Opioids Question related to 7.5mg/325mg Percocets

[bluesteyes]

Hi there. I am new to this forum. I had a few questions related to my Percocet prescription, and I was wondering if you kind folks could assist me.

I currently suffer from fibromyalgia and a bulging disc in my neck. Occasionally the pain and muscle spasms are so great that I need some narcotic assistance. So my doctor for the past three months has been prescribing for me some 7.5/325mg Percocets.

When I first started taking the Percs, I could literally spilt them in half and combine the half pill with two 1MG Lorazepam pills and not only get good symptom relief, but a nice bit of euphoria. Although I know you need to be careful with this combination of meds, I combine the percs with Lorazepam because I need to have muscle relaxation in addition to pain killing in order to knock out the fibromyalgia and neck pain.

I originally only took the perc combination one or two times per week, but as things went along, I began using the combo once per day, after work, to just deal with the everyday aches and pains related to my medical issues instead of using the combo only when things really got out of hand. Naturally, I also got attached the euphoric effects. Predictably, tolerance began to develop. It got to the point where two weeks ago I had to take 2.5 perc pills and 4 of the Lorazepam pills to get the same effect. Naturally this chewed up my script, and I have been out of pain pills until today. I have a new 7.5mg/325mg perc script (60 pills).

I realize now that I cannot take my combination every day. I really need to preserve the meds for when things get super tough. That being said, I had some questions for the board:

1) It's been two weeks since I had a Percocet. So I came home from work today, popped a single 7.5/325 perc and combined it with two 1MG Lorazepams. It provided some relief, but not enough, and almost zero euphoria. How long do Percs need to be completely out of your system until you lose tolerance and can go back to smaller doses? Apparently two weeks wasn't enough. At least for me.

2) I have found that if I take my perc combination, and after 50 minutes or so it provides little relief and euphoria, it is literally almost useless to add more Percs or Lorazepam to the mix. It doesn't provide anymore pain relief or euphoria. I have to wait 6 hours or so and start all over. Why is this? It's almost as if I need to pick my dose and just ride it out. Otherwise it is a waste of meds.

3) Has anyone here used Robaxin (Methocarbam) in combination with Percocets? I have a bunch of Robaxin 500MG pills which I sometimes use during the day as an alternative muscle relaxer to Lorazepam. The reason I ask this is that I would like to refrain from using so much Lorazepam with the Percs. I need to preserve my Lorazepam script for anxiety and other issues. Does Robaxin intensify the effects of the Percs? I find Robaxin to not be a very sedating muscle relaxer. I know that Benadryl (diphenhydramine) can be used to enhance the effects of Percs, but I'd really prefer to have a muscle relaxer do that job. I don't want to switch to a sedating muscle relaxer like soma. I need to be able to use it at work.

4) When I was taking 2.5 percs and four 1MG Lorazepams a couple of weeks ago, I found that I only experienced "blissful" euphoria for about 30 minutes, while the pain killing kept going for several hours. Is this normal?? Is there anything that can be done to prolong the euphoria? I have already tried the Tagamet trick, and it doesn't work for me. Grapefruit juice is tough for me because I have a sugar intolerance. I tend to stay away from juice. I don't want to be crushing the pills, snorting powder or injecting anything. I sometimes wonder if I am making a mistake by taking my percs at the same time as my Lorazepam, Benadryl or whatever. Should I take the percs first and wait a certain period of time before adding Lorazepam/Benadryl/Robaxin, or should I take the Lorazepam/Benadryl/Robaxin first and then wait a certain period of time to take the percs?

Thanks for your help with this.

 

[gmlifer]

I don't know about your muscle relaxer but redbull always went extremely well with my Percocet. That being said I was like you at first. I was in pain management and got 120 10/325 percs a month and I would blow through them early every month. I finally stopped going to the pm doc in January of this year. My god, the cravings are still fucking nuts.

I know you need your meds for pain, you have to stop chasing the high though. Just pay attention to the pain level after the meds. Can you also take some ibuprofen or acetaminophen? Good luck and I hope can control the beast(I couldn't)

 

[Znegative]

theres already acetaminophen in percocet, the OP probably would want to avoid taking any more if he/she already has a tendency to misuse their medications without doing a CWE (not passing judgement btw, I am a junky).

