help with 60 norco a day habit

[rebel58]

I have worked my way up to over 60 to 80 norco 10-325's a day and now im detoxing cold turkey. Can anyone tell me how long it will be before i start feeling more normal again? At 1,800 norco a month, i have a terrible problem and i dont want to lose everything in my life.

[catwoman64]

im going through withdrawals now and believe me if you dont have to quit cold turkey my advice to you is not to.  you need to taper off.  i had to go to the er yesterday and my blood pressure was 183 over 111 and that can not be safe !!!   thats alot of pills... how did you get up to so many..pain????  or did you like the feeling of them or what??  not judging you at all.. just won dering,.  i know i have builld up a tolerance or its the pain but i was up to 225 mcg. of fentyl pain patches then went to 800 mg of morphine a day plus oxy ir's 40 mg a day. and ive ran out of all of it and  the withdrawals have been very bad i felt like i was going insane and i couldnt keep still and not to mention the pain ive been in.  but my doctor left me hanging and i see another one tommorow so im really praying that i get help !  but like i said if i were you i would slowly taper off of that... cause thats alot of pills !!!  take care and good luck and keep all of us posted in how u r doing... and be careful!!               catwoman

[rebel58]

What did the ER do for you? What did you tell them?
I have found it hard to get the ER to give me anything....
I have been on Norco for 3 yrs and have a super high tolerance. Its not uncommon for me to take up to 15 at one time due to my tolerance.  Ive tried OxyContin, Morphine tabs, fentyl patches, but they are still just a stop gap for the Norco which seems to be my pain med of choice.

[catwoman64]

IM SORRY BUT THAT ISNT MAKING MUCH SENSE.. FENTYL IS THE MOST POTENT PAIN MEDICATION THAT CAN BE PRESCRIBE IN THE U.S.  I KNOW I  EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT BUT HYDROCODONE COMPARED TO FENTYL ITS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.  WOW!!   ISNT NORCO .. VICODIN?? AND VICODIN DOESNT DO ANYTHING FOR ME AND DARVOCETS AND PERCOCETS EITHER... AND IF NORCO IS YOUR CHOICE OF PAIN MED .. WHY DOES IT TAKE SO MUCH?  HAVE YOU TRIED HIGHER DOSES OF THE FENTYL AND OXY'S???  I WAS ON 225 MCG'S OF FENTYL AND 800 MG'S OF MORPHINE ... NOT AT THE SAME TIME THOUGH.  BUT THATS ALOT.  THE ER DOCTOR WAS VERY NICE TO ME ... I JUST TOLD THEM THAT MY B/P WAS REAL HIGH AND NOT FEELING GOOD AND IN ALOT OF PAIN AND THEY TOOK ME RIGHT BACK AND IT WASNT LONG TILL THE DOCTOR CAME IN AND HE TOLD THE NURSE TO GIVE ME 2 MG OF DAULADID AND THAT DIDNT WORK AND HE ORDERED 2 MORE MG'S ALONG WITH VALUIM TO GET ME TO RELAX CAUSE I WAS GOING CRAZY IT FELT LIKE... I DONT LIKE THEM WITHDRAWALS WHAT SO EVER !!!!!   I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD RAN OUT OF MY OXY IR'S THE OTHER DAY AND HAVE BEEN SICK AND IN ALOT OF PAIN AND THEY WERE REALLY NICE TO ME.  BUT MY B/P WAS VERY HIGH AND MY FACE WAS BEET RED AND I COULDNT STAY STILL.. MY LEGS AND ARMS WERE CONSTANTLY MOVING AND I HAD GOTTEN SICK AND FELT THAT WAY TO AND ALL THE SIGNS OF WITHDRAWALS AND I DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO TELL THEM ... THEY KNEW WHAT WAS WROING WITH ME WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD RAN OUT OF PAIN MEDICINE.  I KNOW WHAT U MEAN BY TAKING SO MANY AT ONE TIME I WAS GETTING LIKE THAT WITH ULTRAM CAUSE I WAS ON IT FOR SO LONG THAT IT JUST WASNT DOING ANYTHING FOR ME AND ONE DAY I TOOK ABOUT 35-38 OF THEM AND THOUGHT . . THIS IS STUPID.. SO THATS WHEN I TOLD MY DOCTOR THAT THEY WERERNT DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. ARE U OUT OF NORCO'S???  HOW CAN YOU TAKE SO MANY AND NOT RUN OUT BEFORE YOUR REFILL?  IF U DONT MIND ME ASKING.  I KNOW WITH THE OXY IRS I HAD LEFT I HAD TO TAKE MORE THAN I WAS SUPPOSE TO CAUSE I RAN OUT OF MY MORPHINE ... I DIDNT WANT TO BUT WHEN THE PAIN IS SO BAD ... YOU'LL DO ABOUT ANYTHING !!!  YOU CAN PM ME IF YOU WANT.  TAKE CARE ..... CATWOMAN  .............. KEEP IN  TOUCH PLEASE!!!

