I have a question that I hope some senior members can help with. I've spent the last several days talking with various doctors and drug companies and have come to the realization that I will be on pain meds for most of my life. I have a small stockpile of PEZ (which I call my vicoprofen since I take it like candy) and had my orthapedic surgeon call in darvocet yesterday. I need desperatly to get my vicoprofen under control, but I am in REAL pain...so am I just dancing with the devil here? Do you think that I run the risk of assimilating to darvocet as I did to vicoprofen? I am taking around 20 VP's a day, haven't taken anything else for any reason and had I thought of it at the time, I would have held on to some of the Rx's that weren't my 'flavor' I've been trying to find out if they are similar or if I'm responsible will I be able to take the darvocet without risk? I need the VP to function, but it doesn't help the pain. I don't want to stop the VP all together, because I desperatly need it to get through the day. Darvocet on the other hand? NO CLUE what to expect from it. Can anyone help? Does anyone know anything about Darvocet for withdrawls?

------------------

Please see my two posts on "Help with Quitting Hydrocodone"
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001633.html

[This message has been edited by varnua (edited 07-16-2003).]

I can tell you that here in my city, a couple of the treatment centers use Darvocet for the physical w/d of opiates.

Pez..

Hi - I too originally took vicodin for a pain thing (my back). Got addicted, got off of them and a year later started taking darvocets; they took the edge of my pain which at that point wasn't really that bad.

I did become addicted to the darvocet, taking 10-12/day; sometimes higher when I was desperate to feel some kind of buzz which is harder when taking darvocet.

Yes they do use darvocet for perhaps a few days while you are going through withdrawal from a stronger opiate such as vicodin. But, if you continue with the darvocet, you're likely to become addicted as I did, as it is an opiate; its chemical structure is related to methadone.

It was tough withdrawing from darvocets; and I ultimately went back to taking them -- with some "control" ... but eventually it just creeped up to 12/day again. For awhile, I was taking just 4/day and I felt ok about that....

Kitty