Ive been using Vicodin/Lortabs for the past 5 yrs now, nearly every other day. Needless to say, Im addicted to the damn things. Just recently, the past 6 months or so, Ive been having sharp chest pains and trouble breathing. I feel an intense amount of pressure around my heart in the direct center of my chest, running up and down the sternum. They go away if I lay off of the medication for a week or so, but I get them back every time I take them, and they gradually keep getting worse. I went to go get my heart checked out thinking that it was something to do with that, but according to the tests my heart is healthy and functioning.
Could the long term use of pain medication be causing this pressure in my chest, and what is the pressure?