too painful

[twosoxx]

can prolonged use of Vicodin ES actually make your pain worse..i need knee replacement and thing the med sometimes seems to make it much more painful

[gnarly_1]

HI welcome to the forum.....the problem with narcotic pain meds is you quickly build up a tolerance and will need to increase the frequency or dose to get the same effects
it got so bad for me over the yrs that a 6hr dose was wearing off in 2 hr we went to stronger pills then stronger pills again but it was a loosing battle my body built up tolerance to what ever I took thyey finely went to methadone...a powerful narcotic that last 24 to 36 hr
after 6 1/2 yrs on that I was in the same boat it wasn't working I finely said enoufgh is enough and decided to get off the narcotics and today im more pain free then wile on them many of our members find this to be true for them also....you may want to get off them and see what your bace pain level is without them I manage my pain with  800mg ibuprofine
many here use otc stuff like advill and do quite well if you need help getting off them we can guide you threw a home detox chances are your dependent obn them if you been taking them a wile take some time and read some of the posts keep posting for support we all want to see you get set free good luck and God bless......Gnarly  

[Jaybay]

Yes.  It happens over time which is why opiates aren't necessarily the best thing for chronic pain that isn't a terminal condition.  The receptors in your brain constantly need more narcotic to achieve pain relief.  At some point, the perception of pain becomes magnified.  

Short-acting meds in particular like vicodin also have a rebound effect.  Whatever pain relief you achieve for two to four hours will come back and then some when it wears off.  Rebound is particularly noticeable when it's taken for headaches, which is just one reason opiates shouldn't be used for migraines.  Having experienced rebound headache myself, I can tell you it's murderous - just as bad as the migraine but without the aura.

I've been slowly tapering off opiates for a chronic pain condition.  The pain is noticeably worse with each drop - far more than I would expect with such small decreases.  After about a month it seems to just melt away to the usual dull roar.  Have you talked to your doctor about what's happening?  There may be an alternative to vicodin that will get you through until your surgery.  If you have time to taper down, you won't need as much post-op pain medication too.