If lorazepam and oxy aren't doing it, robaxin won't do shit, it's a shit muscle relaxant imo and I'm not really too fond of any muscle relaxant.

 

[bluesteyes]

In order to maximize my symptom relief and euphoria, should I take my Percocets first, wait a certain period of time, and then take my Lorazepams, or should I take my Lorazepams first, wait a certain period of time, and then take my Percocets? Also, how long should I wait between each drug? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? I know Percs start to relieve pain between 15 to 30 minutes and reach their peak in 60 minutes. Lorazepam usually starts kicking in between 20 to 60 minutes and hits its peak at 2 hours.

Or is it just best to take both drugs at the same time to maximize symptom relief and euphoria?

I should also mention that I take the Percs and Lorazepam on an empty stomach.

Again, thanks for any input that you might have. I appreciate it. Just trying to get the biggest bang for my buck. Most of the time when I take Percs I am strictly focused on my pain level as opposed to pursuing a recreational high, but there are times when my symptoms are really bad, and when this happens, it's nice to have pain relief and euphoria. During these bad times, I am usually highly stressed and worried. It's nice to feel a sense of well being, focus and calmness, in addition to feeling less pain.

 

[cjh1221]

Taking them on an empty stomach may seem the smart thing but your digestion needs a kick-start to really get the best effects from the opiates. I suggest eating a light snack then taking the percs., that should add a little boost to their effects. As far as Benadryl/benzos/relaxers, I would suggest taking them about 30 mins. prior to the percs, if you are going to take them. Snorting them is useless anyway because the ibuprofen in them will just clog up your nose and reduce absorption so it wouldn't help anyway. They are not OK to shoot, no pill is, so that wouldn't help either.

It takes quite a while for tolerance to go down for some, and for some it hardly does at all. It's just the nature of the beast for tolerance to go up and it's something we all have to struggle with. The average pain patient needs their prescription increased every 8-10 months in order to receive adequate pain relief, more fruenquently if there are issues of abuse. There really isn't a lot you can do about it.

My suggestion would be to use them as sparingly as possible so that you don't ruin your chances of finding any kind of relief in the future. If you continue to take more than prescribed, not only will you face withdrawals frequently, but you will find yourself needing larger amounts than your doctor will give you very quickly, and create suffering for yourself. Eventually you will reach a point where no amount of medication will be sufficient. It's a good idea to do your best to control your habit now, while its small rather than later when it's much harder and out of control.

I know this sounds easier than it is in reality but it's really a decision you have to try to make before it's too late. If you can't control it, you may want to discuss it with your doctor and see what alternatives he can offer. Patches are a great way to keep a steady amount of medication in your system and are not impossible, but harder to abuse. There are other means of pain control that are safer and in some cases even more effective than opiates/oids as well. They also do not contain the dangerous and damaging Ibuprofen/acetominophen like many pills do. As your habit increases, so does your intake of these ingredients, leading to a new set of complications and dangers.

If you still cannot find a way to control your pain and abuse habit, you will likely find yourself spiraling deeper into addiction as time goes on. I hope you can find a good balance or means of control. If not, we will be here to help you through your withdrawals/legal trouble/pain issues in the future. Best of luck.

 

[bluesteyes]

I don't think I would ever get to the point of addiction. For one thing, my doctor won't allow for it. He keeps me on a leash. He's never going to prescribe enough meds for me to abuse the situation. Secondly, I nursed my sister through an outpatient heroin withdrawal. I don't want any part of that. I've seen how damaging these drugs can be. I also have a sensitive stomach which prevents me from taking Percs more than once per day. I have rarely taken them multiple times throughout the day. If do I get severely constipated and develop upper abdominal pain. There is a lot of evidence too that long term painkiller use turns off the body's own natural painkilling abilities....the medication ends up turning on you. I want no part of that.

I have tried a number of different non-narcotic painkilling agents. I do have a nice compound pain cream that I use for my neck, but it is super expensive. I use an Empi Tens Unit (electrical stimulation), but it's hit or miss. My former pain doc tried to get me to take Cymbalta, which at lose doses can be used to help fibromyalgia. However, I am highly sensitive to antidepressant meds - even at low doses. They cause my mouth to go dry as a pulp (which can cause dental problems). They also cause severe insomnia. Those meds make me feel as though I am on a triple dose of Sudafed. I just get totally wired, even though I am not bi polar manic depressive.

