Getting high from Vicodin/Percocet

[Joey_P]

@Romeo_and_Whatsherface

Vicodin not only doesn’t give me a buzz, I have had trouble getting to sleep when I’ve taken one, and then my dreams are more apt to be vivid and nightmarish. PLUS it makes me queasy. I avoid taking it unless I’m in a lot of pain.

I get pretty wired from it as well. I try not to take vicodin after 5pm or so. Even then I usually end up taking Benadryl to fall asleep.

But why would a drug ONLY give someone a buzz if they’re not taking it for pain? Is the idea that it works on pain receptors, and if there is no pain, instead of working on pain receptors, it somehow works on other parts of the neurological system instead to produce the buzz? I’d really like to know.

I’m getting out of my league here, but I don’t think it works on pain receptors, my understanding is that instead of getting rid of the pain directly, it makes you not really care about the pain (the tylenol gets rid of the pain). As for why you don’t get buzzed if you take it while in pain, I always looked at it like the buzz and the pain are canceling each other out. But you can take more Vicodin then the pain ‘needs’ and still get buzzed. It’s not that if you take 10 vicodins you’ll remain sober because you stubbed your toe.

[Qwakkeddup]

I tried MJ two or three times it only made me sick. I was on pain meds, although I don’t recall the exact name, once for a crushed hand, then a few years later for a broken collar bone. Even as a kid my mother had to make me take them, I felt they didn’t do me any good.
So my thought was that getting high and addicted was just so much garbage, I enjoyed beer and some hard liquor, but that wasn’t the same thing. <<to me>>

Somewhere around 2001 I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis coughing so hard all through the night that I couldn’t get any sleep. Coughing through the day so bad I could hardly get a short sentence out without hacking every two words. On top of this my feet were swollen, cramped and in screaming agony.

The Dr. prescribed a cough syrup with codeine and another anti-inflammatory.
Slept like a baby the first night, got up took my meds and went to [del] work [/del]Heaven. I flew through that day and the next. My wife caught it the second day though and basically talked to me about the meds I was taking. So I had to save the cough syrup for night time use so I could sleep, and use the other only in the morning so I could work while on my feet all day. No more mixing, I think she also reported it to the pharmacy.

I now can see just how easy it could be to get addicted, it just takes the right medication, in the right dose and maybe a little mixing. Find the right “thing” for you and you could be headed down that road before you even know it.

Lucky for me my Wife caught it very early.

[TriPolar]

If you’re trying to get a buzz, it helps to wash it down with some liquor. If it slows you down, do a little meth or blow. If you start getting edgy, smoke some weed and drop some ecstacy. Have a good night.

[horsetech]

@Joey_P

I get pretty wired from it as well. I try not to take vicodin after 5pm or so. Even then I usually end up taking Benadryl to fall asleep.
I’m getting out of my league here, but I don’t think it works on pain receptors, my understanding is that instead of getting rid of the pain directly, it makes you not really care about the pain (the tylenol gets rid of the pain). As for why you don’t get buzzed if you take it while in pain, I always looked at it like the buzz and the pain are canceling each other out. But you can take more Vicodin then the pain ‘needs’ and still get buzzed. It’s not that if you take 10 vicodins you’ll remain sober because you stubbed your toe.

Opiates such as hydrocodone act on opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. In many people, one of the many effects of stimulating these receptors with an exogenous ligand is analgesia. There are multiple types of opioid receptors, with each drug having a different receptor binding profile and therefore different effects. However, the neurobiology of pain in general and of opioid receptors in particular is complex (there is an entire textbook entirely about opioid/opiate receptors!), is only partially understood, and varies between individuals due to differences in receptor morphology (and thus binding of drugs and endogenous ligands), receptor distribution, effects of other neurotransmitter systems, differences in neuronal connectivity, interactions with other gene products which may vary in expression, etc.

I’ll let one of the medicos give a more detailed explanation.

