Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 6/1/2006

Question
I think I am starting to become addicted to vicodin and percocet. I am 27 and
a Mother to a 2 year old and a 2 month old. I have had a hell of a year but the
truth is I have always felt the urge to escape reality. In October I had to have
gallbladder surgery in the middle of my 2nd pregnancy and I was given several
different meds to combat pain. My surgeon was detained so I had to stay in the
hospital for 3 extra days before I could actually have my surgery. The entire
time I was on fentenyl (sp?) and I would seriously stare at the clock waiting
for the next time I could ring the nurse for another dose. It didn't take the
pain away but it made me feel really good. After my surgery they tried to give
me vicodin but at that time is was making me throw up, darvocet did nothing and
finally I was given percocet. I took it only as directed but only because I was
pregnant. After I had my baby they gave me percocet again to recover on. I
started taking a higher dosage than directed until I noticed that it was making
my baby sleepy and that scared me. Nonetheless I took every one even though I
wasn't in much pain.
After a while I started craving that feeling again and I stole my
Mother-in-laws left over vicodin, loritab and percocet. Those have been gone for
about 2 weeks and I was starting to feel normal and then I got a big infection
in my back tooth and had to have 4 teeth pulled (wisdom teeth) they gave me
percocet andI am supposed to take 1 every 4 hours, I am taking 2 or 3 every 2 or
3 hours. I am really scared. I don't want to feel this way. My Mother is an
alcoholic and I feel like I could be just like her.
What am I doing to my body? How can I stop that craving? Any advice would be
great.
Thank you,
Anna"


Answer
Hello Anna,

Pain killer medications can be very addictive, I would suggest that you may have an addictive personality. I say this because you said your mother was an alcoholic which is another form of addiction. This may have been partially inherited through a diabetic gene or other gene.

However most addiction whatever form have the same underlying flaw in biochemistry.

Most addicts have been found to be hypoglycemic, according to a four hour medical Test for Hypoglycemia explained at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/testing_hypoglycemia.html

This means they have problems using the sugars in food to manufacture the feel good neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.

To understand this please read:

What is Hypoglycemia? at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

“The Serotonin Connection” at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html

“Alcoholism is a Treatable Disease” at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/alcoholism_treatable.html

Depression: a Disease of Energy Production at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_energy.html

“Treatment of Drug Addiction”
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/treatment_drug_addiction.html

The first step is going on The Hypoglycemic Diet at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/hypoglycemic_diet.html  under the supervision of a Clinical Nutritionist or doctor familiar with Nutritional medicine.

You should be able to withdraw from pain killers gradually under the supervision of a doctor.

When you have hypoglycemia you tend to be more sensitive to pain.

Please discuss with a therapist.
Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr.
Author of "Getting off the Hook" (Google Book Search)
For more free articles
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au