I had surgery earlier today, and my doctor wrote me a prescription for hydrocodone and told me to take it if I needed it (I think it's 15mg hydrocodone, 700mg acetiminophen every six hours).
How addictive is this stuff? Is it "take it for a couple days while recovering and you'll be fine", or is this "scarily addictive and only take it if you absolutely have to"?
I've never been given prescription painkillers before, so I have no idea how leery I should be. At least I was able to convince them to skip the valium pre-surgery.
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[–] ninjajunkie 0 points 15 points 15 points (+15|-0) ago
Using them as they are prescribed, they are safe to use cautiously to relieve pain. Start with a half-dose if you are extra worried. Pain more than a 4 on a 1-10 scale warrants medicating. Once you're at a 2 or so for a day, you being what we'd call 'opiate-naive', I'd switch you to regular Tylenol. Addiction is in the mind for the most part, they didn't give you near enough to get physically addicted. That takes time and exposure. Bonus tip: take them with a glass of milk or a small sandwich to help prevent nausea. It's likely you'll just want to nap. Hope this helps some. -src: my ass and having been a RN for 8 years.
[–] daskapitalist [S] 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
Thanks, that's what I needed. I really wasn't sure how to translate "as needed" since to me that translates as somewhere around a +7 on a 1-10 pain scale, when the pain was closer to a 4-5 like you mentioned.
[–] Sellyoulight 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I don’t know if this is an individual--or rare or nearly unheard-of thing--with hydrocodone, but IMO..... beware the Constipation Demon when you’re eating hydrocodone. Hydrocodone sets the constipation demon loose on me and the results are a real drag.
[–] ninjajunkie ago
That is definitely a side-effect. I haven't seen it much with someone taking them as needed, but anyone on scheduled dosing will likely experience it somewhat. An OTC stool softener usually works as a preventative. If that doesn't help, a mild laxative will.
[–] Javik2186 ago
Yeah, I had him invade my house a few days ago and the Doomguy wasn't there to save me. The only weapons I was armed with was prune juice, water, and magnesium citrate. IMO, drink a lot of water and eat fiber rich foods to help digestion when taking hydrocodone.
[–] revfelix 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I always want to nap after my sandwich (or any other time, really). Does that mean I'm being secretly injected with hydrocodone by the CIA?