Pain meds for Endo led to addiction

[Claire300]

I started taking Hydrocodone about 4 years ago for Endometriosis. I had my daughter in March 2007. Two weeks after having my daughter, my father was diagnosed with Cirrohsis of the liver and was given less than 6 months to live. He died in May 2007 and my addiction has gradually gotten worse since then. I thought I had a handle on it last November, but I was fooling myself and have been ever since.

I have only been off the meds for 4 days and am in agony! I am embarrassed and humiliated and can't seem to find support during this time. I feel that my friends are shutting me out and my husband doesn't really understand what I am going through. I don't know what to do and need help!

[ticked]

Man do i ever feel bad for you. Please dont feel ashamed at all.. This is where us all suffering from this dreadful disease go to let it all out.  My aunt had stage IV endo and had a total hysterectomy when she was 28.  Before that time she got addicted to perks because of the pain, now she is still addicted almost 20yrs later, my mom says things about her sister but she would never understand what is is like to live in this much pain.  I understand why my aunt is an addict and i feel bad for her that it has gone on this long.  she has no one, not even my mom (her sister)  You have gone 4 days :)  I am so proud of you.  It is hard but you can get the help that you need and I am here for you whenever you need a friend to talk to.. Tell me where you live and I can help you find a specialist that deals with disease.  Regular doctors and most OBGYN's are good for nothing.  Please understand we are here for you.  We are here to support you.

[NovusVita]

I am so sorry to hear that you're suffering in this way. The truth is that you should not feel ashamed. You are being honest about this and that takes remarkable bravery. You were given this medication for a real medical problem and unfortunately dependance can be an eventual side effect. You might want to check out the substance abuse boards as a friend of mine is going through a similar situation and has found them very helpful. It is possible your friends and family just don't have a good understanding of the disease of addiction. Perhaps getting some info from alanon or NA or one of those types of organizations would be helpful. For yourself, I would really recommend finding a good doctor who is eligable in this area and confiding in them. Your situation is complicated because it's not just detoxing, you do (I assume still) have endo pain to deal with. There are good doctors out there and they can be a god send. I hope some of this a bit helpful. Goodluck!

[nels2985]

You poor thing!  I've gone through the very same thing that you are going through now, and let me tell you...it's very hard to find ANYONE who will understand.  But also know that your feelings of your friends shutting you out may be part of the withdrawl symptoms...I struggled big time with depression-like symptoms during my withdrawl.  Also know that withdrawing from narcotics (which hydrocodone is one) can be dangerous, but if you've already made it 4 days I would assume that you are over the most dangerous part of it.  Don't you for a second feel embarassed and humiliated...you were given a highly addictive drug to help control legitimate pain and even if you are addicted now, you were not drug seeking when you went to your doctor to see if he could help with the endo pain.  You were pain-relief seeking.  That is very important for you to remember!!  If you feel you can stick it out and do this on your own, then more power to you!  Try to get support from you husband...even if he doesn't necessasarily understand, he can still support you in this effort.  I actually had to be admitted to the hospital for a week and a half to get off of the narcotics, so that is always an option too (if you have good health insurance! LOL!)  The most important thing that I can say is DON'T beat yourself up over this and DON'T blame yourself!!  Even if others may be looking down at you for this, keep in mind what I said before.  You got these pain meds for very LEGITIMATE pain (and those women without endo have no idea what we live with day in and day out).  The drugs are HIGHLY addictive and it would take a miracle for anyone not to become dependent on them.  And also remember...YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!!  I'm sure there are many more of us that have gone through the same thing, so hang in there!

You are in my prayers and I'll do whatever I can to be a help or an encouragement to you through this time!