About Adegoke Adeyemo MD Expertise Questions relating to psychiatric problems, including all kinds of substance abuse/chemical dependency issues. I also specialize in mood disorders and anxiety disorders. I am the Clinical Advisor of the (DBSA) Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Sacramento Chapter. I also specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy, and not just pills, pills, pills.
Experience I have been a psychiatrist for nine years and work in a variety of settings with all sorts of patients. I am not a child psychiatrist so I can give my opinion on child issues, but a child psychiatrist would probably have more practical experience, as I see patients below the age of 18 only once in a while. In the case of chemical dependency, however, I dont believe that age applies. The principles are the same.
Organizations American Psychiatric Association
Central California Psychiatric Society
A.A.Mental Health Resources, http://www.aamhr.org
Education/Credentials M.D
Certified Forensic examiner (Course taken in Virginia). I have not done forensics for a while.
Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. (Course taken in Harvard School of Medicine). I still do some of this.
Awards and Honors Outstanding Housestaff Teaching Award
Department of Psychiatric Medicine
University of Virginia
Expert: Adegoke Adeyemo MD Date: 3/24/2008 Subject: My tylenol#1 addiction
Question Hey there Doc. How's it going? My name is Chris and I'm addicted to both tobacco and tylenol#1. I take about 40-50 t#1's a day. However I don't think my addiction is out of control yet. I've been doing this for about 2 years now, and can go without the dope for a week or two if I have to. I find that I always crave a few cigarettes after popping my pills. I only smoke aoubt half a pack a day, but right after I pop the pills is when I have the cravings. THe cravings for a smoke much, much stronger after I do this. Have you heard of this before? Is it common? To crave the two substances one after the other like that? One more thing. I find that if I don't take the pills I don't crave smokes anywhere near as much. And I find that if I don't smoke I don't crave the pills at all almost. But if I have one, I always crave the other. It's weird, I know. Please answer me. I think I need help. Just the other day I found out about a bacterial infection in my right kidney, and the doc tells me if I keep abusing the pills I'll probably need a kidney transplant within the next year. He also said my infection is borderline bad enough to put me in the hospital and probably have me put on a dialasis machine. I want to quit, but I find it near impossible to quit both at the same time. Please help me! I don't want to die an early death. But I can't seem to control myself.
Answer Hello Chris,
My apologies for the slow response. I am very happy you wrote asking for help. It is interesting about the association of your pill use to your cigarette smoking but I don't think it is of much importance. Many addictions are ritualistic in nature, and the whole process becomes part of the addiction. For example, some people who are addicted to pain pills drink them with coffee. Invariably in these people coffee alone will eventually be associated with a craving for pills, unless they stop taking pills for an extended period of time.
More important is the whole phenomenon of addiction, and how it presents. It is one of the few lethal illnesses that has as part of its symptoms the ability to tell you that you don't have any problem, and that you are just fine. Clearly however you know this is not the case. I can hear from your e-mail that you realize this is a major problem. As you said you don't seem to have the ability to control yourself. The fact that you can stop taking the pills every so often is meaningless, if you cant stop indefinitely.
So your contradiction of statements from the second line of your e-mail where you state "I don't think my addiction is out of control yet" to the last line where you say " I can't seem to control myself" clearly indicates that you have a serious addiction. I suggest you look online at www.suboxone.com to find a doctor who can help you get off the pills. I also highly recommend 12 step recovery programs for sustained recovery otherwise it is likely you will start again. I am sure these sound better than a dialysis machine. I hope you take action soon. You are worth it.