On a more personal note, I have found that both Vicodin and morphine actually take away my pain, and we have had threads on here in which many people indicated that it did the same for them.

[njtt]

I have never had any hint of a high from Vicodin, or from the Vicodin-like medicines (also acetominophen/paracetomol* with codeine, and in similar doses to those in VIcodin, I think) that you can buy over the counter in Britain. On occasion I have taken it when I have only been experiencing only quite mild pain or discomfort. (I occasionally take one when my bowels are inconveniently loose, to calm them down, but that is hardly pain.) I still do not get any buzz from it.

On the other hand, the one time I was given Percoset (or possibly Demerol), when I had a colonoscopy, I did feel extremely mellow afterwards. But those are much stronger drugs than Vicodin.

It is worth noting, however, that it is very dangerous to take large doses of Vicodin, not so much because you will get addicted to the codeine, the narcotic component, but because even quite moderately large doses of acetominophen/paracetomol can cause severe and irreversible liver damage, and even death. If people are taking multiple Vicodins to get high, they are probably killing themselves. They would be much safer taking equivalent amounts of pure codeine, which is the component entirely responsible for the high (if there is one) and the putative addictiveness anyway.

I am pretty sure Dr House ought to have been dead long ago. As he and his colleagues should surely know, he ought not to be on Vicodin, but on pure codeine (or some other narcotic painkiller), which would be both much safer and more fun for him…

Mind you, I was once on regular, relatively high doses of codeine (I was taking it for chronic irritable bowel, and I am pretty sure that the dose was considerably higher than were higher than what you would get from a safe dose of Vicodin), and never got a buzz from that either. I was taking it for something like two years, and I may have become mildly addicted, but, when the time seemed appropriate, I was able to wean myself off it quite easily, and, with the irritable bowel now cleared up, I did not miss it at all.

I am not claiming that I do not have an "addictive personality - I may well have (I think I am addicted to The Dope!) - but I am saying that codeine, in the small amounts that are found in Vicodin, or even in the larger amounts that were once prescribed for me, never got me in the least high, nor did it get me seriously addicted.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
*Acetominophen and paracetomol are the different names that are, for some unfathomable reason, used for the generic form of the exact same drug in America and Britain respectively. (Americans often call it Tylenol or Motrin too, but those are brand names.) The British name is better however, because it is also the answer to the question “Why are there no aspirins in the jungle?”

[raskolnik]

12 shots of vodka in 90 mins has always dulled me enough…for self amputation…

[Der_Trihs]

@Romeo_and_Whatsherface

But why would a drug ONLY give someone a buzz if they’re not taking it for pain? Is the idea that it works on pain receptors, and if there is no pain, instead of working on pain receptors, it somehow works on other parts of the neurological system instead to produce the buzz? I’d really like to know.

Something like that. In fact, one emeergy treament for an opiate overdose is to do things that normally inflcit extreme pain to the victim; it uses up the drug.

The physical effects are quite different depending on whether you take narcotics for pain or when you aren’t in pain. Most people taking it for pain don’t get high, don’t get addicted, and don’t show an increasing tolerance of the drug.

[Ambivalid]

@njtt

I have never had any hint of a high from Vicodin, or from the Vicodin-like medicines (also acetominophen/paracetomol* with codeine, and in similar doses to those in VIcodin, I think) that you can buy over the counter in Britain. On occasion I have taken it when I have only been experiencing only quite mild pain or discomfort. (I occasionally take one when my bowels are inconveniently loose, to calm them down, but that is hardly pain.) I still do not get any buzz from it.

On the other hand, the one time I was given Percoset (or possibly Demerol), when I had a colonoscopy, I did feel extremely mellow afterwards. But those are much stronger drugs than Vicodin.

It is worth noting, however, that it is very dangerous to take large doses of Vicodin, not so much because you will get addicted to the codeine, the narcotic component, but because even quite moderately large doses of acetominophen/paracetomol can cause severe and irreversible liver damage, and even death. If people are taking multiple Vicodins to get high, they are probably killing themselves. They would be much safer taking equivalent amounts of pure codeine, which is the component entirely responsible for the high (if there is one) and the putative addictiveness anyway.

