Painkillers: Ended Up In The ER

[GottaRockDoc]

Hey,
I've been taking painkillers regularly for more than a year; they were prescribed for headaches. Vicodin, Norco, and Percocet 650's. 13 years ago I kicked heroin, and I should have known better - taking narcotic painkillers is EXACTLY the same for me psychologically. To make a very long story short, my tolerance was so high that I was taking probably 20 pills a day...Over Labor Day weekend, I mixed alcohol (one drink) with my usual dose, and ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, everything was OK, with the exception of severe dehydration (everything meaning liver, electrolytes, and aceteminophen toxicity), but I'm now in the process of detoxing. Or weaning, more accurately. (I take 6 Norcos in the morning and 5 at night, along with clonodine and xanax.) It'll probably take me three months to get off of the painkillers, and more than that to kick the xanax. (I'm decreasing the Norco by one per week.) Even with that dose, I feel NOTHING - just not sick.
I've come to respect the power of those drugs, and how seriously they can fuck you up, both mind and body. I'm actually grateful for my trip to the ER, because it jolted me into really looking at my problem...I was taking pills to get high, not to soothe my headaches, and my tolerance was just way too high to safely indulge.
Might not be the right forum for this post, but I've posted here before, and wanted to share my experience.
Thanks....
[ 14 September 2002: Message edited by: GottaRockDoc ]

 

[Stoned_At_The_Beach]

The title of your post should be "Aeteminophen Toxicity: Ended Up in the ER(because I can't read what is in my pills off of the bottle)".
Learn how to extract in cold water. The pain killers are %100 harmless to your body, it's the Aeteminophen that is hurting you.
[ 14 September 2002: Message edited by: Stoned_At_The_Beach ]

 

[Clonazaman]

My late aunt died of the exact same thing you just mentioned.
Be carefull.
It said, acetominophen overdose/toxiciy on her death certificate.Kay, RIP.
It was fucking Darvocet, propoxyphene apap /650 is one of the worst things to drink on because propoxy. is very toxic itself.

 

[kram696969]

Originally posted by GottaRockDoc:
Hey,
I've been taking painkillers regularly for more than a year; they were prescribed for headaches. Vicodin, Norco, and Percocet 650's. 13 years ago I kicked heroin, and I should have known better - taking narcotic painkillers is EXACTLY the same for me psychologically. To make a very long story short, my tolerance was so high that I was taking probably 20 pills a day...Over Labor Day weekend, I mixed alcohol (one drink) with my usual dose, and ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, everything was OK, with the exception of severe dehydration (everything meaning liver, electrolytes, and aceteminophen toxicity), but I'm now in the process of detoxing. Or weaning, more accurately. (I take 6 Norcos in the morning and 5 at night, along with clonodine and xanax.) It'll probably take me three months to get off of the painkillers, and more than that to kick the xanax. (I'm decreasing the Norco by one per week.) Even with that dose, I feel NOTHING - just not sick.
I've come to respect the power of those drugs, and how seriously they can fuck you up, both mind and body. I'm actually grateful for my trip to the ER, because it jolted me into really looking at my problem...I was taking pills to get high, not to soothe my headaches, and my tolerance was just way too high to safely indulge.
Might not be the right forum for this post, but I've posted here before, and wanted to share my experience.
Thanks....
[ 14 September 2002: Message edited by: GottaRockDoc ]
at least your trying to quit, good for you

 

[twigburst]

I don't see how taking 11 pills a day is trying to quit.

 

[GottaRockDoc]

Thanks for the support...
As for 11 pills a day -- it'll be 10 tomorrow. 9 the following week. It's the only way I can do it and still continue to work, and function. And I'm doing it under medical supervision.
I wish I could just stop, but I can't. I'm doing the best that I can to get to a place where it's no longer necessary for me to take painkillers merely to feel normal. Swallowing those pills makes me feel like I'm taking poison...
GRD
GRD

 

[hAppyrAveR]

Gradual reduction is better than not changing anything isnt it? Good luck and more power to you man!

 

[sputnic]

if youre taking that many pills in a day, and the doctor is aware of it, and helping you ween, you should be asking for something with a LOT less APAP in it. the doctor should have already made this suggestion, but it doesnt surprise methat he didnt. good luck.

 

[stefano * *]

Heyyyyyyyy, at least its not benzo's.
Mmmmm, anyone down for some seizuring???
ech, but anyways, good luck gottarockdoc

 

[lexabug]

good luck, and i hope you never have to face the problems of weening off drugs again.

 

[GottaRockDoc]

Thanks for your support! I'm still taking WAY TOO MANY pills, but I'm taking them the way my MD instructed. So it's all good. I've had no discomfort, and I feel GREAT. I can't wait to get this poison out of my body.
Kind of afraid, though -- it's gonna be tough to get through the headaches, etc. without mind-altering painkillers...But I'm committed to it, and I know that even if I get off the pills completely, if I take them again my tolerance will be exactly where it was three weeks ago. Which was INSANE!
So grateful...
GRD