Scared and starting to want to reach out for help..

[Cobryn]

Lately for the past week or so I've been taking up to 7.5 milligrams of Tylenol a day without going to the ER.. I've heard horror stories but no side effects except for feeling cruddy and some mild, mild pain under my right rib cage... Like the pain if you have to fart really bad lol.. But on the serious note, I'm starting to realize what I've been doing but don't have the inclination to really want to stop..

I've been uberly depressed the past few months, don't want to discuss that aspect, but not having any will or care lately..
Yes, I put on a good front for my friends and family but I feel like I'm breaking up on the inside something fierce... :/

Why am I doing this to my body? What can I do to stop without letting my friends know? Is it too late for me? Also part of me wants to really stop but part of me doesn't want me to..

Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated..

This is also the first time I told anyone about this so please try not to leave any negative feedback....

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

Need to clarify what your asking...

Are you taking one pill a day that contains 7.5mg of hydrocodone and Tylenol in combination? Your worried about addiction, what it's doing to your body/mind and want to stop?

Just need to clarify. Your post isn't clear and you said your taking 7.5mg of Tylenol (which isn't a prescribed or OTC amount; Tylenol is taken in much higher doses. Tylenol by itself is not addictive.)

 

[Cobryn]

Need to clarify what your asking...

Are you taking one pill a day that contains 7.5mg of hydrocodone and Tylenol in combination? Your worried about addiction, what it's doing to your body/mind and want to stop?

Just need to clarify. Your post isn't clear and you said your taking 7.5mg of Tylenol (which isn't a prescribed or OTC amount; Tylenol is taken in much higher doses. Tylenol by itself is not addictive.)

No other drugs within the Tylenol.. It's the 8 hour (ER strength) Tylenol with 650mg of acetaminophen each. So taking multiple pills to equal up to 7.5 milligrams each night.. So let me rephrase my question... Why am I continuing to take this much Tylenol per night like I am addicted to it? I'm also starting to get scared after reading all of the stories from google search.

 

[Scrofula]

11.54 pills per day? To get to 7500 mg = 7.5 grams?
Help us with the math, if you can, how many pills have you been taking on a typical day?

Also, if truly concerned: www.crisischat.org/

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

Ah ok, your taking 650mg Tylenol pills and your taking enough of those pills such that you are taking 7.5 g of acetaminophen per day (not mg. mg is the same thing as milligram).

Edit - yes the math doesn't work out. How many pills of 650mg Tylenol are you taking per day?

Yes, this is a serious problem. Prolonged daily high doses of acetaminophen can result in liver damage/failure which can result in (rather painful) death. I think currently it is not recommended to take more than like 2.5 or 3g per day. I could be wrong about the exact figure.

What compels you to take so much? Is it just the depression you mentioned (Tylenol shouldn't have any effect there though severe depression can cause some people to seek relief in strange ways). Or are you in pain? You mention rib cage pain but it sounds like the Tylenol may be causing it?

If your in legitimate pain a doctor may be of some assistance. They will be concerned with the amount of Tylenol your taking and may be able to help. I don't know if you'll need pain management or a psychiatrist or some kind of combination but doctors may be able to help or at least point you in the right direction. Just be honest and explain everything.

You should try to lower the amount of Tylenol you take per day. It may help to substitute other pain relievers in place of Tylenol like nsaids such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Maybe even aspirin. You would have to be careful not to take too much of anyone medication, but maybe by cycling them throughout the day you can keep total consumption of each medication low enough. You can them start taking less each day until you can stop. Just a thought.

Tylenol shouldn't be causing any kind of physical dependence, so you should be able to stop. You may just be psychologically dependent somehow because of the depression or who knows? A doctor/psychiatrist/psychologist may help..

 

[Scrofula]

I just checked google, and there's a 7.5/650 hydrocodone/APAP pill out there (650 is an odd amount for Tylenol).

So, OP, how many Lortab (edit: or Lorcet or Percocet (with oxycodone?) I think?) are you taking?

ETA: no judgment on the extra drug, we all like those here.
Were you aware your pills had an opiate in them?

And OP, just in case, that means EACH pill has 7.5mg of an opiate and 650mg Tylenol.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

I thought the same thing Scrofula, but the OP replied he is taking a Tylenol only pill. Specifically 650mg Tylenol 8hr Extended Release. I thought 650mg was a strange amount too until I did a Google search on "650mg Tylenol ER". It's a common OTC product for arthritis.

 

[Scrofula]

I saw that, but the 7.5 didn't come from nowhere (650 is just what got me googlin'), definitely not from math, and could still be part of it.

