When we hear people get hooked on prescription pain killers (oxyc...) what dose were they given and how long were they taking them?

It probably starts with whatever the standard dosage is for the pain they might experience. I don’t think it is necessarily the dosage that hooks them. I think it starts as normal usage that becomes addictive. Some people have more “addictive” personalities than others. My ex-grandmother-in-law was hooked on Tylenol with codeine. She would claim to feel a headache coming on and would take some. That lasted for years. My daughter I think started experimenting with things like vicodin that she got from a friend and enjoyed the buzz she got. That started her down a really bad path that ended with heroin and jail time. It took her years to get there as well. Another problem is that these people take the medication not as prescribed. For instance, they start taking 2 instead of 1 or they start chewing them to get a bigger rush. Eventually they build up a tolerance so it no longer works when it is needed. Again…my daughter had built up a tolerance so that when she had an ATV accident and broke her shoulder, the normal pain killers had no effect on her pain. She had to go for stronger meds.

People who receive a 10 day supply of opiods have a 20% chance of becoming a long-term user. On a 30 day supply, the probability rises to 30–45%.

I can fully understand how people get hooked after a medical event. The last major medical event I had was in 2016 when I had a major abdominal surgery on an emergency basis. The worst part of it was not the first 2–3 weeks after surgery. That’s when the pain was worst, sure, but I was off work, lounging around, and my boyfriend was practically waiting on me. The following 4–5 months were the worst part. I was still feeling bad, but not bad enough to stay off work, so I went back. I had to commute, which meant walking pretty long distances each day. I didn’t feel justified in having my boyfriend do favors for me all the time anymore either, so even once I got home I couldn’t rest. But I was still dealing with mild to moderate pain every single day. It was so tiresome. Half the time I wanted to die just to get some rest. And on the days that the pain got bad enough that I felt justified in doing it, I would pop a pill, and I would have a good day. And what a respite that was. This lasted for 6 months. I could easily have become physically dependent in that time.

Given the stats I linked above, I feel very lucky that I didn’t get hooked. I think the availability of legal weed here helped me transition off of the pain pills.

@Mariah That the kind of info I was looking for. What was the typical dose? When you said you’d “pop a pill” what dose was it? 5mg? 10mg? 5/325? or was it much larger?
I know you went through hell with your surgery and recovery. If the pills helped you are one of the great success stories.

I have received opioids a whole bunch of times after various medical events and it has almost always been 5/325. The only exception was that I was once given a 5mg oxycodone script that didn’t have the acetaminophen part. That’s the best I have in the way of data on dose. I don’t know what’s typical across the board but that’s been typical for me.

The dosage might also depend on the size of the person. A woman that is 5’ 100# might get a smaller dose than a guy that is 6’3” 250#.

I was prescribed 20 mg, 2×10 mg tablets. I took only 10 mg and started to cut those in half after about a week. I only took it at night so I could sleep.
I tried to stay “a little” sore.