Take them as directed, I have had 7 back surgeries in 6yrs & have been on & off narcotics for most. One thing when you are starting to wean off of a narcotic medication your body thinks its is in more pain that what it is. I have not had the drug your on so I don't know if its a delayed release one if its not and you don't want to take a whole pill take 1/2 of one with a tylenol, check with the pharmasist first to make sure you can mix. If your still in alot of pain call your Dr back and tell him its not working. One thing I found that helped me some is taking aleve. I would take 2 in the morning with my other meds and that seemed to get me through the day, again that is what worked for me I am not a Dr but would be more than happy to talk to you on other meds I have been on that have worked just give me a holler.
Hugs & God bless
Lisa

Just this weekend I tried to go off my narcotics (hydrocodone and muscle relaxer.) I took ibuprofen to ease the pain. I lasted two days. Well, I hurt myself taking too much Advil. I have horrible stomach cramps, and I can't eat.

I only take my meds at night to help me sleep.

Be careful of the ibuprofen. I can cause more damage than good.

I haven't taken the meds you have. Maybe you can ask for something different like hydrocodone.

Best of luck to you. I know what you are going through. I share in your frustration because all you want is for the pain to stop or at least ease up.

I just learned that hydrocodone and vicodin are the same thing. I didn't know that.

I've been taking mine off and on. I try to use it for emergancy purposes only, but my back is starting to hurt more and more due to work and stuff. I know that it helps, but it leaves me with this terrible drug residue the next morning.

What I don't like about this drug is that it seems like you need more and more to help with the pain - which is why I started backing off of it this summer and relying more on my muscle relaxers. The muscle relaxer only helps me sleep and helps with spasms.

My goal is to be med-free but I don't see that happening any time soon if ever. I'm worried about the effect these drugs have on my liver. Since my prescriptions are running out, I am going to have find a new doctor (we recently moved.)

I really think the feeling of being depressed and irritable has more to do with the pain and the frustration of not being able to find relief.

If you need your meds you need them. We do not get a buzz from them it just helps us deal with the pain we suffer with each day. Chronic pain is like running a marathon each and every day. Draining and exhausting.

There is a lot of confusion about what Vicodin is. It is definitely not the same compound as Percocet. Vicodin is a Schedule III drug containing Hydrocodone. Percocet is a Schedule II drug containing Oxycodone. The schedule designations reflect the potential for addiction and therefore abuse. Heroin, for example is a Schedule I. There is a huge difference between the effectiveness of Vicodin vs. Percocet. Hope this doesn't add more confusion.

Oh yeah, vicodin makes me super depressed. I have been taking 10/660 for 5 months now and I tried to wean myself off of them and almost went crazy. See if you can go to another doctor and have them "detox" you off of vicodin.

When I saw my spine specialist he told me I was not ready to stop the pain management. He also said that advil dries out your skin and helps you gain weight. I have had both those things happen.

I hope I helped.