[ChronicPain1]

You'll want to post in the Substance Abuse forum, this isn't the right place for this.

[nick30]

both of you need serious help. please stop abusing prescription meds. and please talk about your drug habits elsewhere. this forum is for people treating pain within the boundaries of the law.

Nick

[Babs1469]

I can't even imagine being on so much so often. And then to be Tolerant of it all. I'd be scared for the person wanting to go cold turkey. I applaud you if you want to get off the meds but be smart, do it with the help of a Dr. I don't know how you can possibly be on so much legally but I'm not one to say I guess. Good luck though, getting off them and going back to normal. although what is normal for you? Scary.

[Mollyrae]

I agree with Nick......Please post this in the Substance Abuse Forum.

Rebel:

This is a forum for chronic pain sufferers or ppl in pain and not for addiction.

Catwoman:

Please be careful.

[rebel58]

Sorry i posted this is the wrong area. Im an ex firefighter who has had over 27 surgeries, so Im not just some drug seeker. I am in legit pain and Im sorry if I offended anyone in this forum,. I will not post here again,.

[nick30]

You really need to get off your recliner. it is making your life worse. you must find ways to move around whilst you are taking narcotics. if you just sit there on massive doses of narcotics your life is over. you need to get up and get moving. if the narcotics don't help you to do that then you should quit them and find other ways of managing your pain.
trust me. your dr's will not prescribe doses like that forever, use what you have now to get yourself moving, or you will be in terrible pain when the meds get taken away from you. I have noticed you have problems controlling your intake, you frequently run out. you need serious help. please seek it. I am telling you this for your own benefit. nothing more, nothing less.

Nick.

[nick30]

Rebel.

I have never heard of anyone taking 1800 norco a month? did one dr prescribe all of them? if he did, he should be in jail.
and don't you care about yourself enough to realise that taking obscene amounts of narcotics is only going to have a bad outcome in the end?

Nick.

[sandee1818]

Anyone taking that amount of medications are in real danger. I really do not want to say whether or not your in real pain because we all know how we get judged by others who say well you do not look like your in pain.
I suggest that anyone who is on this quantity of medications get a new doctor and get reevaluated as to what and where your pain is. I would not believe any one doctor would ever prescribe that amount of narcotics and if they did they should be checked out.
No one here can judge another's pain based on what they say on the net so lets be careful about doing that.
The PM community is for those who suffer from pain and need support.

[nick30]

Hi all,

60x norco a day(325) is 19.5 grams of acetaminophen. NO doctor would ever prescribe that. nor any pharmacist fill it.
being in pain doesn't excuse criminal behaviour. only doctor shopping or buying on the street could account for that amount of drugs. unless there is another alternative that i'm unaware of.
we pain patients have to do everything we can to avoid tolerance in our own bodies. doses can't and won't be increased forever. ALL efforts must be made to fight off tolerance. i get the feeling that some people expect zero pain levels and make zero effort to find the best ways to manage thier pain.
I have not said anywhere on this post that person A or person B aren't in pain. that is not the issue. it's prescription drug abuse that's the issue. it's illegal and hurts us all.
Regards,
Nick.

[sandee1818]

Nick,
While I do agree that taking that much of ANY pain medication is dangerous and is doing no favors for the person taking it that does not give us the right to assume anyone here is doing anything illegal and calling them on it in an open forum.
As I have explained many times here I am against the people who do use illegal means or decieve their doctors to get the pain meds we need to function and have a quality of life I also do NOT want to judge someone wrongly. Also when we judge people then future posters and members will be afraid to post thinking they to will be judged wrongly.
This community is NOT for getting information on how to obtain drugs or to abuse them but for support of those in pain.
Lets not forget the saying judge not unless you too want to be judged.
I am not saying anyone here has I am trying to get the point across that judging someone blindly is wrong and counter productive to what we are trying to accomplish here.
There have been many many members here that have been over prescibed pain medications and if we start calling everyone a drug addict then we too are leaving the door open to those who say we are because we take pain medications.
Judge not unless you too want to be judged.
I agree totally with keeping the medications as low as possible. I have been on the same dose for a really long time and it has NEVER taken away all the pain but it takes enough away that I can function. If someone is looking to have their meds take all the pain away they will never accomplish this and even if they did they would hit the limit very quickly as there is a limit.
Again, I am not advocating using this amount of medications or anything illegal I am just saying lets be very careful about judging those we do not have all the information on as we can not make a correct assumption from a few sentences written on the Internet:)

[BOK2Bjan]

I've been reading this all along and I'm glad it was commented on.  I would like to respond to Nick's remark about the acetaminophen because it is so often overlooked.  I had to ask my doctor to prescribe the narcotic alone, without the aspirin, acetaminophen or NSAIDs because they can cause such serious side effects.  That much aspirin would turn you into a bleeder with ulcers, that much acetaminophen or NSAIDs would kill the liver and mess some stomach's up.  It's something that isn't talked about enough.  Taking them separate allows you to titrate better.

