it woks part of the time..it seems like..my pm is changing me to percocet tomorrow..

I do worry about addiction, but so far I have kept to my mantra that if I only take it when I really need it, there won't be a problem. Fortunately, at this point my pain is at a level where one (sometimes two if the pain is bad early in the day) 7.5 mg tablet a day or every other day at least makes my life tolerable. Even though I am scared of addiction there are days I just can't feel guilty about taking it.

Early yesterday morning I woke up with a neck pain level of 7 and I took a motrin to take the edge off. By about 9 a.m. the pain was level was down a notch, but it was Palm Sunday. All of you Catholics know how long Palm Sunday Mass is and how much standing we do. The thought of getting three kids and myself out the door and holding a 17 pound 10-month old for all of that time was nerve-wracking. (My husband was working so I would be the only one holding the baby.) I never would have made it if I hadn't taken the Vicodin. When it wore off late in the day I could feel the extra pain caused by the experience, so without guilt I took one more. Luckily, this morning the pain isn't bad at all.

I do want to thank all of you who share your experiences and help relieve my guilt a bit.

well if u r in pain..u shouldn't feel guilty..u need meds..its ok..i am now changed to percocet as of today but after takin 1 i dont think theyr workin like they did when i took em a few years ago..ann

Hey All! My doc has prescribed this for me. It's the ES (extra strength) that I take. I am able to take up to 6 per day. They don't work very good for me but they do for my sisters. They are quite addicting for some people though. I have 2 sisters that take it too. One is addicted now and one was. So BE CAREFULL!

HEY TIRED LADY!!! I get those stupid sweats too.... then cold.... then HOT.... drives me nuts!!

Rosemary,

Are you taking a time released med like MS Contin or Methadone. If not you should see a pain management doctor about that. I posted earlier about Vicodin ES and the toxic levels of acetaminophen if you take 6 in a day. Ask your doctor to prescribe Norco it comes in 5 7.5 and 10mg but less than half the acetaminophen.

Doug/Ouch

I take hydroconone, it doesn't help me any longer.
At first, I felt like I was going 100 mph, when I could barely walk. Now, it doesn't touch the pain, in fact for me, it makes me crave alcohol. This IS something I've discussed with my doctor,he hasn't changed my meds,or increased my meds and i'm in the same boat, going on 3 yrs now.
Yes it is VERY addicting, I know I am and it's the worst feeling ever! I fought with my doctor about taking them for that very reason, they said if i get addicted then so be it, I'll be on them the rest of my life anyway.
I worked in the medical field for years and I've seen what pain meds can do to people.

Loved it. It help with my neck and back pain. Most importantly, it made my headache go away. Nothing else ever made my headache go away. Took it for years with Prozac and Ativan. It is the only medication/combo that I would even consider taking again.

Of course, you build up a tolerance, but stopping Loratab is not nearly as painful as what I feel everyday. The psycological aspect of having to deal with my daily pain was worse than the physical withdrawal. The physical side of coming off Loratab only last a few days to a week. Compared to withdrawing off some other meds I have been on in my time, it's a peice of cake.
Personally though, I don't won't to have to go through the mental hassle of trying to get the medication. Please see Maureen's journal for today. She needs everyone's prayers.

Man, we all like this one! LOL

Oh, for the lady that asked about what kind of specialist for chronic pain. It's a pain specialist, your gp has to send you to one. TX Lady? Sorry, can't see post from here.

If you only take it when you "need it" then you're not staying on top of the pain. My Dr. told me to take as I'm suppose to, that way it will prevent the pain from becoming too much. If you wait until your already in pain, it's not going to work like it should. You have to have it in your system on regular basis for it to keep the pain level down.
Now, that's what my doc told me, it doesn't help my pain much, but I can only imagine what I'd be feeling if I had nothing in my system. i'm not sure if I'd be willing to try to go without it even though I don't feel it's helping my pain levels.

I've had good luck with hydrocodone and no real side efx. Once in a while it will make me vaguely itchy but it doesn't happen everytime I take it.

It takes the edge off my pain enuff to function w/o being overly sedating. Haven't noticed any probs with addiction. I wonder about that and if ppl mistake needing the medication for symptom relief as "addiction." I don't take it if I'm not in pain, it doesn't make me "high" or give ma pleasant sensaton, it's like taking aspirin(if aspirin worked.)

Hydrocodone is the generic equivelant of vocodin and so less expensive. It is codeine mixed with Tylenol basically.

Tired lady, I get the sweats and cold, and usually get energy when taking the medication.

I have to take benydrl as it makes me itch? Anyone else. I don't think it helps my pain much either. I have just started on tylenol 3 and I don't itch with the codiene. I thought they were the same but the doc says they are different. I know this seems to help me more.

I take Vicodin. It doesn't really touch the pain. It makes me sleepy and a bit horny!!!! I also get the Vicodin itch.

Love it, it helps with the breakthrough pain. I take Norco it is 10/325 the less acetaminophen the better. I also am allowed 6 per day which doesn't hurt (doesn't hurt get it)

Ouch