Tapering off Norco

Being physically dependant on opiates for pain and addiction are two different things. Do you take more than prescribed? Do you "crave" the norco even when you don't need it? If yes, then you are probably addicted. However, most people who rely on them for pain management become dependent on them, which is normal. If you have to go down on the meds, your doctor will taper you off properly with minor discomfort. However, if you are in a different situation, where you are taking them the wrong way, you may not have an option with your doctor if they find out.

I went through W/Ds once in the past and I felt some depression, but it was because I was simply in agony and wanted relief to function. I think if you taper down the right way, you should be fine after a couple of days. Usually a doctor will reduce your dosage by half for a week or so, then reduce it down to half of that for a week or two, and it will go that way until you are down to a low enough dose to stop. That's just what I've read, I do not know for sure.

Poweredbylove...I take more than prescribed, not always, but often enough that I know it's a problem. I talked to my surgeon and he gave me a schedule for tapering...and it takes longer than I expected. My fear lies mostly in learning to manage my neck pain w/out meds. My children are all under age 4, so I do more lifting than my neck would like.
The flood of emotions I feel right now is surprising and overwhelming. I don't want to stop Norco, but I need to, ya know?
Anyway, thanks again.

Have you given any thought to a transdermal patch? The reason I ask is because you don't need to worry about controlling the dose. The issue with that one is that you will still need to taper off some point. I would just be really careful. I am a short timer (since Jan) and had the same worries and tried to go without and realized that I was in far too much pain to go without the extra kick for the time being. It is incredibly stressful and those around you will notice, I'm afraid. You might want to try Butrans or a low fent patch to get rid of the urge to overuse before kicking, kind of like the nicotine patch. They work because you work on the habit first and then reduce the dose.

I dunno. I hope everything works out, just make sure you can call your doc at ANY time during the process in case it's going too quickly. Good luck! :)