Possible Norco addiction

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I have never posted any thing to a forum before so forgive me if I say something wrong. I just need some advice, I have nowhere else to go and this site has people who might perhaps relate. I am prescribed Norco for headaches due to a head injury. When I have a headache the Norcos save me. It is that or the hospital and sometimes both.

I am 53 and I have been taking hydrocodone for 15+ years and have abused (taking it for something other than a headache) it sporadically but have never taken it as much as I I have recently. I have been under an enormous amount of stress and I am scared I am getting addicted to it. My doctor upped my prescription to Norco recently because we were worried about the acetaminophen levels but it certainly makes it easier to abuse.

I take 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 (never more) Norco 3 to 5 days a week. I will take 3 1/2 pills and then sometimes I will take 1 or 2 more later on. I have just started doing this in the last few weeks. If I do not take any Norco I do not feel bad, maybe just a little uncomfortable and that has been happening just recently. If I've decided not to take the Norco on any given day, I don't. Not even to alleviate that little edge I have been feeling when I don't take any. I can't decide if I have a real problem at this point but I don't think taking an opiate to lessen my stress level or give me a boost is a good idea.

I have always been careful but I am so very worried and would like some outside input. I also take Wellbutin and Lexapro for depression and Triliptal (an anti-seizure drug) to control my headaches to some extent. When I take the Norco I always sleep too long and wake up pretty depressed. It IS a depressant after all so no great mystery there. The fact that it depresses me has kept me from ever taking it on a day to day basis but I am beginning to now. Not all of the time but enough to make me stop and think. I have an unlimited supply and my husband travels so flushing is out of the question. I can always get lots more and I need access to it if my husband is not home and I have one of the headaches. There is really no one who can stand in for him when he is away.

I know this has been a long post but I really need some input from someone who knows something about this. Please, please tell me what you think and what you think I should do. I would be forever grateful. And thank you for listening.
 
Hello my friend, I too am new--been getting great help from this Board, especially reading Ice, Wendy and Reach posts. They are fabulous people and their worRAB are helping me. I'm a 5 year now full-blown Norco addict, and, while I cannot give the best advice to you, it sounRAB like your worries about the Norco are a sign that trouble is brewing, especially when I hear "stress and norco" in the same sentence. How you doing today? Keep me posted. I'm trying like heck to get off these things, yet scared of rehab for several reasons. I'm thinking about you and feel your "pain."
 
Hello,
I can sooo relate to what you are saying. I too was perscribed vicoden for chronic pain and was later switched to Norco. I was taking 300 tabs a month for almost 3 years. I realized I had a problem when I would get excited to have an evening to myself so I could pop 3 to 4 Norcos and just ride the high. After awhile I didn't even wait till I was by myself. I wasted alot of my energy and life trying to chase that sence of well-being you get from the pills. I finally started to taper and now I am 1 week clean. Not along time but enough to realize I wasn't living the life I thought I was.
Whether your husband is around you or not you, and only you, neeRAB to do the hard work and make the right choices. Reading what you wrote and the fact that you are concerned enough to post, tells me that you already know if you have a problem or not.
Take care and do some soul searching and if you need to talk about things, I'm here.

Heidi
 
gina! my friend! im so happy to see your name on the board! i wasn't sure if you were still around since i wasn't around for a bit.
im glad to see you here... see you still trying to fight the fight... as am i. i hope you are doing well... :)
im controlling myself much better these days. I have a huge job that came my way that involves moving to another state etc... so i had to make a choice to get my life together and change the direction of my life. no way i could do the job i'd be doing strung out, no energy etc... so i had to start cleaning up. and you know - with a big move will come new doctors (with possibly new solutions to my chronic pain) and getting away from certain people that fuel my addiction, which will be great. it's like a new start in a lot of ways for me... and one i desperately need. even though i hurt my back last wk and have had to use very small amounts of pills to manage my pain, it's nothing like before and im starting to be me again, and it's pretty cool. not easy, but i might actually see a tiny bit of light at the end of this disgusting tunnel.
have you been having any good experiences lately? put together any days of no use? let me know how you are sweetie!
 
newcase - i totally understand chronic pain. i suffer from migraines and DDD (degenerative disk disease)... and im only 35.
my migraines don't response to imitrex type drugs so i have to rely on fioracet (no addiction issues there) and percocet 10/325 - which is where my issues are. I use them for my back as well.
Are there other meRAB you can use instead of narcotics? like, are the headaches due to nerve issues? have u tried neuronton? or i take a beta blocker (atenolol) and topamax for my headaches... i take both daily and the corabo is very helpful... although i do still need the narcotic meRAB. perhaps this is something to discuss with your doctor. i think some people do have situations where they have to be on pain meRAB for a lot of their lives due to an accident / injury, so the question i think falls to not only pain management but how to NOT get hopelessly addicted as well. it's a really fine line. And mine got blurred about 6 years ago or so.
do you have a relationship with your doctor where you can talk about this?
Read other posts here too. i find them to be a wealth of information as well as inspiring.
be well!!!
wendy
 
Hi. I was prescribed Vicodin for nerve pain (I had been popping Advil like crazy and was worried about the effect of that). My dr. had no problem giving me Vicodin for the pain except he was worried about me injuring myself further because I'd overdue because I couldn't feel the pain. I was on it for several months overall. In the meantime, I've been on xanax. My crazy dr. prescribes 3 a day (don't know why, I think he's crazy). I do not take three a day. Maybe 1 to 1 1/2, sometimes not even that. Mostly at work. After surgery, the neuro prescribed Norco. Is Norco more addicting than Vicodin??? I was feeling better, so little by little I stopped taking both and had plenty of pills left afterwarRAB. I evenually used them all, ocassionally if I had a toothache or something. Vicodin did not seem to help with headaches very well. I was afraid to be taking those. I take Arabien for sleep, but my primary says that isn't that bad if I end up with a good rest.

Good luck and as Dr. Phil would say "You cannot fix what you don't acknowledge". I'm concerned at times about the xanax. He makes it so easy for me to get. I have tons of pills left over and still go get another refill just in case. He writes a new prescription every three months. I do deal with anxiety, especially at work.

Thanks and hope all turns out well.
Swartzie
 
See my other posts on Norco. I like the way it works for me. I try to limit it to 1 or 2 a day. If I were up to 5 or 6 I would look into a longer acting scheduled med like OxyContin CR or Opana ER.

Does anyone know of a long acting Hydrocodone?
 
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