I herniated a disc in my neck and laid in bed for 3 weeks with my arm curled over and around my head. I was taking a Vicodin 750 every 2-3 hours and they were barely touching the pain. Eventually the pain started easing a little and I started slacking off on the Vicodin. Got up and walked into the kitchen sick. Sweating, weak, nauseous. Hubby said what’s wrong? I told him and he laughed and said...you’re addicted. I said nuh uh. He said. Uh huh.
I walked straight back to the bedroom and picked up the bottle and flushed them down the toilet. I went through about 5 days of withdrawal. Haven’t taken 1 since. Told doc I got addicted and she switched me to Tramadol.
Not sure what the answer is since these types of drugs are needed by people for pain. But I don’t like throwing billions and billions of taxpayer money at it either.
I think far too potent drugs are routinely prescribed to folks who have no business taking them and no idea of the potential consequences.
I’ve seen a county sheriff get addicted to oxycontin after a fairly routine knee surgery. 50 pill counts (long enough to create addiction concerns) were handed out for fairly minor pain.
Lot of judgmental folks with no clue posting comments here. Hope they and their family are never touched by addiction of any type, but do hope they’d participate in a church outreach to addicts and learn to help others. It is truly a ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ epidemic.