Much of the anguish that I felt as I was taking pills was caused by guilt. I felt guilty that I was neglecting my responsibilities. I felt guilty that I was not spending enough time with my family and not enjoying it enough even when I did spend time with my family. I felt remorse for all of the things...

Hi everyone. We have been meaning to start a message board here due to the immense amount of questions that we get for both Dr. Earthman and myself. Keep them coming. However, as a good preemptive step, we’ve started a new group on Google called “Pain Killers Anonymous”. It’s...

Jerrod C.: “If you have a bad heart can Oxycontin withdrawals kill you?” Dr. Earthman: Detoxing from any substance has potentially damaging physical symptoms.  A person’s level of withdrawal will depend on what drug(s), how much, how often, how long, and their individual body.  Oxycontin...

I would say about 75% of my visitors here are taking Vicodin or some other derivative of Hydrocodone. It’s a popular drug to say the least and doctors give it out like candy for all sorts of aches and pains. As funny as it sounds, I think it’s a good drug and it controls pain quite well especially...

If you have been doing research on the topic of opiate addiction, you probably have come across a few different options and if you are like me, none of the options seem very appealing. Rehab is too expensive ($30,000 for 30 days, and up), it takes too much time and frankly is not what I needed. Rapid...

Question from Linda F.: “Is it possible for someone to taper off Vicodin, and lessen the withdraw symptoms?” Dr. Earthman: “Yes.  Typically lowering the average dose of opiates you are consuming in a 24 hour period can decrease the intensity of withdrawal symptoms and possibly shorten...

Wow, with all of the doom and gloom, sometimes I just want to curl under my sheets in bed and start sucking my thumb! I can’t stand to watch the news any more; how about you? Sheesh. And if I see one more “poor” former billionaire being relegated to a pauper millionaire I’m going...