I've read through most of the posts on this, but I guess I'm looking for someone in a similar situation as I am for some info / support.
I've been taking vicodin / percocet for 3 years because of a work injury. I had two ruptured discs in my lower back, and substatial nerve damage in my right leg as a result. I had surgery to correct the back problems, (a 2 level spinal fusion), and my back does feel much better. During recovery after the surgery, I was taking 12 percocet 10mg per day, then switched to 12 norco 10mg per day. I was eventually tapered down to 5mg vicodin 4 times daily after about 6 months. When the work-comp claim ended, I had to see my family doctor for pain meds due to the bone grafts still attempting to take hold and some noticable pain. That was nearly a year ago, and I'm still on that script.
I'm currently prescribed Norco 7.5/325 at a rate of 3 a day. I somehow have been lucky (or so I thought) and have managed to have a lot of people over the last year give me their unused meds. So 3 a day isn't really the norm. Most months, when I get the fresh prescription, I'll take as many as 6-8 per day, sometimes a little less. Then half-way through the month, when I see my bottle getting low, I have to immediately count days left till refill and number of pills so I can reduce my intake. This usually puts me feeling like **** for 2 weeks each month.
Last month, I quit cold turkey. It was terrible. I got NO sleep the first 2 nights because my legs were so incredibly restless! I had no benzos to take, so night 3 I drank a couple of glasses of wine which seemed to help the sleep a bit. Right about 82 hours clean, I got interrupted with dinner with a client from work that I had forgotten about. With no way out of the dinner and feeling soooo bad on my 4th day in, I took 1 vicodin and made it through dinner.
The next day I took 1 1/2 and stayed at 1 1/2 for about a week... feeling a little better than I had during detox. Then I came into about 40 extra vicodin, and 25 percocet and suddenly was taking WAY too many pills again.
Long story short, I'm on my 2 week cut back period before my refill. (What I've seen some people refer to as the see-saw effect, 2 weeks heavy use, 2 weeks restricted) I've taken 2 per day this week and feel absolutely exhausted still after 7 days of this. I'm 10 days away from my next refill, but know that when I get it, I'm going to be fighting that urge to take a bunch of pills again.
Since I've got a running scipt, should I be tapering since I've got lack of benzos? I feel cold turkey was a terrible idea for me. I felt so bad 4 days in and just couldn't take feeling like that anymore. I thought I'd be feeling at least a little better by then, but was just as bad as I was on days 1, 2, and 3.
Anyone who's tapered off vicodin before could really help by telling me what rate they tapered at that still allowed them to function as a productive member of society. I've got 2 months worth of refills left, then I want to be off the meds by then so I don't have to go to my doctor for help, or another 6 months worth of refills. I know with the spine surgery that there will be a need for pain meds at some point, just not every day like I do now! Is it even possible to go back to "take when REALLY needed" again since I've been using / abusing for 3 years now? I don't want to go to my doctor for help, fearfull he may cut me off for good if he feels I have a problem. It would suck to have legit pain and not have anything prescribed for it.