An important suggestion

For you guys(and me) who are on the hydrocodone roller coaster, there is something EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that we need to always remember.......there is a "safe" way to take the pills. People who die from vicodin, lortab, norco addiction(THE ONES WHO DON'T JUST OUTRIGHT OVERDOSE) die from the TYLENOL in the drug, not the hydrocodone. The maximum safe acetaminophen dose per day is 4000 mg. After this severe liver damage can quickly occur depending on the person. My point is, if you have the option, to take the hydrocodone 10/325 tablets which is the least amount of tylenol available combined with the most amount of hydrocodone available(it's brand name is norco). You can take 12(120 mg of hydrocodone) of these tablets a day and that is 3900 mg of tylenol which is still under the 4000 safety limit. Lets say you are taking the 5/500 variety 10-20 a day.........that is 5000 to 10000 mg of tylenol a day(1000 to 6000 mg over the safe amount to ingest). It is very possible that severe liver damage could be occuring. Its best to stay off the stuff if possible but if not there is a safe way of going about it.

[WICHRIS]

Hey guys...I hope all is well with everyone traveling this long but well worth
road to recovery..return of ones mind,body,spirit and soul where dreams ,
ambitions and goals will be attained without addiction...I have missed
everyone here a great deal !!!...Sara,BC,Alice,Phil ,Michelle,Dallas,Lisa,Over,
Fisher,Shak and everyone else as well..I must apologize for not posting/
replying lately but to make a long story very,very short...my ex has been
intentionally making my life a "..living **** "...add to that my ongoing
battle with the depression..every second,minute,hour,day is a true struggle..
However,I have not lost hope and will continue to fight with all my strength
and faith...I have yet another " emergency appt." with a NEW phsychiatrist
my PCP recommended tomorrow afternoon so I will make sure I post very
soon as to where I am at with "it" all....Still 100% clean just taking my
"AD cocktail " every a.m.---if I may ask one favor...please pray,send good
vibes,etc..that these ADs start to work ASAP...Hello Mr. Jackson-my name
is Chris and it is very nice to meet ya...wellcome to the boards..However,
I felt compelled to reply to your max APAP mg/day dosage recommendation..
altho you are correct there are alternatives to higher hydrocodone mg/lesser
APAP mg/tablet...The max recommended dose of APAP is 4g/day SHORT
TERM only...for most people who have taken vicodin,lortab,norco,lorcet,etc
LONG TERM...the actual APAPmg/day is lessened to max approximately 2g/day
for long term tx..thus why many docs use adjunctive meds in addition to
the hydo/apap in "pain control,etc.."...Thank you for posting as a lot of
people are not aware of how destructive APAP can be to the liver,etc...
I hope you hang around here....This board is great and as always each pt
should always consult their own PCP regarding their dx,tx,meds,etc...
something all us addicts know but indeed is easy to "forget to do.."
Hope to hear from everyone soon!...I miss ya guys a lot..

Peace...Love...Recovery...Chris

[fisherpard]

Chris,

I had started to get a little concerned for you by you not posting. You have been so important to me. I am sorry you have the added stress and depression going on. I have also dealt with depression for about as many as addiction. I am one of those unlucky few who AD don't seem to help very well. I have tried so many kinds in the past few years that I will share with you what seemed the best for me.

First, They have a brand new AD that just came out . Can't think of it's name but starts with a C. I have really heard good things about this one. Go to the Depression board and they are talking about it and it has a website.

I've had my best luck on Effexor XR, Wellbutrin XR and Remeron. I only got worse on the other ones. Effexor is a bugger to come off though.

Look up the new one, Ireally believe it is the one. It also has a pain management affect and have heard one even say it stopped there opiate cravings.

just something to ask the doc,
fisherman

[WICHRIS]

Hey Fisher...I am so very glad you posted/replied as YOU are one on the
many,many people I missed the most during "..my absence from the boards-
due to my extreme depression I am currently experiencing and all the
tremendous amount of turmoil,paperwork,emotional,verbal abuse my ex
continues to inflict upon me,my life right now...why wont she just LEAVE
me alone???...I have been forgiving,empathetic,set her up with a savings/
checking acct. and bought her a used car to get her back on her feet financially,etc...as thoughout our relationship she never worked outside
the home ( ..and I never asked her too )...She was the one to blind side
me post-op with breaking up with me and since I have found out she had
been cheating on me a long time...well I ever be able to "trust another " in
a future relationship...???? So many questions,yet so few answers I have..
Thank you very much for your info on the ADs you took,what worked,etc...
it was VERY informative and helpful...I beleive you were speaking about
Celexa...I have been thinking of trying Calexa or Lexapro..I had my first appt.
with this new psychiatrist today and he changed my meds/dosages...I am
now on Wellbutrin XL 300 & upped the fluoxetine to 80 mg in the a.m. and
upped the trazodone from 50 - 100 mg hs to now 200 mg hs...he also
suggested a "small dose of Seroquel to help with sleep "--as I will not take
any sleeping meds such as ambien,sonata,temazepam,flurazepam,or triazolam.
However,seroquel is technically classified as an anti-psychotic and with my
mother beind dx as" paranoid schitzophrenic ".. even before I was born..I was
always the " mother " and never really had a "mom"..I couldnt "deal" with
even being rxed the seroquel thus the increase in trazodone to help with
the sleep...hope it works ASAP as I have only been sleeping 2-3 hrs/night
and today I lost more weight I discovered at his office....in the last six
months I have lost almost 60 lbs, and I wasnt really hefty/big to begin
with....Oh Fisher....sorry to burden you with all of this considering all that
you have gone thru & continue to go through..You replying to me really
meant a lot to me and brought a smile to my face...Love Ya...

Love....Chris

[over]

Hi Chris,

I'm so sorry that you are going through so much. You seem to be such a kind soul which is obviously why your ex won't leave you alone. She knows what she's losing out on. You were so good to her and she does that to you? Of course you will be able to trust again. I've been through it a few times already. Men can be such heels, ya know?

Anyhow, some wonderful person will be waiting for you , but you must heal yourself first! Physically and mentally first.

Now on the seroquel, the addictionologist gave me that for sleep. Let me forewarn you that I took one in the evening and it just made me extremely sleepy and tired the next day. Like a zombie. It was awful. I believe its a CV classification? Anyway, don't take it for sleep. You're better off with the your doctor upping the trazodone hs for sleep.

I hate to sound like Jack La Lane about exercise, but it does help tremondously with depression. You should know that by having a medical background. They do say that it is an immediate anti-depressant. I will have to agree because it helps so much. Sometimes, I don't know how I would have survived without it...

Take care and love from Cali