I am pretty sure Dr House ought to have been dead long ago. As he and his colleagues should surely know, he ought not to be on Vicodin, but on pure codeine (or some other narcotic painkiller), which would be both much safer and more fun for him…

Mind you, I was once on regular, relatively high doses of codeine (I was taking it for chronic irritable bowel, and I am pretty sure that the dose was considerably higher than were higher than what you would get from a safe dose of Vicodin), and never got a buzz from that either. I was taking it for something like two years, and I may have become mildly addicted, but, when the time seemed appropriate, I was able to wean myself off it quite easily, and, with the irritable bowel now cleared up, I did not miss it at all.

I am not claiming that I do not have an "addictive personality - I may well have (I think I am addicted to The Dope!) - but I am saying that codeine, in the small amounts that are found in Vicodin, or even in the larger amounts that were once prescribed for me, never got me in the least high, nor did it get me seriously addicted.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
*Acetominophen and paracetomol are the different names that are, for some unfathomable reason, used for the generic form of the exact same drug in America and Britain respectively. (Americans often call it Tylenol or Motrin too, but those are brand names.) The British name is better however, because it is also the answer to the question “Why are there no aspirins in the jungle?”

Tylenol and Motrin are completely different drugs. Tylenol is acetominophen and Motrin is ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a NSAID.

[njtt]

@Ambivalid

Tylenol and Motrin are completely different drugs. Tylenol is acetominophen and Motrin is ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a NSAID.

You are correct. I am sorry. I suppose that invalidates my whole post.

[Hello_Again]

I don’t process opiates well so I’m in no danger of ever abusing. Or, even, generally, consuming them without hours of vomiting. They say my reaction if on the extreme side for side effects. It’s hard to say, really, how the “feeling” of vicodin is for me, when I vomit up the pills half-digested. I can keep down Codeine, barely, but all it does is zonk me out. There’s a painkilling affect but the sedating effect is way more predominant for me.

However, I had intravenous morphine once at the hospital and there’s a definite “rushy” feeling when it hits. I didn’t personally find it pleasurable but it was distinctive. The “rush” sensation was followed by a few hours of vertigo and three days of vomiting (I could not keep down toast, or even water, at first). Also, I could not control the expression of my emotions and laughed hysterically/wept piteously in alternating half hours for the rest of the night. I can clearly remember that in my brain I was thinking “I need to tell the nurse not to write me a scrip for Vicodin.” What came out was “nurse (wah) I (wah) can’t (wah) have (wah) vicodin (wah) is there (wah) something (wah) else (wah)I can (wah) try (wah)” Where the word “wah” represents uncontrollable crying.

Between the vertigo, vomiting and irrational expression of emotions (note I was not FEELING irrationally sad, I was just not able to control my crying/laughing response), its not an experience I’m eager to repeat.

I’m sure I have as much addictive propensity as anyone, but there is a 0% chance I could ever get addicted to Vicodin, since my body just rejects it, or likely any opiate, since the immediate sensation is extraordinarily unpleasant. I have heard people say “it feels like being hugged by god” and such things but,… yeah. Not for me.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

Opioids have been known to give me a ‘hug from God’ sensation, where all fears, anxieties, doubts, insecurities, pains, woes, and worries melt away and I feel safe, strong, secure, competent, capable, and at peace with myself and the universe.

I don’t even mind that sometimes it makes me barf.

This is a typical type of reaction to opioids for a significant percentage of the population.

Which is why I now stay the hell away from opioids, unless it’s under very, very controlled situations for very specific medical needs.

[not_what_you_d_expect]

I also have to be very careful. Extremely painful muscle spasms in my shoulder had me at the ER one night. The Dr. gave me a shot of Demerol. It was like three in the morning by then, I think.

