scared
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: tx
Posts: 3
scared
Lifetime substance abuser with a year sobriety from drugs and alcohol 2 years ago. last year started back on hydrocodone gradualy progressing to15 daily 10/500.watson. for the first time in my life I feel liver pain so I am attempting to stop now. I was sore under my rib cage got on the internet and i;m afraid it's liver. Don't want medical advice just positive examples where maybe you felt same and made it. Scared to death.
dude in recovery
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gulf Coast, TX
Posts: 1,504
Welcome robert, I hope you can make the change back to sobriety and stick with it.
I've never had cravings for the pill high, but I'm sure there are some here who can relate with you on that. Quitting drinking has been hard but very much worth it all.
Wish you the best & see a dr. if possible.
I've never had cravings for the pill high, but I'm sure there are some here who can relate with you on that. Quitting drinking has been hard but very much worth it all.
Wish you the best & see a dr. if possible.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Orlando, Fl
Posts: 300
Robertb, I had posted on other thread, and now saw you here. This was my experience with Tylenol PM's which I took for up to 7 years for sleeping. The last 3 months of that I started working in a bar and drank a few beers almost daily for 3 months.
Robertb, you really need to check out your liver. I'm speaking from experience, please go to a doctor or hospital and tell them the truth about how much hydro you've been taking. It was almost too late for me, I was in a coma for a couple days from my liver. I stopped going to the bathroom for 2 weeks, urine was very dark, also went blind for a day. I was exhausted all the time, I wasn't thinking clearly at all and I was just muddling around on instinct in a daze. When my skin started turning yellow, I went to the hospital.
It got alot worse there, they did dialysis on me, and pumped me with diuretics and laxatives. Finally and luckily my liver started to repair itself after 10 days. It was working down to something ridiculous like 5% and started climbing up from there. I was fortunate. Not trying to scare you, I don't know what other symtoms you might have. They are very subtle and hard to detect at first, but when they start it's like a snowball effect. So please see your doctor and be honest, could make all the difference, I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone.
Robertb, you really need to check out your liver. I'm speaking from experience, please go to a doctor or hospital and tell them the truth about how much hydro you've been taking. It was almost too late for me, I was in a coma for a couple days from my liver. I stopped going to the bathroom for 2 weeks, urine was very dark, also went blind for a day. I was exhausted all the time, I wasn't thinking clearly at all and I was just muddling around on instinct in a daze. When my skin started turning yellow, I went to the hospital.
It got alot worse there, they did dialysis on me, and pumped me with diuretics and laxatives. Finally and luckily my liver started to repair itself after 10 days. It was working down to something ridiculous like 5% and started climbing up from there. I was fortunate. Not trying to scare you, I don't know what other symtoms you might have. They are very subtle and hard to detect at first, but when they start it's like a snowball effect. So please see your doctor and be honest, could make all the difference, I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone.
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: The Great White North
Posts: 448
Hi Robert, I go for routine lab work every 3 months to check on my liver function, kidney function and also have a urine test.
My labs are pretty much back to normal now but when I first quit oxycontin and before that narcotics with tylenol in them, my lab tests were all over the place. I don't remember having symptoms and had I not had such a rough detox and required IV fluids, I probably wouldn't even have known it.
Please go to your Dr. and let him know exactly what you have taken in the past, any drinking history, and your symptoms. It needs to be checked and will put your mind at ease knowing you're working with your Dr. to keep you healthy as can be.
Take care
...Ruby...
My labs are pretty much back to normal now but when I first quit oxycontin and before that narcotics with tylenol in them, my lab tests were all over the place. I don't remember having symptoms and had I not had such a rough detox and required IV fluids, I probably wouldn't even have known it.
Please go to your Dr. and let him know exactly what you have taken in the past, any drinking history, and your symptoms. It needs to be checked and will put your mind at ease knowing you're working with your Dr. to keep you healthy as can be.
Take care
...Ruby...