My only remark about quantity is that due to complications AND regulations - it wouldn't be medically sanctioned!  I totally agree with that.  I take high doses BUT... I can't even imagine!

Those on doses like that - I hope you are able to come off as safely as possible - and as soon as possible.  And that is something everyone here knows won't be easy.  If possible, get help from a doctor so you're not alone having seizures or something.  I do wish you well.

Jan

[sandee1818]

Jan,

Your correct. it is not discussed nearly enough that the extra Tylenol and asprin and even ibuprohpen will cause liver failure and bleeding ulcers.
I hope that the poster sees your post and realizes this.
I too had my meds changed to exclude the Tylenol.

[Tuckamore]

The original poster admitted that he posted in the wrong forum. We all make errors, at least I know I do.

No one should not be so quick to jump on someone with judgement and accusations as has happened here. This forum should be a haven, the kinder and gentler place to come for suggestions and guidance. No one should ever be driven off or away from this forum. Because we are CP sufferers does not make us any better than someone else. Indeed it humbles me.

Addiction is a disease, just like Chronic Pain is a disease.....and just like diabetes. We ask for understanding and compassion but we are not willing to extend the same to others?? My Grandma was quick to defend those that her naive grand-baby's were too quick to judge by reminding us that, "There but by the grace of God go I."  I have never forgotten her wisdom.

I think some soul searching is needed!!

[BOK2Bjan]

I agree with your focus on compassion.  Sometimes compassion means having to state some hard truths, though.  But if the truth is not "spoken with love", then it isn't heard.  It's not always an easy tight rope to walk, but everyone does need to at least attempt to soften negative advice in positive, optimistic wrapping.  And I don't mean so nice that they don't know what your position is.  But I've always felt that it isn't loving to say nothing.  It just shows your compassion is less than your political correctness and "civility"  When someone is in obvious danger due to being outside medically safe guidelines, they should be told - just not with a judgmental spirit.  Mistakes get made all the time - we're all human. I'm dealing with a family member right now that some want to just ignore "to be nice".  I love her enough to want to risk offending her.  She needs help with something and although it causes discord, I can't risk saying nothing.  Oh, that good old happy medium we're always searching for.  When will we ever find it??  I hope we won't start judging whether someone's medium isn't as good as our medium! lol  Sometimes the answers just don't come easy.

Blessings to us all - may we all take one less pill, patch, or shot than we think we need, and have the strength and grace to grow in some way from the left over pain we must endure.

Jan

[Babs1469]

Nicely Put, You are quite elequent in your reasonings. Thank you for taking the time. I agree with all you said, I just wouldn't have put it so nicely. Thank you for voicing what I only hear in my head.

[sacvic50]

I am so sorry that so many people jumped on you and made you run for cover.  I don't think that judging you is in anyone's best interest. I was getting narcotics from several different doctors when my injury first started.  I got norco for my knee pain, percocets for my back pain, percodan from my dentist... vicodin from the ER doc.. I did it but I had no idea that I was not only being unethical, but that I was breaking the law.  I was just hurting all over and didn't know what to do.  You may be taking all the norco's because you think that taking a bucketload of norco is better than switching to morphine.  IT IS NOT.  THE TYLENOL IS GOING TO KILL YOU.  AT THE VERY LEAST IT WILL SHUT DOWN YOUR LIVER. STOP TAKING SO MANY!!!!!!!  I believe you are in pain. I just don't want you to die.  And I( for one) don't want you to abandon this forum.  I am in chronic pain.. but I have spent many a night with the concern that my dependence on opiates is almost worse than the pain.  So what does that make me.  An addict or a Chronic pain victim...the addict is shunned and looked down on, the poor one legged girl in all that pain, dependent on her pain meds is pitied and understood.  Sometimes the line between the two is not that distinct.  But that is just me.
Come back and talk to us rebel.  Some of us really do care.

Vickey

[opus88]

well said Vicke, Tuck and BOK...we are all the same essentially aren't we...we all walk in our own shoes. we do what we need to inorder to control our pain some physical some psychological in the end are we really any different?

[Shaggy78]

Shame on you nick30. I did not know this website existed, much less that this was a SPECIFIC forum among many and that only those worthy of your acceptance were allowed to post to it. I simply entered "how many norco is dangerous" into Google, clicked on a link, and it brought me to this posting. Rebel was simply asking for help and he may have been brought to this forum the same way I was. He was brought here seeking help for himself. I was brought here seeking help for a family member. You shunned and shamed him. CP sufferers know all too well what that feels like. There should be more compassion and understanding within a "community" of people dealing with pain. I know to go elsewhere now - thanks for showing me the way.

[sandee1818]

Hi Shaggy,
Nick is no longer a member here. I want to to know your absolutly right and we strive to offer compassionate caring supportive advice here.
I hope that you will give us a chance to prove what a great community this is.
We have some great members , please do not judge the whole community on one post from a member thats no longer here because of his unkind and unsupportive post.
Please post the question you need answered and we will help in every way we can:)