I begged for a to go order. I wanted to go dancing.

I think sometimes I don’t give myself enough credit for NOT being a homeless, drug addicted derelict. I crave the calmness these drugs give me. They quite my mind, which otherwise just never shuts the fuck up.

Without something, I am lucky to sleep two hours a night. With something, I get six or so.
Maybe a lobotomy is the best answer. I don’t know.

[Shodan]

@Der_Trihs

Something like that. In fact, one emeergy treament for an opiate overdose is to do things that normally inflcit extreme pain to the victim; it uses up the drug.

Do you have a cite for this?

Regards,
Shodan

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@Der_Trihs

Something like that. In fact, one emeergy treament for an opiate overdose is to do things that normally inflcit extreme pain to the victim; it uses up the drug.

Yeah, I’ve never heard of that one either. And I’ve treated a lot of opioid overdoses.

It doesn’t make sense from what I know of the neuropharmacology.

And I don’t find such a protocol or recommendation in any of my medical sources for treatment algorithms for opioid overdosing.

[taffygirl]

@not_what_you_d_expect

I also have to be very careful. Extremely painful muscle spasms in my shoulder had me at the ER one night. The Dr. gave me a shot of Demerol. It was like three in the morning by then, I think.

I begged for a to go order. I wanted to go dancing.

This is why I request that I NOT be given Demerol. I’ve had it twice: once after a C-section, once before a corneal transplant. The first time, I felt like I was floating three inches off the bed in a golden glow. The second time, the doctor started squirting the rest of the Demerol from the syringe into the trash, and I said, “Oh, my God, why are you doing THAT?” It seemed like such a tragic waste: think of all the sober people in India!

Yeah, no more Demerol for me.

Interesting that different painkillers affect people so differently. Wow, we’re complex creatures.

[Fiveroptic]

@njtt

I have never had any hint of a high from Vicodin, or from the Vicodin-like medicines (also acetominophen/paracetomol* with codeine, and in similar doses to those in VIcodin, I think) that you can buy over the counter in Britain. On occasion I have taken it when I have only been experiencing only quite mild pain or discomfort. (I occasionally take one when my bowels are inconveniently loose, to calm them down, but that is hardly pain.) I still do not get any buzz from it.

On the other hand, the one time I was given Percoset (or possibly Demerol), when I had a colonoscopy, I did feel extremely mellow afterwards. But those are much stronger drugs than Vicodin.

It is worth noting, however, that it is very dangerous to take large doses of Vicodin, not so much because you will get addicted to the codeine, the narcotic component, but because even quite moderately large doses of acetominophen/paracetomol can cause severe and irreversible liver damage, and even death. If people are taking multiple Vicodins to get high, they are probably killing themselves. They would be much safer taking equivalent amounts of pure codeine, which is the component entirely responsible for the high (if there is one) and the putative addictiveness anyway.

[…]

I am not claiming that I do not have an "addictive personality - I may well have (I think I am addicted to The Dope!) - but I am saying that codeine, in the small amounts that are found in Vicodin, or even in the larger amounts that were once prescribed for me, never got me in the least high, nor did it get me seriously addicted. […]

I know it seems nit-picky, but the opioid ingredient of Vicodin is NOT codeine. Vicodin in the name-brand of generic hydrocodone, usually 5mgs of hydrocodone and 500mgs of acetaminophen. (The group includes Lortab, Norco, Anexia, and combinations of hydro and apap that go from 5 to 10mgs of hydro and 325 to 750mgs of acetaminophen.)

Codeine and hydrocodone are very different opioid analgesics. IME, people tend to have harsher reactions to the side effects of codeine (which leads people to think they have an “allergy” to codeine, when they’re actually just getting smacked hard by the possible negative side effects.)

[obbn]

@not_what_you_d_expect

I also have to be very careful. Extremely painful muscle spasms in my shoulder had me at the ER one night. The Dr. gave me a shot of Demerol. It was like three in the morning by then, I think.