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: tx
Posts: 3
thanks soooo much for this story. the only thing i have now is a low dull pain when I press on my ribs or back. Im trying to get off only took a few the last couple of days which I know is ridiculous but I couldn't cold turkey with some available. I make it like 8 hrs then take one. hopefully be clean by Monday when I go see doc. He wasn't in today tried. again thanks for your story. I wish you the best.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Georgia
Posts: 242
Robertb - welcome to SR.
I saw you were a lifetime abuser. I was 20 yrs on and off and can relate. It is a tough road to recovery but worth it. Most of us long time abusers simply cannot have access to drugs anymore - at all. I am still tempted and probably always be. I hope your doctor helps you and that your health is not compromised. I was very lucky and only be the Grace of God have a good health report a few monts ago. I, too, was scared. With all the Tylenol related pills I have taken in 20 years, it is a wonder my liver is still functioning at all.
Keep posting - we are all here for you.
I saw you were a lifetime abuser. I was 20 yrs on and off and can relate. It is a tough road to recovery but worth it. Most of us long time abusers simply cannot have access to drugs anymore - at all. I am still tempted and probably always be. I hope your doctor helps you and that your health is not compromised. I was very lucky and only be the Grace of God have a good health report a few monts ago. I, too, was scared. With all the Tylenol related pills I have taken in 20 years, it is a wonder my liver is still functioning at all.
Keep posting - we are all here for you.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: England
Posts: 276
Like you I had a pain but it was in my stomach area - this really scared me as my drug induced paranoia made me think I had cancer.
I started looking at various disease symptoms and it made my paranoia worse.
Believe me when I say that your mind will run riot with worry until you visit your doctor - luckly I was not seriously ill and a course of medication has helped to reduce my dyspepsia symptoms.
Please visit your doctor as its better to have any internal pain checked out ASAP
I started looking at various disease symptoms and it made my paranoia worse.
Believe me when I say that your mind will run riot with worry until you visit your doctor - luckly I was not seriously ill and a course of medication has helped to reduce my dyspepsia symptoms.
Please visit your doctor as its better to have any internal pain checked out ASAP
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CA Native
Posts: 2,509
In my book, there's nothing wrong with weaning down before you quit, in fact I think it's pretty smart, and there's medical studies that suggest it increases chances for success. However, it can be a lot harder than it sounds, so enlisting someone to divvy them out to you the last few days ... is a pretty good idea.
It is critical though as others have said that you cut yourself off from all sources of opioids once you're actually off of them. VERY VERY few people can go through w/d's knowing that opioids are easily available to them, esp. not if they're in the house.
I'm not a doctor and I don't want this info to influence you in any way (other than to make you go see the doc) but I've generally heard it takes about 5 years of heavy 'tylenol abuse' before the liver starts to sustain any sort of *permanent* damage. And by heavy I mean substantially more than 15 x 500mg/day ... more like 2 or 3 x that much over 5 years. However, alcohol in excess can greatly exacerbate that rate, or reduce the tylenol dosage that becomes harmful ...
So ... by all means PLEASE DO see a doctor. But don't freak yourself out. The liver is pretty resilient, as long as you DO STOP before you permanently screw it up.
Welcome to SR.com, btw ... you're in the right place
It is critical though as others have said that you cut yourself off from all sources of opioids once you're actually off of them. VERY VERY few people can go through w/d's knowing that opioids are easily available to them, esp. not if they're in the house.
I'm not a doctor and I don't want this info to influence you in any way (other than to make you go see the doc) but I've generally heard it takes about 5 years of heavy 'tylenol abuse' before the liver starts to sustain any sort of *permanent* damage. And by heavy I mean substantially more than 15 x 500mg/day ... more like 2 or 3 x that much over 5 years. However, alcohol in excess can greatly exacerbate that rate, or reduce the tylenol dosage that becomes harmful ...
So ... by all means PLEASE DO see a doctor. But don't freak yourself out. The liver is pretty resilient, as long as you DO STOP before you permanently screw it up.
Welcome to SR.com, btw ... you're in the right place
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