What should I do?

[Princessey]

I had been taking 3-4 Lortab 7.5 for about 9 months, prescribed 3 but at times needed 1/2 to 1 more per day. I felt like crap and even tho I only took 1/2 a pill at a time I was scared I was becoming dependent on them. I stopped taking them for a week and had physical wd symptoms (a few cramps and diarrhea) for 1 day. I have been taking 1.5 pills a day for the last 3 days, taking 1/4 at a time. I only have "cravings" for a pain pill when I am in a lot of pain. Am I an addict? Do I need help? What should I do?
I was on Ultram for a few years and it really worked for a long time. I never had wd symptoms from them but have read some bad stuff about them. Should I just switch back to them? I have had a spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia and Sjogren's (an autoimmune disease). I have a lot of pain on a daily basis and (unfortunately) need something to be able to function.

[gnarly_1]

HI......well Eye pritty much summed it up as far as what most would be considered and addict vers dependent ....in your case dependent sounds more like the situation and your dose is small so coming off shouldn't be to bad but keep in mind most of us addicts started out just like you taking 1 pill or 2 pills a day somewhere along the way we found that there was a euphoria to be had and then started taking them for the feeling.....just know the line is very thin between dependent and addicted  no one here ever said in 5th grade Im going to be an addict when I go up....when you look more into the roots of addiction the pills are merely a symptom of trying to supress underlying emotions or feeling thats why we always say the addict need to change the very way we think to overcome our disease it is good that you are questioning yourself it might keep you from going over to the other side....never take a pain pill untill all other options have been illuminated read up on the other posts to get an idea of just how bad this can get and use your meds cautiously good luck and God bless......Gnarly    

[eyeofhorus2010]

If you're taking your meds as prescribed by your doctor and you never take more than prescribed and only take them at the intervels prescibed yet when you quit taking them you suffer withdrawals, then you're dependent.

If you're taking one or two extra over the prescribed amount to get that euphoric feeling even when your pain is well managed at a lower dose causing you to run out before the next refill then you would be considered an addict. Now if this happens just one time and you realize what you've done and go back to only taking the prescribed amount then you're probably not an addict.

Dependent or addict the result can be the same. You're hooked on opiates and can't quit taking them. Most addicts start out taking meds prescribed to them by their doctor and at some point they begin to like the way those pain killers make them feel. They may exagerate the pain to get a stronger pain killer or to get a higher quantity per month of their current med.

You take opiates long enough for whatever the reason you'll become addicted to those opiates.

This is a very rough and basic explanation and I hope Gnarly will come along and make it more clear. That guy is a cornucopia of addictive information.

[Princessey]

Thank you for replying. I am really confused about addiction. Can you please explain the  difference between being dependent and being addicted?

[eyeofhorus2010]

Hi Princessey, welcome to the forum. I saw that you haven't yet gotten a response to your post yet so I thought I would at least say hello to you. Weekends can be slow here sometimes. When I don't see much posting going on I just read through the archives, it helps.

Sounds like you're taking your meds as prescribed for real pain issues. That doesn't make you an addict, dependant maybe but it doesn't sound like your presenting addict behaviour yet. If you do fear that you may be starting to like the pain killers even when you don't have pain then It's time to discuss this with your doctor.

I can tell you from experience that taking pills for fun or taking them to feel good beyond what your pain calls for can quickly turn you into someone you never thought you'd be. Addiction will turn you into a lier and a theif. It will have you spending money you don't have and even go as far as to purposely hurt yourself so that you can go to the ER to get meds.

They say there are only 3 outcomes for drug addicts: Jail, Death or Sobriety. I don't think you're anywhere near that yet but it would definitely benefit you to get with your doctor to find an alternative to opiates. You'll be alright, don't worry about it until you talk to your doctor. And if you do quit the lortabs and need support and help to get past it to cleandom, you'll get plenty of it here.