I begged for a to go order. I wanted to go dancing.

I think sometimes I don’t give myself enough credit for NOT being a homeless, drug addicted derelict. I crave the calmness these drugs give me. They quite my mind, which otherwise just never shuts the fuck up.

Without something, I am lucky to sleep two hours a night. With something, I get six or so.
Maybe a lobotomy is the best answer. I don’t know.

With your post I have to edit my origional OP. I HAVE been high from a pain killer and that was from a shot of Demerol in the ER. I guess I forgot about it since it was 8 years ago, but wow is all I have to say. Same reaction as you. When I went into the ER I couldn’t walk and had to be helped in. After the shot they could have cut off my arm and I wouldn’t have cared. The pain relief was immediate and complete and I was in a great mood.

I thought I had found the perfect drug for pain, until my surgery. They had me on Demerol for about a week while I was recovering. I don’t quite remember, but I think I was getting a shot of Demerol about every 4 to 6 hours to control the pain. After about 5 days or so on it I started to hallucinate. I saw spiders on the floor, mice in my bed and started having conversations with non-existent people. The nursing staff found out when a police officer showed up. Apparently I called 911 in a panic. I can’t believe I forgot about that episode. That cured me of ever wanting to be on Demerol again.

[not_what_you_d_expect]

Yes, I guess it’s a good thing that these drugs are typically not tolerated for long. Otherwise, we might have even worse problems with addiction than we already do.

Vicoden quiets my mind, but gives horrible constipation and very vivid nightmares (I forgot about those)

I had Demerol again after a partial hysterectomy. Lovely, until the itching got too bad to tolerate.

Alcohol makes me stupid, unable to walk. Not to mention what it does to the liver.

Pot has been the most help to me, but it’s not legal and the science isn’t really settled on it, I guess.

I saw a news report earlier this week about the increasing number of women in their 40’s and 50’s on anti-depressants.

I don’t know what’s wrong with a lot of us, but I think we should try to figure it out. We are complicated, that’s for sure.

[perfectparanoia]

I get bad headaches. (They aren’t really migraines but I can’t even move if they get bad enough.)

When one starts, I take sinus medication (just in case this one is a sinus headache which I also get) and ibuprofen. When that doesn’t work I go to Tylenol 3. When that doesn’t work, I go to Percoset.

Now, just to be clear, Percoset in no way makes my pain go away. It does, however, make me happy enough that I just don’t care. Great stuff, that. (My doctor is very smart and only gives me ten pills at a time. Since I hate going to the doctor and don’t ever want to run out, I use them very sparingly.)

In talking to other people, it doesn’t work that way (or at all) for them. So, I guess body chemistry is the difference.

[Buchanan]

@Joey_P

One thing you have to understand is that most people, when taking it for pain, take one or two. When you’re taking it for fun, you take more then that. In college, my friends and I, after some experimenting, found that for Vicodin or Tylenol 3, a good recreational dose was 5 pills (or 3 Percocets). I wasn’t a drinker, but a lot of them would add a beer into the mix as well (slowly and carefully).
If you’re hooked on them, you have to take more and more everyday. I found very quickly, that if I took 3 today and got a good buzz, I’d have to take 4 tomorrow to get maybe half the buzz. I’d imagine most hardcore addicts, the ones that end up getting really sick or winding up in rehab are probably taking 30+ over the course of a day, everyday…as opposed to 1-2 every 6 hours.
Also, if you are taking 1-2 every 6 hours for more then a day or two, you’re tolerance is going to build up very quickly. If you got little or no buzz after the first 2 pills, you’re really going to get nothing after you’ve been taking the same amount at the same intervals for 2 days.

Your points about tolerance build-up is why kids start on “the junk”, or heroin. Percs are $8 a pill for the lame stuff, $30 for an oxy, while a small balloon of good heroin (which noobs can still snort although its harsh) will last 6 hours and costs $5.