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Excedrin
My husband is addicted to Excedrin. He now gets diarrhea a few nights a week and when he doesn't take it he says he gets an unbearable headache/migraine. He says he can't quit because the headache is too unbearable. So instead he just pops immodium to help the diarrhea. How can he quit this?
My son reports that he uses OTC medicines (like Excedrin Migraine) and left-over prescription meds (Oxycodone) to help with his back pain. BUT, I am very concerned that he has become addicted to these drugs. He won't tell me how many he is taking but I just found another empty bottle of Excedrin Migraine in my car and I'm scared to death. I will share some of these posts about liver and kidney damage, as well as the addictive properties of Excedrin with him, in the hopes that he will listen to someone besides me.
It's incredibly scary to think that a 18 year old might have a substance abuse issue but this forum gives me some additional information to tackle this problem. THank you all for sharing your stories!
It's incredibly scary to think that a 18 year old might have a substance abuse issue but this forum gives me some additional information to tackle this problem. THank you all for sharing your stories!
Boy, I just want to cry after reading all these posts. I have been on Excedrin for 25 years and never a chance of getting off because the few times I tried the pain was unbearable, always wished they could just put me under for a few days until the pain was gone. I really don't know how people make it through that kind of pain.
And, recently I had a migraine that took me too the emergency room with loss of speech and cognitive understanding. Really scary. The neurologist did tell me some things I would like to share:
One of the problems in getting off Excedrin is that the pain is from the withdrawal and rebound headache, but most of the time medications they can give to help migraines are useless until you get through that. That rebound headache will break through almost any medication they have.
The preventative and many times the immediate relief drugs they have to help migraines are not very effective if you are in the chronic Excredin taking phase, somehow that lessens their effectiveness.
She put me on a preventative medication because the migraine was so severve and wanted to try and keep that from happening, but warned, you are going to have to weene yourself off Excedrin or these preventative medications will not be very effective.
Very lucky for me, for some reason, I have been able to pare back a good deal on the Excedrin without a big flare. This morning only 1/4 tab to fend off the creeping headache. That's like a miracle for me.
What I have noticed, is that I have chronic back pain that is sometimes better and sometimes worse. Although I wasn't taking the excedrin for this, I noticed, especially today, that the back pain is really bad. And I wonder if I'm not having that same re-bound effect.
Also, the neurologist told me that you could take excedrin up to 3 days a week without getting into the rebounding. Limited to 1 tab. Unfortunately, I'm not sure most of us who are addicted can take 1 without taking 2.
Marsha
And, recently I had a migraine that took me too the emergency room with loss of speech and cognitive understanding. Really scary. The neurologist did tell me some things I would like to share:
One of the problems in getting off Excedrin is that the pain is from the withdrawal and rebound headache, but most of the time medications they can give to help migraines are useless until you get through that. That rebound headache will break through almost any medication they have.
The preventative and many times the immediate relief drugs they have to help migraines are not very effective if you are in the chronic Excredin taking phase, somehow that lessens their effectiveness.
She put me on a preventative medication because the migraine was so severve and wanted to try and keep that from happening, but warned, you are going to have to weene yourself off Excedrin or these preventative medications will not be very effective.
Very lucky for me, for some reason, I have been able to pare back a good deal on the Excedrin without a big flare. This morning only 1/4 tab to fend off the creeping headache. That's like a miracle for me.
What I have noticed, is that I have chronic back pain that is sometimes better and sometimes worse. Although I wasn't taking the excedrin for this, I noticed, especially today, that the back pain is really bad. And I wonder if I'm not having that same re-bound effect.
Also, the neurologist told me that you could take excedrin up to 3 days a week without getting into the rebounding. Limited to 1 tab. Unfortunately, I'm not sure most of us who are addicted can take 1 without taking 2.
Marsha
Best of luck lorig69!!! I posted earlier in the thread and still haven't been able to wean myself off of Excedrin. I'm letting myself down but I'm going to give it another go here in not too long. Take a focused week off and try to stop. It shouldn't be so hard but I don't know...when I try to stop, the headaches (withdrawal) make me feel like all the veins in my head are going to explode at the same time and I feel disoriented and incapacitated. It is a major goal of mine to get off this stuff--permanently. It must be similar to trying to quit other addictions.
Good luck! :) (I didn't want your post to be overlooked) - and although I never had an addiction to excedrin, I understand anything is possible.
Hope you're feeling better soon. :)And try doing some research on rebound headaches. That might be what you're experiencing.
Hope you're feeling better soon. :)And try doing some research on rebound headaches. That might be what you're experiencing.
I am reading these articles in amazement. I have been a headache/migraine sufferer for 12 years now. I've been through every test possible and tried many different medications. I have a headache daily. I finally searched the internet to see if Exedrin is addictive. I've read some articles in different health journals that suggest that taking these drugs long term can actually cause you to feel pain differently. You are actually feeling withdrawal headache. I always wondered what was wrong with me, but I now feel its the medicine itself. I am going to take the weekend and try and get off this stuff. I hope I can. Usually it sends me to the hospital. I am going to try. Wish me luck!
Yes that could be why, when we take things over the counter we don't always think of the possibility of dependency. It makes total sense though. I have to pay attention to OTC just as I would anything.
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