taking too many lortab

[bluejulie5]

For about a year i have been taking either lortab, darvocet, or tylenol 3.
lately it has been lortab 5.0 about 8 a day.
My dr. keeps refilling them, and a few days ago i went to see him, told him that i have been taking too many becuase of bad headaches and cramping and he filled the prescription 4 days early. The pharmacy questioned this and said my insurance will not pay becuase it was not time, and was i sure my dr. knew that it was too early to fill them...so i ended up paying for them myself without the insurance covering it....Also i am purchasing lortab off the internet, for when I run out of the dr.s prescriptions...His directions are to take 4 a day, but i take twice that much.................anyone else with this problem>?
I know this is wrong and i need to cut way down....

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julie

[Jeffie010603]

Julie, if you'll read you'll see that there are scads of folks with "the same problem," only much, much worse in many cases, which is where you DON'T want to be! I had gotten myself up to over 200mgs hydro a day before finally doing something about that "same problem," but I had to take a more drastic approach than you will--if you nip this in the bud NOW.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

[Philster2003]

julie,

Your heading down a very dark path. Your story is how many of us got to the big train wreck.

Do you have a legitimate health issue that requires pain meds? If so you need to take them as prescribed or you risk non treatment from your Dr as well as getting yourself into a serious addiction problem. If you have a legitimate health issue and the 5 mgs aren't working then you need to work with your Dr and get stronger medication 7.5 or 10 mgs. Your at the limit of the daily acceptable amount of Acetaminophen and are risking serious liver damage.

If you do not have a health issue then you are really falling into the same trap many have. I can go on and on but I think you get the point, if not let me know and I’ll go on LOL

Let us know more info so we can help more

phil

[bluejulie5]

Thanks, it helps to hear other peoples stories...
I do have pain....headaches, very bad menstrul cramps...I am also on paxil 40mg a day, the dr. says that should help my headaches also.
I do think that it is getting out of control...sometimes I take the meds. just for a "buzz", and like some other stories here that i have read, to help me seem more outgoing, etc.
I have a part time job that involves greeting people, and it helps........I know that soulds terrible.
I hope that people will be understanding with me and not critical becuase that is what I need right now...
thank you!!!

[eeyore714]

Hi bluejulie,

It sounds like you may have been prescribed the meds for pain legitimately in the past, but now really want them for their "side effects" so to speak, right? A familiar story, I understand completely!

The pain issues you mentioned are probably easily dealt with without opiates. I too, have horrendous migraine headaches. My doctor put me on Imitrex, which works great. There are other headache medications out now that are not opiates but honestly, work better for headache pain. I also have bouts of bad "female" pain...due to pre-cervical cancer issues and ovarian cysts. Again, my doctor prescribed 800 of advil, and an occasional muscle relaxer. Sometimes I have to live with the pain...a couple of days a month I often spend the majority of it on the couch with a heating pad! But my doctor knows I'm an addict and is not willing to write for narcotics when the problems I have are either treatable with other meds, or the kind of pain you might have to suck up a little.

Again, I could be wrong, but it does sound like your pain problems really can be handled using other medications. I don't know if you've done this, but one of the first steps could be to be honest with your doctor about your issues with the lortab, and ask for what else you can take. You may be pleasantly surprised with how well your pain can be managed by other options.

Then of course comes the mental aspect, because even if your pain is under control, as an addict, you still want those pills regardless! Getting into recovery definitely includes doing things like getting info and support here, and by going to NA or AA meetings and making a network for yourself there. I don't know if you feel badly enough that a stay in rehab, where you can focus on yourself and maybe get some insight into some of the underlying reasons you depend on the pills so much...it might be a good thing.

If you want to stop, it is so doable. It's a tough road, but not nearly as tough as the alternative, I think! So the first question you have to answer for yourself, is do you want to stop and find a different way?