Can vicodin cause permanent damage to a teens developing brain?

[Scarface720]

im a 16 yr old male and last year (when i was 15) i was taking 1 or 2 vicodin a day (6 hours apart never at one time) for 2 months (7.5/750 mg) but then i stopped (that was 10 months ago) and i am now worried i damaged my mental/emotional growth as a teen. does it sound like i was abusing the vicodin? do you think i damaged my mental/emotional growth from the vicodin?? please reassure me because im still in puberty and i dont want this effecting my social skills or somethin.

[Scarface720]

wow thanks a lot!! thats the kind of reassurance i needed and its has been causing me stress lately. it seems like when i hit puberty things have gotten hard and i dont even know why lol

[Greatgreebo]

Hey, first and foremost don't sweat it. There is always a chance of causing 'problems' whenever you ingest any kind of drugs, especially when you are in your developmental years. Having said that, I think you are going to be just fine. I'm not a doctor, but I do have a couple of degrees (in Biology), have worked as an EMT/IV Tech for years and I was a teenager who used drugs, so I feel confident telling you: Don't worry about it! You are just wasting your time and stressing yourself out. You are not going to have brain damage or permanent problems because of your use of vicoden last year. It's GREAT you figured out that you were heading down a bad road with your pill use and that you quit before you ended up with a real problem (I'm sure you've read some of our horror stories). Right now you need to focus on being a teenager-which is hard to do without worry about drugs!  Don't waste time worrying about stuff that isn't true or isn't relevant to your current health. You didn't permanantly hurt yourself or cause problems with your developement. LIke I've said: being a Teen is hard enough without adding extra things to worry about. .........keep posting to let us knwo how you are doing. If you need some reassurance from us, we can be here to help you. Your story will be useful to other teens who stop by the forum looking for answers. I know if I had had a place like this to check with when I started to do different drugs as a teen, if I had this forum to check with people I would have done things much differently. I would have worried a lot less too. Don't waste you time worry about things you can change (like doing drugs last year). Just realize it was a really bad choice, it's done and you can't change that fact and move on with your life. If you want to make a positive out of a negative, on the forum you can be the teen who helps other teens by being honest with them and telling them how they are making bad choices and let them know that you still worry about damage you may have done to your body. Let them know the worries you still have.
Like I said a few lines ago: since nothing has changed in your life, I'm going to say your worries are unfounded and your teenage brain is just looking for something to make you worry about and you should ignore your brain trying to stress you out...... Don't let the insecurity get in the way of your life.
You do not have permanant damage to your brain
Being a teenager is really hard and you need to power through it
Do NOT waste time worrying about things you can't change
Focus on the important things in life (friends, family, school, You).
Do NOT use drugs again-taking drugs while your brain is developing can cause a lot of problems-and some of the damage can't be undone once it has been done. Considering you figured out that drugs are bad before you did permanent damage to your brain should be something you feel proud about. You didn't let it turn into a problem, so you are obviously a pretty smart guy. Give yourself a pat on the back from me.

Like I keep saying: being a teen has enough problems involved with the situation, don't waste your time worrying about something you don't need to be worrying about. The biggest thing is that you DO NOT forget the situation and never let yourself slip up or go back to using. Consider yourself lucky this time and that you got a 'get out of jail free' card this time......you won't be so lucky again if you tempt fate again.......

Stay strong. Congrats on figuring things out and getting yourself clean. You should be very proud of yourself. Stick around here.....there are other teens out there who could use someone to talk too.....and you are definitely on the right path.

Greatgreebo

ps-don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.

[Scarface720]

well my grades are the same as they've always been lol. and im still a very shy awkward teen like ive always been so nothing has changed.

[vicki595]

How are your grades in school?  How is your social life?  Those two things are huge indicators of a problem.

You sound just fine to me. You didn't take that much for very long so you got lucky. Many people just cannot stop. I'm glad YOU did!

Don't do it again though. Drug use has a way of catching up with a person and it isn't ever pretty.

[busta1028]

Anytime. You're welcome.

[Scarface720]

ok, thanks a lot man.

[busta1028]

Ok, just trying to look out for your well being. If you were taking more than you said and for a longer time than I might be concerned. Remember though, there is a mental side to why we abuse substances as well, so maybe think about what may have triggered the need to take the pills in the first place.

[Scarface720]

uhhh, well it was last year so i dont really remember. but its just a concern really.

[busta1028]

Have you felt different than before you used, or is it just a concern?

[Scarface720]

Thanks :) im not concerned with any mental instability i just wanted to make sure.

[busta1028]

Also, I honestly doubt you have damaged anything. That dose isn't far off from what docs prescribe for light to moderate pain. You were only on it for 2 months, which is not long at all, so I think you're just fine, but if you are concerned with any mental instability you should talk to a doc and get a professional opinion for your safety.

[Scarface720]

i was using it for recreational purposes but dont worry im never gonna go back to it again. i just wanna make sure this isnt going to damage my mental growth during puberty.

[busta1028]

Usually the only mental status it's going to affect is causing depression, but in most cases painkillers affect the respiratory system. Was this given by a doc or were you using for recreational purposes.