@hi Ronnie that is a tough one the one thing I know is Dr told me when I was on Vicodin that if I take the med as directed I won't become addicted its people who aren't strong enough to do this and they take more then they become addicted.Pain meds help the body to heal I take my Tramadol to allow my muscles to relax at 🌙 I can only give you this experience its up to you to decide what to do. Sorry I don't have any more information for you .

@grandmar Can you split the pills in half at all? As your body is healing you know that good rest is critical. How about using one ahead of resting for the night to allow you to relax as much as possible? During the day, perhaps using meditation or mindfulness to help you? Or take a half pill if absolutely needed. Let your Dr know your concerns, maybe there would be a different prescription. Kudos to you for reaching out like this, and recognizing a "slippery slope".
Ginger

@grandmar hi Ronnie- it’s Karen. I think you should stick to the schedule, even if you don’t have bad pain at the moment. The docs will always tell you it’s best to “stay ahead of the pain”. From my experience, I agree. Good luck - praying for you.

I have a great pain management team and they tell me that as long as you’re taking meds to manage pain, you are not at risk for addiction. You can be dependent due to chemicals, but that is different than addicted. There is so much shame be at the media for those of us who do depend on pain meds to be able to function, try not to let that define you. Best of luck in your healing journey.