Neurontin gave me stomach pain and interstitial cystitis flares. Lyrica made me feel stoned during the day. I am terrified of weight gain issues (I need to lose weight) and fluid retention (a friend of a friend got fluid retention so bad from Lyrica that she couldn't walk) that are common side effects with Lyrica. I have been through two different rounds of physical therapy, as well as acupuncture and soft tissue therapy. I regularly see a chiropractor. These things only provide temporary relief and are expensive and time consuming. Unfortunately, the bulging disc in my neck is not severe enough to where anyone would operate on it. The fibromyalgia is what it is. I am going to have to live with it the rest of my life. I try to get as much rest as possible, but as someone who suffers from bad insomnia (I sleep 5 hours and can't get back to sleep - even if I take strong sleeping meds), I don't get enough rest. I already had a sleep study done, and I don't have sleep apnea. I try to eat as healthy as I can and take long walks.

Chronic pain just sucks. Especially when you have a bunch of conditions like fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, etc., that the medical community doesn't really understand. So little research money is devoted to these things because they don't kill anybody directly. But they destroy quality of life. Some people have interstitial cystitis so bad that they have to go pee 180 times a day. It becomes a disability.

 

[George27]

2) I have found that if I take my perc combination, and after 50 minutes or so it provides little relief and euphoria, it is literally almost useless to add more Percs or Lorazepam to the mix.

4) When I was taking 2.5 percs and four 1MG Lorazepams a couple of weeks ago, I found that I only experienced "blissful" euphoria for about 30 minutes, while the pain killing kept going for several hours. Is this normal??

Both of this are normal.

 

[cjh1221]

Its a good thing he doesn't give you enough. Just make sure you don't start supplimenting and you will be golden. Sorry to hear about your condition. It's a very hard thing to treat. It has actually been shown that narcotic pain medication is mostly ineffective in Fibromyalgia patients. http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/pain-meds-ineffective.html

Tramadol is a different story. It has been found effective in many instances because of its anti-depressant qualities. One must be careful when using Tramadol, but it is showing promising signs in clinical trials. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25896486 Food for thought I guess.

I wish you luck and hope you figure out some sort of reasoname pain contol but, like I said, if you do get into trouble or hard times, we will be here for you.

 

[TonyDanzaExtravaga]

I don't think I would ever get to the point of addiction. For one thing, my doctor won't allow for it. He keeps me on a leash. He's never going to prescribe enough meds=QUOTE]

Never say never. I never thought it would happen to me either.

 

[bluesteyes]

I don't know if I will do this because my stomach can be sensitive when to comes to drinking juices, but I had a few questions about consuming 100% pure white grapefruit juice prior to taking Percocets:

1) How much white grapefruit juice should I drink? 20oz glass?
2) When should I drink the grapefruit juice before dosing? 30 minutes before? 1 hour before?
3) Does the grapefruit juice prolong the feeling of euphoria after dosing? Or does it just make it more intense?

I have tried using 300mg of Tagamet 1 hour prior to dosing, but I didn't do much for me. It didn't deepen the euphoria or increase its length. Should I have taken more Tagamet and/or taken it at a different time prior to dosing?

Just curious. Thanks for your input.

 

[SS373dOH]

"I don't think I'll get to the point of addiction"... Said every junkie out there!

 

[bluesteyes]

I realize that, but your talking to guy has never taken a illegal substance in his 40+ year life. I've never even smoked pot, and I don't even drink booze. Around 10 years ago I nursed a family member during an outpatient smack withdrawal. She went cold turkey. Had to move her belongings from her heroin den house which was filled with other junkies and needles all over the floor. She was writing hot checks, etc. Other junkies in the house were into prostitution. I would never, ever, score off the street. I am a pretty self disciplined person. If I truly wanted to get addicted to something, I would've done so by now. There have been much worse periods in my life. I understand the dangers. Besides, as a I said, my doctor is very strict about how many painkillers he'll give me. He understands it's a dead end using these things for fibromyalgia. It's really more for my bulging disc. There is a nerve right next to it. It doesn't take much for it to set off and create pain and bad muscle spasms. I would get it operated on, but the MRI shows that the bulging disc is not that severe. But the pain is very real. I've been through two rounds of physical therapy, acupuncture, and soft tissue massage, and I'm still in pain. See a chiropractor as well.

