I think it depends a lot on the specific case. My teeth were impacted, and had to be shattered and the bits removed or something like that. I got Lortab, which I think is a little stronger then Vicodin. After several days, I was still hurting enough that I got a second prescription for Vicodin.
From talking to friends who love having left over vicodine after a pain-causing procedure, I gather that the fun starts when it’s not used has directed.
Thanks for all your help and experiences, guys. It sounds like I’ll basically have no clue until I swallow the damned thing.
Just for clarification, I’m having all four out, all impacted, so I have a feeling that I’m going to be in a world of pain and willing to take ANYTHING.
Oh, I so understand this attitude! I have a friend who’s addicted to scrip narcotics, and she told me once that when I’m having a kidney stone attack, I should crush my Oxycodone and snort it, because it’ll go to work faster. I won’t do that, because it crosses the line into junky behavior, but thank Og she’s not actually there to crush them up for me when I’m actually having that pain, cuz in the grips of pain like that, just about any solution sounds like a good idea!
I just had to parrot many of the other poster’s responses here. I’ve been taking one Vicodin at night for the last two months for a slipped lumbar disk. The first week of taking it it gave me a pleasant, slightly “dopey” feeling that allowed me to sleep through the night. But after that, I no longer got the same sleepy effect, and the only real effect it now gives me is a decrease in pain…something that taking Tylenol alone is able to do. Because of this I’ve started taking the Vicodin only when the pain is especially severe, which fortunately is happening less and less as my back heals. As others have posted, what gives me the best relief are the 800mg of Motrin I take thrice daily accompanied by ice and heat treatments.
I have a rather strong family history of substance abuse, and there’s evidence that addictive behaviors may have a genetic component. I’d be interested to know if the fact that I became habituated to Vicodin rather quickly somehow correlates with an genetically encoded propensity towards addiction.
For what it’s worth, when I had my wisdom teeth out, I slept on the couch without any painkillers for three hours, and then I woke up and felt fine. I went back into the yard later in the afternoon and finished chopping the wood I had started the previous day.
The point is, there’s as wide a range of surgical aftermaths as there are responses to narcotics (as related above). You may have a bad experience, or you may have my experience. It’s not guaranteed to suck.
I hope you recover and feel better quickly.
Does the person who’s going to be prescribing the painkiller for you know that you feel this way? If you tell them, they might prescribe you a different painkiller or an additional medicine to help deal with the anxiety.
I used to be terribly anxious about dentists (so much so that I didn’t go for a period of about three years). When I told the dentist about how scared I was, he prescribed a sedative for me to take before I came in for the appointment. I was afraid he’d laugh at me or call me a wimp for being scared, but nothing even remotely like that happened- he was very understanding and willing to give me a prescription for a sedative.
Posted by Metacom
Actually vicodin and lorcets\lortabs are the same in strength they are made in 5mg, 7.5mg and 10mg. But they all have acetaminophen in them… I am not a doctor but I know some street pharmacists 
And you can find this stuff on pillreports.com or drugs.com. I’m sure some oxycontin would take your pain away If I were you I would ask for some stronger stuff than vicodin what milligram is the dentist going to give you. Tell him you’ve had panic attacks before and he may give you xanax bars or some blue valiums for anxiety.
edited post that url should be rxlist.com not pillreports.com… hehe
A side effect of Vicodin for me is that I always get an after headache.
Start out with one. If you’re still hurting, you can always add a half or another whole one. You’ll probably want to go to sleep after a while.
Mmmmm…vicodin…
Kinda makes me want to get a bad tooth!
I’ve been taking Vicodin and Norco off and on for years to relieve the pain from sciatica. I had no idea, though, that there was such a variation in reaction among people.
When I first started taking it, the pain was so bad that I’d have done anything. I darn near cried when the pain finally stopped. It made me a little spacey and short of attention span, but it was preferable to the pain.
Since then, the spaciness has all but gone away. I never notice it at all, in fact if I notice anything, it’s increased impatience and irritability.
But if you’re truly in pain, and have never used it before, I would expect it to act like a painkiller, and zonk you out.
Other known side effects are: itchiness, constipation, vivid dreams, decreased sexual response, and in higher doeses suppression of breathing.