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Hydrocodone/Medical Marijuana
I'm 62 years old. After 15 years of taking 3200mg of Ibuprofen a day for achilles tendonitis (which damaged my kidneys...before the discovery of ibuprofen's affect on them; in about the year 2000 or so), my Dr switched me to Norco (10mg Hydrocodone, 325 Tylenol...sorry can't seem to spell the generic name). Another 15 years down the road, I started having lower back, hip & knee pain. The Norco has worked wonderfully at relieving the pain. The last couple of years, I've been having trouble sleeping. Can only seem to sleep an hour or two at a time, having to get up for bathroom runs numerous times a night. California in the meantime had legalized medical marijuana. In the sense of full disclosure, I have done pot recreationally since the early '70s, but decreasingly in the last 10 years or so. Now that it's "legal", I started taking edibles as a sleep aid; have not noticed that the marijuana has had any pain relief for me, but as a sleep aid, it's been wonderful. So, Norco for pain, pot for sleep has been my regimen for about the last 15 months, and I've been feeling 25 years younger; no pain, nearly full 8 hours straight a night of sleep. I'm waking fully rested & ready to take on my days. For the first time in the years I've been taking Norco, my Dr had me do a urinalysis, results, of course, showing both the hydrocodone AND the THC in the pot. He gave me an ultimatum: one or the other, but you can't do both (due to DEA laws, etc). At this point, being a somewhat stubborn person, I'm not willing to give up my newly regained increased quality of daily life. What are my options?
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I’m considered a chronic pain patient due to a failed lumbar surgery where they inserted 2 rods and eight screws into my back which ended up causing me more pain than what I had before my surgery. This was back in 2017. Ever since I’ve been on hydrocodone 5mg/325 acetaminophen. I have also been prescribed 800 mg ibuprofen 3X a day. The prescription for the hydrocodone says to take up to 1 tablet every 6 hours. To be candid I only take 1/2 tablet of the Hydrocodone along with the ibuprofen first thing in the am and try to limit my ibuprofen intake to twice a day, morning and night. If I’m having a bad day I’ll take one in the afternoon with a muscle relaxant (Flexeril). I rely on cortisone shots in my lumbar area 4 times a year just so I can put on my own socks in the morning. Last summer my pain doctor said I’ve had my limit of cortisone shots and he recommended medical marijuana. I have a pain contract with my primary so all my pain meds need to thru her but she also recommended the marijuana. My problem is I hate to take it during the day because I get nothing done and I certainly won’t operate a motor vehicle while using it. I basically use it at night which will allow me to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep without waking up. Still have issues putting on my socks though.😕 I’m still in pain but it does help somewhat. Thank god I’m retired.
I definitely would recommend following your doctor's orders. If you need it for pain take it. It's when you don't need it anymore that becomes a problem when you take it. I'm not on a high dosage, 1 mg a day for my doctor. Due to other medications I take it's causing a problem. So I had to make a decision whether to stick with my antidepressants or go off Vicodin. It's up to my doctor now to decide if there's another option for pain. As other people have stated I started having kidney problems because of too much ibuprofen. It's not something the doctors thought about or the government when they decided to say opiates are bad. I wish they had! PS all I did was cut it down slowly. The urge will remain for quite some time but it's something that you just get through.
I have never enjoyed marijuana not one day in my life. However with all of the research that's been done and the states that have legalized medical marijuana I fully support it versus opiates. It's just too bad our government is screwing up once again.
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1 ReactionThank you! I won't stop taking it, just wanted to come down a few pills a day...titrating down slowly now, and it seems to be working well.
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1 ReactionI live in Indiana and none of it is legal here currently. And I have a terrible back and had to be on barbiturates for about seven years for pain. Until I found out that my liver was in bad shape because of the pain medicine. I don’t think they’re ever going to legalize medicinal marijuana here and I do not understand why not
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1 ReactionIllinois has it legalized so if you want to try it cross over into the state and buy it.
That’s the same here in MN. My GP doctor who I have a pain medication contract with and who prescribes my hydrocondone is the one who signed off getting me my medical marijuana card.
After a shoulder operation in 2007, I was prescribed Vicodin to relieve the pain.
About a month later, I was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of jaundice and a liver bilirubin count of 12. The whites of my eyes were yellow and my white hair had a golden hue.
The doctor was surprised that I wasn't delirious.
It took 3 days of treatment and a dozen blood tests to bring the count down to 7 when I was finally discharged.
Scoliosis and a ruptured disc now require a low dose of Hydrocodone daily, when needed for pain.
Although the spinal damage has limited my physical activities, I can still stand and lead a relatively normal life with the help of my family.
Further treatment has not been advised.