[2 cents]

I've been taking hydrocodone almost every day for 14 months now due to a shoulder surgey gone bad. I'm in pain management and they just keep prescribing me the pain pills. I think I've become physically addicted to them. When I don't take them I become physically ill. At first I thought I had the flu but I'm now seeing a pattern that I get'flu-like"when I don't take the meds. I'm afraid to tell the doctor because I am in pain the majority of the time. But I don't want to be addicted and I think I all ready am. Any suggestions? how can I get pain free AND stop taking this med without getting sick?

[starinajar13]

I sort of go through the same thing. I get really bad headaches that don't go away all day, and I now get them nearly everyday. Nothing seems to work, and once I find something that does, I feel my body getting used to the medicine and eventually it just stops.I think you should be upfront about this with your doctor. If they keep prescribing you things that might be making you dependent on the medication, maybe you could ask for an alternative?It may also be important to ask your doctor to find the root of the problem... you say it's due to surgery gone bad, so maybe there can be something done to fix this.If you are not satisfied with your current doctor's advice after telling he or she about the constant pain, it might be time to get a second opinion, from a different doctor.Best of luck!

[erric245]

talk to your doctor about it. my uncle was addicted to pain pills after an accident at work and he died of an accidental OD 8 years ago. he had 6 kids.

[James H]

The sickness you feel is definately from withdraw. You have become depedant on the medication. This is DIFFERENT from addicition. Addiction is when you abuse mediction to get high. Dependancy is when your body requires medication to function properly, but you aren't using the medication to get high. Tell your doctor that you have become dependant on the medication and that you are using it in accordance with the prescription. Explain that you aren't addicted, wishing you didn't have to take the medication, but that if you dont use it, you get sick. The doctor might be able to switch you to another Narcotic that has less depedancy. Since you've been on the medication long term and it has been monitored by a doctor, he or she should be understanding. Explain to your doctor that you want to work together with them for the best overall solution. Remember, THEY WORK FOR YOU! If your doctor takes you off cold turkey or doesnt prescribe a reasonalble replacement medication, you should find another doctor immediately because then your pain will be under treated. It is far better to be depedant on a medication, then it is to have under treated pain!Let me explain one thing though to ease your mind. As long as Hydrocodone is taken in low to moderate doses, it does not do physical damage to the body. So from the"physical"aspect, they are very safe. However, you need to keep a careful watch of how much tylonol you intake (the second active ingredient in vicodin), because high doses of tylonol can cause liver damage. The maximum amount of tylonol (aceptametaphine) that can be taken in a 24 hour period is 4000 mgs. However, tylonol taken at 4000 mgs for an extended period of time can cause liver damage so try to keep your dosage at 3000 mgs or less a day.You might want to try using high doses of NAIDS (anti inflamtories) and see if you can get by on those. OR you might be able to reduce your dosage of vicodin by using the NSAIDs with the vicodin.

[huntsvillewitch]

You could try to incorporate Tramadol into your pain management routine. Tramadol is a milder pain killer, but it will help with the withdrawal symptoms.There is also Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) which is a medicinal leaf. You can order it all over the internet. It is said to work wonders with withdraw symptoms and it also helps with pain relief.Physical addiction to pain killers is not a rare occurrence. I am sure your doctor would understand your concerns and would probably be supportive. He may switch your medication, but it is highly doubtful that he would pull you off the painkillers all together.