I've been taking Vicodin for feet/ankle pain, I normally only take one a day..but there are times I've been taken two a day. They are 500 mg. and I guess i have been taking them for amost a year now. I DON'T want too get addicted to them, I'm NOT abusing them any, i don't think....
How can you tell if and when you are addictied?
I'm 50 years old...The one doctor said I was being HARD ON MYSELF...but I do have the pain!!
2007-03-08 08:16:56 · 7 answers · asked by Daisy-flower 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
Well i had a car accident in 2004 and i have been taking oxycontin wich is the same as vicodin just canadian brand instead.And i suddenly stopped taking it..and i went through hell with withdrawls ..in the end my doctor gave me a bit of **** for suddenly stopping the medication..and now i am on morphine just as bad..there is a big difference my dear on being addicted to the drug mentaly "like gettin high on it" and a physical addiction ..you see these drugs are all in a family called "OPIATES" and those are narcotic drugs..well the human body naturally produces it's own opiates..if you ever had a friend who had a back or neck or any kind of problem and never took anything for it and tell you "i just got used to the pain" well the truth of the matter is he didn't get used to the pain..his body produced enough pain killer itself to deal with the pain..so when we take medications like Vicodin or Morphine our body stops producing it's own natural pain killer..so if we suddenly stop taking the medication the body doesn't know how to handle this sudden change in chemistry so till it can start to produce it's own pain killer we go through withdrawls for the meds..this can take 7 to 10 days and we can have small boubts of withdrawls for up to 2 years afterward depending on how long you were taking the meds in the first place..the one thing you MUST realize is that you CANNOT DIE from withdrawls even though it may feel like you are going to..Withdrawls are not plesant in any way or form..the spasms and shaking and vomitting and diarhea are no laughing matter..so what ever you do don't ever stop taking your medication suddenly without first talking with your doctor..and remember there is a difference between your BODY being addicted and you being addicted..there is a big difference between you who NEEDS the medication and the JUNKY on the street who just wants to get high..so take care and if you can look for alternative drugs to help with your pain..such as a Duragisic Patch that contains Fentanyl you put this patch on and it lasts 3 days..so you don't get buzzed or stomack upset of constipation from this medication..and also now there is a new drug that has come on the market for pain and also for helping remove the withdrawls it's called.Buprenophine it's supposed to stop all the side effects of withdrawls..so good luck and if you want to talk more about this please feel free to e-mail me at rcbrokebones@yahoo.ca
2007-03-08 08:36:20 · answer #1 · answered by rcbrokebones 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow...every day a Vicodin for a whole year ...that's seems a lot. If you can not stop taking those pills and you "claim" you are in pain all the time, then maybe you are addicted? Is the pain maybe a rebounce effect? I know with Migraine sufferers this can happen...they take prescribed meds and get more headaches from those meds....
Just throwing this idea out there....
I don't know. I wonder what the longterm effect of Vicodin pills is. And what kind of feet/ankle pain do you have? Is there nothing else you could do? (thinking herbal remedies etc)
maybe it's also time to change doctors and get a second opinion.
2007-03-08 08:24:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well Suzi any doctor who has perscribed that drug for you for that long needs to be shot. WHat you should do is treat the cause of the pain not try and deaden the pain through chemistry it will make you a junkie. I would venture to say that if you didnt take any vicodin you would experience withdraw symptoms, first probably diarreah followed by abdominal craping , moodiness coupled with severe pain in your feet and ankles you will probably have trouble falling asleep as well, and maybe even a runny nose. If you stop for 3 days and have none of those symptoms then you are not physically addicted. But what about your mind? Are you mentally addicted, it's a tough things to deal with, get some help if you need it.
2007-03-08 08:25:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you can tell if your addicted when the pain goes away but you still have the need to "pop" a pill. I think that one pill a day is not bad. Even two. But if you need a pill every six hours without pain then maybe you may need to see someone. If you have the pain AND your doctors says it ok dont worry about it.Good Luck.
2007-03-08 08:21:24 · answer #4 · answered by sandra m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are two kinds of addiction; psychological and physical. The only way you can tell for sure is by quitting. If you want to take more then you could be psychologically addicted. If you get the shakes or start vomiting then you could be physically addicted.
2007-03-08 08:27:34 · answer #5 · answered by Ernie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are being hard on yourself. If you're not increasing the dose or frequency on your own, you're not abusing the medication, and that's the definition of an addict - abuse. Vicodin is a very safe medication.
2007-03-08 08:25:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Tell your doctor because that is how it starts. try some Tylenol 800 or something over the counter please be very careful you can get addicted very easily
2007-03-08 08:20:50 · answer #7 · answered by lizziemoffles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