NO vicodin!!  I considered it when my mother came over...but I knew it wasn't pain but irritation that triggered my brain.  It's important to notice the difference between emotional pain and physical pain. I think that's how people become addicted.  Because the drug certainly does fix emotional pain too.  HOWEVER, I learned when I quit drinking alcohol that numbing out just perpetuates bad situations.  I have to limit my exposure to my mom.  She can be mean a a snake.  She honest to God doesnt' mean to be mean.  Like that movie Margot Goes to the Wedding.  She just has an internal switch that flips when someone else is happy or the center of attention.  She wants what they have and even though her comments or action don't actually get it for her....they wipe the smile off the other person and she is back to not being jealous. It's a shame.  Her sister does it to her and I wonder if her mom did it too.  They got it from somewhere.  Sometimes I see her try to take it back (whatever she said) when she sees my face fall.  And then I have to exert more effort to pretend she made it better.  But she didn't.  Once we started the movie - I got enough of a break to relax a bit.  But when I went to bed, my stomach hurt so bad that combined with the hyped up hurt feelings - I just took a valium so I could sleep.  The pain was starting to come and I knew if I could relax I could avoid taking a vicodin.  I worry a lot less about valium than vicodin.  I've used valium to take the edge off breakthough mania for years and never increased my usage. I increased my Lamictal to 75 for a week and then I will try 100 again.  Only one more month of the antibiotic.  I hate that stuff.  I was going to stop it for a few days to see if I have gall bladder or if it is the antibiotics but I don't want to compromise the work it is doing to make me feel better. I'll see.