[elyse421]

hi everyone.

from 1999-2004, i was completely and utterly addicted to vicodin. it started off with a toothache..and then hooked for the next five years.

as much as i loved taking the drug, i hated it (if that makes sense). it was unlike me because i have never tried any other drug before and i kind of shocked myself at how quickly addicted and dependent i became to this drug. it was awful.

i quit in late 2004 because i have had enough and it was ruining my life.

i started up again this year in january. don't ask me why. it's just something that makes me mildly happy and i know i have to stop.

but here's the thing: back in 1999-2004, i used to take up to 8 pills a day (of the 7.5 mg). EIGHT. you can say that in five years i built a pretty high tolerance.

present day: i can only handle half of a 5mg. which was NOTHING to me back then. if i take a full one a day, i get real tired and REALLY out of it.

so my question is: how is it that back in the day, i could handle up to eight 7.5mg piills and now i can barely handle half of a 5mg?

did i screw up my body?

(i realize how stupid this post makes me, but addiction is awful and i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy).

[Robert_325]

Consider yourself very fortunate. Most of us just pick up where we left off, or else it's worse when we relapse. I think God is cutting you some major slack! You can throw down 1/2 a pill easily. Do it, just stop it now before you end up back in la la land. Good luck.

[kathy8167]

I do not mean to alarm you and you maybe God is cutting you some slack. I just wanted to alert you to something. Vicodin is made with Tylenol. Every pill has 500mg. of Tylenol in it. Tylenol in large doses especially over a length of time can become toxic to your liver. When you liver is damaged, it's damaged. There is no way to fix it. When your liver isn't working well, you cannot adequately filter toxins from your body. That means that a lot more of any drug you take will stay in your bloodstream as it is not filtered properly. As a result, you feel the effects of the drug much more than ever before. This is why some alcoholics follow a specific pattern. They experience tolerance for a long time, needing more and more alcohol for the desired effect when, all of a sudden, it is taking less and less alcohol to achieve a high. They become a lightweight because their liver is shot and the liver is not filtering the alcohol out of their bloodstream. This may not be the case and it is rare. Livers are tough and can tolerate a lot. I am just giving you an FYI and suggest you simply get a simple blood test to test your liver. Testing you kidneys after any drug abuse history is a good thing to do also. Do not be worried or alarmed, okay? It is probably nothing. I have had a huge addiction to Lortab and way overdid my Tylenol dosing and my liver and kidneys are fine. Just get the lab tests done to ease your mind, and keep us posted! Good luck, and God bless!

[elyse421]

Originally Posted by kathy8167

I do not mean to alarm you and you maybe God is cutting you some slack. I just wanted to alert you to something. Vicodin is made with Tylenol. Every pill has 500mg. of Tylenol in it. Tylenol in large doses especially over a length of time can become toxic to your liver. When you liver is damaged, it's damaged. There is no way to fix it. When your liver isn't working well, you cannot adequately filter toxins from your body. That means that a lot more of any drug you take will stay in your bloodstream as it is not filtered properly. As a result, you feel the effects of the drug much more than ever before. This is why some alcoholics follow a specific pattern. They experience tolerance for a long time, needing more and more alcohol for the desired effect when, all of a sudden, it is taking less and less alcohol to achieve a high. They become a lightweight because their liver is shot and the liver is not filtering the alcohol out of their bloodstream. This may not be the case and it is rare. Livers are tough and can tolerate a lot. I am just giving you an FYI and suggest you simply get a simple blood test to test your liver. Testing you kidneys after any drug abuse history is a good thing to do also. Do not be worried or alarmed, okay? It is probably nothing. I have had a huge addiction to Lortab and way overdid my Tylenol dosing and my liver and kidneys are fine. Just get the lab tests done to ease your mind, and keep us posted! Good luck, and God bless!

wow. thank you so much kathy...i never thought of it this way before.

i wonder if this is the reason why it's harder for me to lose weight...due to the toxins not flushing correctly.

but wow. you gave me a huge insight on this. thank you so much.

[Nance77]

Since u stopped taking them for awhile, you probably don't have as high of a tolerance anymore...Eventually u will build your tolerance back up if u keep taking them....I started taking Perocet for fibromyalgia and I started off taking a 1/4 tab for my pain...I have been taking them almost a year now, and I now can take 2-4 a day with the same effect as the 1/4 tab used to give me...
The doctor told me also that if u do build up a tolerance, stop taking them for 6 wks and then should work the way it was when u started, but dont know if thats true or not..