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How long will withdrawl last
by too blue, Apr 15, 2003 12:00AM
I have been lurking here a few weeks and finally decided to jump in after reading Rob's story. One thing I would like to ask Rob is given the high dose he was on has he had any problem with his liver or kidneys?
A little about me. I fell off a horse when I was 33 and tore up my back and hip really bad. Lots of P/T to walk right again. During all that mess they discoved I had Ankylosing Spondylitis and that it was contributing to why my bones were not healing any faster. During this time they pressed pain pills on me by the handfuls. I had never taken anything but the occasional asperin or ever had any pain for that matter. After 1989 that all changed and my life has never been the same. I am now on disability and fight bouts of depression as well as chronic pain. Currently I am on Welbutrin and Lortab. I take 2 500's every four hours around the clock. That is 12 pills a day. It bothers me a lot, but my doctor says that I am not an addict. I know this is wrong because I have tried to skip doses and I get pain all over my body and the runs. I know it would only get worse. He says I am simply dependent on them and there is a difference. I don't see it. If that doctor cut me off looks to me like I would be shivering in the shower like addict movies I have seen. I worry all the time about my liver and kidneys and sometimes my tests come back a little elevated an he says nothing to worry about. The pain meds hold my pain at bay most of the time but I am so tired all the time. I want to stop but I will have to do it without my doctors help. I am so scared.
A little about me. I fell off a horse when I was 33 and tore up my back and hip really bad. Lots of P/T to walk right again. During all that mess they discoved I had Ankylosing Spondylitis and that it was contributing to why my bones were not healing any faster. During this time they pressed pain pills on me by the handfuls. I had never taken anything but the occasional asperin or ever had any pain for that matter. After 1989 that all changed and my life has never been the same. I am now on disability and fight bouts of depression as well as chronic pain. Currently I am on Welbutrin and Lortab. I take 2 500's every four hours around the clock. That is 12 pills a day. It bothers me a lot, but my doctor says that I am not an addict. I know this is wrong because I have tried to skip doses and I get pain all over my body and the runs. I know it would only get worse. He says I am simply dependent on them and there is a difference. I don't see it. If that doctor cut me off looks to me like I would be shivering in the shower like addict movies I have seen. I worry all the time about my liver and kidneys and sometimes my tests come back a little elevated an he says nothing to worry about. The pain meds hold my pain at bay most of the time but I am so tired all the time. I want to stop but I will have to do it without my doctors help. I am so scared.
Notwithstanding some very good points made by our good Doc(as usual)., my reaction to your doctors "dependent VS addicted", is the same as it was when my doctor said it to me........Bullshit. If it doesn't serve as a defense mechanism for him/her covering their ass, i don't know what is. I still remember standing in my docs office having that exact conversation last Aug. 19th(the day of my last pill), and being amazed that my life-long friend/doc. was now trying to "package up"/argue my situation. I kept saying, "It's not your fault that i'm addicted" He cringed every time i said the word addicted, and continually substituted dependent when i said addicted...........
You have a lot of concerns/questions, so i hope i cover some of them.
Switching meds to something longer lasting(and without tylenol) would certainly seem a reasonable possibility, considering the pain you experience and the need to take doses every 4-5 hours.
Although the liver is a surprisingly resilient organ, and one that regenerates itself; exceeding 4 grams of tylenol/ day, day after day, is asking for trouble. And agreed, that although elevated numbers on your bloodwork, may not necessarily indicate damage, it certainly could be heading there. A very good friend of mine(healthy 32 year old male) was recently hit by a virus, that knocked him down, and resulted in his liver and kidneys to stop functioning. He remained on dialysis for 1 week, and slowly regained his liver function and lastly his kidney function. The final consensus(from an entire team of doctors) was that his continual useage of percocet, due to back problems(with up to 6-8 grams of tylenol/day) for years , was "likely" the cause of his organs failing.(not the virus itself) I certainly am no doctor, so i can't argue the specifics; all i know is i saw this great big tube(with 2 or 3 tubes in it) sticking out of the base of his neck, and the most terrified look on his face......i won't forget it!! Please know, i'm not trying to scare you either, I just think it is a lit'l dangerous of your doctor to dismiss the concerns cause the numbers are only a lit'l high.
If nothing else, i wonder if your doc would think it a good idea to pick up some Milk Thistle,
After being at this site for about 9 months, I can pass on that your 12 pills/day for 6 + years could fall into a "normalish" range. OF COURSE, some use less, and some more...........i was up to 20+ percs/day for several years, and continually felt like the biggest/guiltiest piece of **** for doing so. My tolerance just kept building after my first back surgery in '96 until my last one in '02.
Being afraid of the withdrawals(if quitting is what you decide) is something we talk about here all the time. I was scared to death, so i tapered of my meds (over a 2 week period), which was too fast, but i really wanted to try and stop, and had my last pill Aug. 19th. Frequently the fear exceeds the execution, but it is still is a *****. BUT WELL WORTH IT!!!
Yours is a tricky situation, like many; just know we're here for you in whatever capacity you want. There are a great deal of compassionate and supportive people that know what you have been and are going through.
percs
Congratulations on quitting. But I am wondering what you do about your back pain now. Are you able to get up and do normal activities? Quitting will so narrow my world down that I can't even stand to think of it yet.
In regards to your question, the answer is, I don't really know. I have had quite a few days where I felt as if I was peeing thick orange soup (sorry for the visual) but my kidney function has been fine recently. As for my liver, my doctor did blood work last year and asked me if I had been drinking more than usual recently (I told him, yea) he said it was nothing to be alarmed about but that I should slow down a bit (little did he know that I haven't drank a drop in 10 years.)
I probably did some damage...But I am hoping that staying clean will allow my body to heal itself.
Hang in there, blue...whenever you need to talk, we are all here!
All my best! Rob