I'm NOT calling you a liar, OP, if that's how it sounds, just confused maybe. Anyway, only you can set me straight.

ETA: many a relative has been bamboozled by the labelling on combo drugs. Like, even if it IS the OTC 650, a different friend thinks of her own pills and remembers "7.5 a day" . . . I've seen crazy things.

 

[T. Calderone]

I'm not sure why you keep taking it besides for pain relief. Have you considered talking with a therapist or counselor? I know that you don't want to get your friends and family involved but that would be a good start. If you're having abdominal pain, seek medical attention. You may have liver damage and the only way to know for sure is having them run tests. Don't take any more Tylenol today and get some help for your problem.

 

[Cobryn]

Ok my math was off also, haven't been thinking real clear lately.. I'm taking enough at 650 per to be at 6500 milligrams and then 2 Tylenol PMs at 500 each to equal 7500 milligrams..

Pain hasn't really started until a couple days ago.

No, no other drugs within this Tylenol. I have before taken anti depressant pills a few years before but hasn't helped.

 

[Cobryn]

It's almost like it gives me a temporary high if I resist going to sleep..

 

[Scrofula]

Oh, well, you might be dependent on the active ingredient in Tylenol PM: diphenhydramine, aka Benadryl.

Try immediately switching to just 50mg Benadryl at night. It will give you a kind of "high", and you'll spare your liver.

Benadryl at sleep-aid doses is fairly harmless (if you don't drive etc.)

Or any OTC sleep-aid, like Unisom.

They're all antihistamines. Then check out the forums here on deliriants.

ETA: the common OTC anti-histamines are also
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
doxylamine succinate
dimenhydrinate (Dramamine, it's just two Benadryl and a cup of coffee as a conjugated methylxanthine)
chlorpheniramine maleate

Make sure they don't have any other ingredients
Claritin won't have the same effect, or any of the "non-drowsy" ones.

 

[Cobryn]

Well it's not the "high" that worries me it's also all of the stories that I've read on Google searching... like I've said I have been taking this amount for a little more than a week every night.. Dunno if my mind is doing it for the "high" it's creating or the possible other side effect with overdosing..

 

[Scrofula]

Well first: it's the Tylenol, also called acetominophen, also called paracetemol if you're not in the US, that you need to stop taking. That one is pretty hard on your liver, and it is the one you are overdosing on.

The thing in TylenolPM that you "feel" is an anti-histamine, Benadryl.

You aren't even close to overdosing on that one.

You can save money and just buy generic diphenhydramine and get the same effects, mainly feeling sleepy and a little trippy.

I don't know what Google's been telling you, but yes, Tylenol starts getting dangerous after (they say) 2,000mg a day long term. (Used to be 4,000mg)

You can eat 100 Benadryl 25mg tabs (I have) and be OK (if no one lets you leave the house, you won't remember).

But sleeping pills usually have 50mg in them. So you have been taking the equivalent of ONE OTC sleeping pill. Definitely NOT an overdose.

But you ARE overdosing on Tylenol. So stop taking those.

 

[Scrofula]

OP, how was your night?

Did you try some OTC sleeping pills instead? How did it go?

Did you put the Tylenol away? How's your mood?

 

[d1nach]

Im so lost.

So your taking two pm and ten 650 mg?

I agree with Scrofula you can get the same psychoactivity from 2 benadyrl or 1 unisom.

You sound like a extremely anxious person. Your actually taking a theraputic dose dph and therefore the crazy effects of ten or twenty fold your dose are irrelevent. 20 times your daily water sodium or potassium can kill you that doesnt mean they should never be consumed.

You may have a underlying anxiety disorder benadyrl supresses sodium channels blocks histamine and blocks mACh. A abnormal activity in the frontal part of the brain, amydala,excitatory sodium ion channels and histamine might all play a role in ocd general anxiety agitation fear ect.

 

[Scrofula]

I think maybe OP enjoyed or was intrigued by the drowsy/trippy feeling of TylenolPM, but took more Tylenol to get more of the feeling. Then heard how bad Tylenol can be for you?

That would make a person anxious.

 

[g_dan1]

7500mg a day? Man you should go do bloodwork and check ur liver ASAP... i was taking 1 tylenol per day with kratom and all of a sudden got horrible liver test results. Scared the shit out of me... its VERY important for you to go to the doc asap because early stages of liver damage don't show any apparant symptoms. Stop taking any tylenol..
Goodluck and i hope you're okay.

 

[Scrofula]

It was only for a week.

She's probably OK. And if she had elevated enzymes, the doc wouldn't do anything anyway.
They just say, look: high ALT and AST, you're a bad person.

 

[g_dan1]

So what do they recommend for high alt and ast?