then before I knew it my home was lovely, cleaned and sparkled!

Of course when my bottle ran out, I got more.  Then started to use at work for dreaded moments & meetings.

Rocket, this developed into a 6 year habit using hydro10/500, 20+ a day.  

FLUSH THEM!

[EyeOfTheTiger68]

Run from the stuff man. Im day 1.5 detox C/T and sufferin. Run from it and see if you can get something that is nota narcotic. Just advise from a person who is addicted, and thought i never would be.

[Korley]

I would not even say that it is a enjoyable ride for a year or two, maybe a month. Then you are just a slave to the pills when you do get addicted!

[GoingToMakeIt]

There is nothing nice about a capsule that can be snorted.