Opioids Wasting Hydrocodone? Cumulative effect over time?

[TucoRamirez]

I'd like to take the least amount possible - and not sure how to pull that off? It seems like it takes at least half an hour for the drug to take effect, and I have no idea how long the "cumulative" effect works?

For instance, what would be awesome is a chart possibly - the following is utter BS, but hopefully it gets the point across?

1.) Take XX mg, wait XX minutes. Feel good? Stop. If not -
2.) Take XX/2 more mg, wait another XX minutes.

etc. to

X.) Try again next time - and STOP wasting hydrocodone, 'cuz you've already screwed up. Ain't gonna happen for you - too much time has passed.

As obviously everyone has different expectations on what feels good, and everyone's tolerance is all over the place -

It still would make sense that the "timing" should be about the same - when the "cumulative effect" is busted? Or is there no such thing - do you really just have to "guess" at the beginning and take it all at once?

I likely have a much higher tolerance, but who cares about me? Just very much hoping someone has worked out the issue and has some guidelines on how to prevent wasting hydrocodone?

Much thanks for any info. And hoping these type of dosing guidelines might be helpful to everyone?

 

[Sertürner]

It is always best to start low and increase your dosage until you reach your desired effects if you are not familiar with a substance. That said, Continuously popping pills throughout the day can also increase your tolerance drastically. If after your second dose you still feel like something is lacking, then it would be best to wait another day or two before trying again.

 

[TucoRamirez]

I forget where I read it on here - but I think someone related that, even with a higher tolerance, beyond 30-40mg was a waste? So maybe start out with 30mg, wait half an hour, then take another 10?

I really have absolutely no idea how long to wait for any effect, and whether additional doses work WITH what I've already taken - as if I had taken them all at once?

It just seems wasteful to take too many - but even more wasteful if I take too few, right?

 

[LucidSDreamr]

I am prescribed hydrocodone. I take doses from 10 mg for pain up to 80 mg cold water extracted for recreational effects.

Hydrocodone metabolizes into hydromorphone (dilaudid), which is a much stronger drug. For me, this is why there is a second and different sort of peak about 2 hrs after dosing.

Different people with different genetic variations metabolize opioids differently (another reason why the CDCs one size fits all recommendations are not based on science)

Thus your best dosing regime may not be mine. Personally, I dont notice a ceiling effect anywhere between 10 to 80 mg. 80 mg has me into a full nod.

So really you have to experiment to figure ithis out. Also I'm not sure what the difference in binding affinity is between hydrocodone and hydromorphone but there could be a balancing act at play where more hydrocodone knocks hydromorphone being formed off your receptors (this is assuming hydrocodone would have a stronger binding affinity for the mu receptor than hydromorphone, which I would have to look up to verify)