Seeking Information on Lorcet Addiction

[therapist]

Hello and Congratulations to all of you enjoying your recovery.

I am a psychotherapist and have been researching with diligence what a progression of UNTREATED lorcet addiction looks like.

There is an amazing amount of literature on treatment and so on, but what I cannot find is information on a what a typical course of untreated lorcet addiction takes.

For example, I know the tylenol in this drug may be more harmful than the opiate itself due to liver damage. What are the symptoms of that liver damage?

Also, if tolerance continues, will the patient experience withdrawals even at their usual very high dose that they take daily? If that occurs, I am assuming they will experience these withdrawals and become very ill. Is this withdrawal process ever fatal?

In the situation I am referring to, the patient is not my client but the husband of a client. I do not know how many Lorcets he takes a day, but it is reported to be a lot. His wife tells me he absolutely refuses treatment.

His skin is turning a dark grey, he has sores all over his body that seem to be due to itchy skin, and he is gaining weight around his middle (a symptom of liver problems?)

I am simply curious as to what we can expect for this man who refuses treatment.

Any information on the course of this illness will be greatly appreciated.

[christin1225]

Originally Posted by therapist

I am a psychotherapist and have been researching with diligence what a progression of UNTREATED lorcet addiction looks like.

I'm going to suggest that you move your inquiry to the main Substance Abuse Forum because the Suboxone forum has limited activity.

As my DOC is oxycodone (no tylenol), I can't be much help to you regarding the signs of liver damage/failure.

Also, if tolerance continues, will the patient experience withdrawals even at their usual very high dose that they take daily?

I'm assuming that you mean if a tolerance has been built to 100mg, will the addict experience withdrawal at 80mg. Yep. For this addict it's a moot point because I never stabilize, I keep doing more. I don't think that I'm very unique.

Is this withdrawal process ever fatal? Opioid withdrawal is not classified as one that is fatal. CAN it be? Well, one might need to consider the health of the addict. I suggest that you ask a specific doctor about a specific patient to get an accurate answer to this question.

I am simply curious as to what we can expect for this man who refuses treatment.

He can expect what any addict can expect: jails, institutions, and/or death.

It's not a pretty picture. I hope that this helps some.

[christin1225]

Therapist,

On my drive into work, I realized that I neglected to differentiate between full-blown withdrawals and what can be expected when an addict tapers the amount of his drug. The degree of discomfort depends upon exactly how much less of the drug is taken and how long the addict has been using. If done at a reasonable pace, tapering can be an effective way to break an addict's physical dependence on a drug. The psychological aspect of addiction is an entirely different matter.

I do hope that you are counseling your client to break her codependency, which the fact that you on a recovery website, asking such questions, leads me to believe is an issue for her.