jdun26

Hi everyone

First, a little about myself. I am a 46 year old male, ex-smoker/alcoholic who has not smoked/drank in over a year. I have been plagued with anxiety/OCD/Tourettes/Agoraphobia over the years and from day to day I usually don't feel all that well as a rule. I am on Ativan (25mg) and Prevacid (30mg).

Anyway, it all started with a half of a Lortab (APAP 7.5mg/500mg) each day for severe muscle/joint pain which I believe was caused by Fibromyalgia and soon developed into what I believe is now an addiction (?). I went from taking 2/3 of a tablet to 1/2 a tablet and for the past month have managed to taper down to 1/4 tablet each day. The reason I have been tapering down is not because I am trying to quit (although I'd definitely like to) but because I seem to feel less and less well/healthy with each dose and am no longer able to tolerate it as much as I used to be able to.

When I am coming down off of it (the next morning) I usually wake up feeling ok but as the day goes on, I end up feeling somewhat "toxic" as if poison was flowing through my veins. Sometimes I just feel zoned-out. I also tend to get very mild intermittent pain in the liver area from time to time and my bowels feel somewhat inflamed and uncomfortable. My brain also feels very loopy, hungover and surreal and this feeling is worse when I'm coming down off of it then when I am taking it. Also, my lungs seem to be affected to some extent. Either way, whether I take it or not, I still don't feel well so it's like a no-win situation for me.

Some mornings I experience wild mood swings, disorganized thinking, talk too fast and behave erratically and unpredictably - feeling good one minute but then going off in all directions the next, moving from one topic to another and ending up really p.o.'d about nothing as I ramble on about my dreams, stuff that doesn't make any sense, etc to my poor roommate. Sometimes I feel like I'm truly losing it and get really scared/panicky. Then, as the morning goes on, I tend to stabilize a bit and begin feeling normal again. I do notice that when I go off the Lortabs for a few days, the mornings get worse and I do begin to feel what I would describe as cravings.

I guess my question is whether these side effects/withdrawal symptoms are normal and if I am truly what you'd call an addict (I only take 1/4 of a tablet per day) and I can't understand how only 1/4 of a tablet would cause me to feel this way when there are people out there who take 10 tablets a day and seem to be ok. Also, any tips on getting off of this stuff or coping with the side effects/withdrawal symptoms?.

Thanks so much for any help I can get in understanding this!.

- Regards, JDun26