Wife and pills....

[zpeebels]

Hello everyone, my name is Zach.

My wife has prescriptions for Valium, Clonazepam, Soma, Hydrocodone, Diflonec(or something like that), Gabapentin, and various other medications.

She says it's anxiety.

I went through a Vicoden problem with her once before and she cost me hundreds of dollars with that addiction.

Her scheme during the previous vicoden run:
1. "I'm hurting..."
2. "Take me to the emergency room."
3. Just fine on the way there.
4. Get in Triage, just fine.
5. Nurse walks in, she starts crying from "pain".
6. Nurse leaves, just fine.
7. Limps to room as if in pain.
8. Get in room to see doctor, just fine.
9. Doctor comes in, cries again.
10. Doctor prescribes Ibuprofin and we leave, she's furious the whole way home.

New Scheme with nerve pills:
1. Gets prescribed lower strength nerve pills, doesn't take them.
2. Goes back to doctor and says pills don't help.
3. Doctor prescribes stronger meds.
4. Wife is happy.....until pills are gone.

Any advice on how to end this one?

She had to hit rock bottom with the vicoden to quit.

But I can't afford to do that again.

[LW75]

I shouldn't say this, and please understand I'm not in a position to advise and so not advising anything.

Having said that, I'm wondering if you've talked to her doctor and discussed the fact that it clearly look like a problem. That's a mind-boggling collection of drugs she has there.

Also, if its a case of her habit running up expenses that make paying the mortgage difficult there's a point where I wonder if people just need the ultimatum, "Look. You get help, or I'm leaving."

[surfville]

She has a anxiety dis orders and please do talk to the doctor also to understand her condition,. I used to have that illness and my father always gets mad at me he didn't know so i just go to a professional and seek help. the feeling of having it is sad because you get to think everything is not good and you think you got all sort of disease and feel pain all the time, and thought of them as serious.

[nikki]

I know your post is a little old, but your wife's problem sounds so similar to my own that I have to answer. Your post could almost have been written by my husband!
Her list of drugs is not much different from mine; lortab, xanax, roxicodone and even fentanyl patches. I don't use any of this stuff anymore, but when I did, I put my husband through the same kind of stuff that you go through.
I'd go see my doctor, the urgent care doctor, a pain doctor, even my OBGYN! I wouldn't stop until someone prescribed me something. Yes, I came home pissed many times with a prescription for Ultram or Motrin. But I'd always end up with something, even if it was just cough syrup with codeine!
Nothing that anyone said could make me stop because I felt physically bad when I ran out of drugs, and so very depressed.
I would get vicodin from one doctor and fill it under my maiden name at one pharmacy, and fill lortab from another doctor under my married name at a different pharmacy. One day I messed up and gave them the wrong name, they saw my other prescription in the system and figured out what I'd been doing. They contacted my doctors. And the local clinics.
So, I was blacklisted. I didn't want to stop, but now I had to. It was humiliating, but it was the only thing that made me stop.
My advice, let your wife's doctors know. Maybe even without telling her? You'll be doing it because you love her, and she'll thank you later.
Then just be there for her, because I promise you, she will feel like her life comes crashing down around her. So just support her. She doesn't want to be this way.

[recovergirl]

Hi everyone. I am very new to this site and actually ran across it by accident. However, I couldn't help but to feel a bit of relief. Why you might ask... well to be very honest, it's because for four years I have been "in recovery" and haven't touched the vicodin, oxycontin, xanex... since. BUT after paying the heavy toll of loosing everything I owned, the respect of all my family and friends, and my own self respect, I have had noplace to share (to perhaps help someone else) or to vent what has happend to me and what continues to happen.

Zach, if I may, just let you know that even through all of my "loss", from material to community prestige, my husband leaving me when I was at my very rock bottom worst, was the best thing he could have done for me. Each and every time I look back at how he accompanied me to the doctor's offices and hospital, I feel literally sick now. The clear head I have now from finally getting clean makes me realize just how much he was enabling me by trying to understand and what a fool I made of us both.

Throughout the process, I of course could not see through the "fog" and thought he was being "mean", "cruel"... (you get the picture) but what it did when he left was FORCE me to stand on my own two feet again and either STOP or DIE. Hmmm, not much of a choice but an important one. Believe me, I wanted to stop many times but the physical pain and internal torment kept me shoving that stuff in my mouth regardless of the price I was paying. Sure, at first it all felt "great" but as my body adjusted (and put on 100 lbs!), there was no amount that would satisfy me. In fact, my the grace of God, the amounts of fentynal I injested, alone, should have killed me!