Would appreciate some answers to my 3 questions in post 10. Thanks for your assistance.

 

[SS373dOH]

A lot of addicts started off the exactly like you.. don't underestimate the power of opiates! Not trying to be a dick, but you're already trying to potentiate your meds, which is a sign of abuse. Okay answers to your ?'s.. providing you have a normal metabolism.. 1.20z is perfect. 2.30 minutes is a good target. 3. From my personal experience , it tends to make the high more intense, but accelerates the duration.

 

[George27]

I don't think I would ever get to the point of addiction.

You are trying to potentiate the euphoria with some home-made receipe.
So you are yet there.

 

[bluesteyes]

QUOTE=gmlifer;13513467]I don't know about your muscle relaxer but redbull always went extremely well with my Percocet. That being said I was like you at first. I was in pain management and got 120 10/325 percs a month and I would blow through them early every month. I finally stopped going to the pm doc in January of this year. My god, the cravings are still fucking nuts.

I know you need your meds for pain, you have to stop chasing the high though. Just pay attention to the pain level after the meds. Can you also take some ibuprofen or acetaminophen? Good luck and I hope can control the beast(I couldn't)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your advice regarding this. Last night I took 30mg of Lorazepam, one Benadryl, 30mg of Dextromethorphan syrup (to keep my tolerance the same), waited 30 minutes, and then took 33.75mg worth of Perocets, and while I got some welcome pain relief and felt relaxed, I didn't get high with Euphoria whatsoever. A very disappointing waste of medications.

Late this afternoon I took just 40mg of Lorazepam with one 7.5mg Percocet, and my excruciating neck pain from earlier in the day is under control. That's what I need to be the most focused on. Getting the pain under control....not "chasing the high."

There was a time when I first started taking Percocets where I could have a 3.5mg pill and combine it with 20mg of Lorazepam, and not only get pain relief, but euphoric bliss. Now I feel as though I would need to take (at least) 41.25mg of Perocets and 30mg of Lorazepam (which I have easier access to) with a Benadryl to even get a euphoric high. The phrase "chasing the high" accurately describes it, because honestly, I don't even know that 41.25mg of Percocet with the other meds would do the trick at this stage. The amount required to get pain relief right now is very different from the amount required to get high AND get pain relief.

I have basically realized that unless I want to start consuming 600mg of Tagamet 45 minutes before the Percocets and other things, I am pretty much out of luck. My stomach is sensitive to sugar. So it doesn't like me ingesting a large glass of 100% pure white grapefruit juice, and it probably wouldn't like me ingesting a large glass of tonic water which has a bunch of high fructose corn syrup in it. I cannot do more than two Benadryls as they tend to make me sleepy. In fact, I went to sleep two times when taking two or three Benadryls with the Percs. Of course I didn't sleep well the night before, so my body was ready for a nice doze. But again, it was a waste of medication. It's not an ideal drug for potentiation. Neither is my muscle relaxer Robaxin, which not only doesn't work that well, but is actually the only muscle relaxer I can use during the day that won't make me drowsy.

I have accepted that most of the week that I am just going to have to use, on a daily basis, no more than 7.5-10mg of Percs and some Lorazepam to deal with bulging disc/fibromyalgia pain. I like using this concoction after work, which is when I am in the greatest amount of pain and can rest. Which is fine.

I just wish I could have one afternoon a week - like on a Saturday - where I could get the pain relief but also get Euphoria that I used to get....and have that euphoria last a bit longer than 30 minutes without it requiring the consumption of a big amount of Percs. Can drinking beer help with euphoria and potentiation? I am going to try the Tagament trick, but I am really hesitant to wash that down with white grapefruit juice or tonic water because the sugar and artificial sweeteners can cause a belly ache. I am not aware of any other tricks that might work which would give me back some euphoria every once in awhile. I can't afford to keep chasing it, or I will run out of Perc prescription.