She must hit rock bottom before she will go anywhere. Perhaps you are stronger and will stick with her IF she seeks treatment. But one thing I know is that if she chooses NOT to get help today, she'll be a continued addict that will drain the very life out of you and those around her. Help yourself.

[tiredman]

my wife of 15 years is taking ambien, lunesta, xanex, topamax,loratabs,hydrocodone,asprin,oxicotin,provi gil, atenol,alprazolam, floxetine, tramodol, cymbalta, lyrica,bextra,clonazpam,prozac, wine, cigeretets, nicotine patches. oh and because of the massive strokes she had this past feb, and April she is also on warfarin, and lovanox. also has oxicotins but she says she does not take them anymore. She also says she stopped doing cocain after the stroke. She says she does not take everything all at once. She does not work and has ran up 130,000 in credit card debt. She calls the cops on me all the time when I confront her. The cops always leave by telling me good luck with her, She tried 3 times to get a tpo on me and got one in aug. after a week of being kicked out of my house and my work place. I spent $800 defending my self. The judge seen she was on drugs and let me back in the house (oh her lawyers charged her $7500. Remember she don't work) thanks Anderson Davidson and Tate law firm for taking advantage of a sick women. she is 34 we have 3 kids and we are getting a divorce because she refuses to get help. heck she does not even think she has a problem. I now live in the basement, I am afraid to leave her with the kids because she loves to lite candles and forgets to put them out. My 14 year old wants to go with me. the 9 and 6 year olds love us both and I don't want to take them from her but she is sick and I need to do what's best for the kids. Does anybody have any advise for me? I am fighting for the kids. Do judges give the mothers custody of the kids being so sick? Can I have her admitted? Her parents have blinders on and say things to me like you can't tell her to stop smoking she has to do it on her own. for two month I lived with her in the hospital and rehab. and was so thankfully when she learned how to move the right side of her body. I don't want to see her get like this again. I am tired of seeing her kill her self, I am tired of defending my self against false accusation, I am tired of working just to keep up with her spending, I am tired of her paranoia and delusions. Some one please help.

One last thing since the filing we are not supposed to take the kids out of the county but we decided I can take the kids to my parents for thanks giving and she and her parents can take them to Disney world for Xmas. I took the to Virginia and she went into my basement disconnected the security cam, wiped out my companies hard drive, busted a hole in the wall to get into my room, then hooked the cam back up and made like nothing happened, luckily I had a second cam going that she did not see. Well now she is not going to Disney and wants me to leave for a week. ( I am not) so she told the kids that they are going to a hotel for x-mas. The kids are begging me not to let her take them to a hotel. Do I have to let her take them because of the agreement? HELP

[Angler]

Originally Posted by surfville

She has a anxiety dis orders and please do talk to the doctor also to understand her condition,. I used to have that illness and my father always gets mad at me he didn't know so i just go to a professional and seek help. the feeling of having it is sad because you get to think everything is not good and you think you got all sort of disease and feel pain all the time, and thought of them as serious.

This is my first response. have only read about 10 posts but Surfville's struck a cord. You are a wise person. I had anxiety attacks in High School. I'd sweat so bad during an attack you'd think I played a game versus NBA players. I never told anybody until college. Then I found out my dad had same problems when he was young. By keeping quiet I condemed myself to a life of RX addictions. Hoping I can straighten out my life at 40 and live a normal life for whatever time I have left. The Docs are too willing to give out these pills because it means repeat visits and more income for them.

[zpeebels]

I'd just like to give an update.

And this goes out to every single person who told me she has anxiety problems.

I finally put my foot down, and flushed every single form of pill i could find.

Even tic-tacs went down the toilet.

I sat down and told her to tell me EVERYTHING. No matter how mad she though I would get. To just COME CLEAN with me and stop the lying.

It cost us everything we had twice over but I finally got through to her and showed her what she was putting everyone who cared about her through.

She's been clean for almost a year now.

Additionally, all four of her friends who were doing the exact same thing are now clean as well.

I must have done something right, I knew it in my guts that there wasn't a DROP of the anxiety bullcrap and was one-hundred percent RIGHT.

I hope that one day people will stop crutching their lives with the exaggerated magnitude of stress in everyday life.

Strength. Honesty. Faith.

Zach