(T+0:00) 20mg - oral - liquid suspension
(T+1:40) 5mg - oral - tablet
I am 25 years old and have used recreational drugs extensively. I have never been addicted or a long-term habitual user. I generally don't use street drugs anymore due to safety/purity concerns. I still regularly smoke cannabis and am only a mild drinker.
I recently saw a pain management specialist due to chronic elbow pain from an severe injury I suffered last year. The doctor prescribed Ultracet (tramadol) at first,
to my disappointment. But I was a patient patient, and was eventually prescribed Lortab (hydrocodone/APAP) since the Ultracet was pretty useless.
Now, I do have a legitimate condition that I want to have opioid pain medication available for, but I do not need to take it regularly. I intend to take this prescription only as needed, so I will be able to stockpile it. However, I had to celebrate getting the new Rx. So, I decided to try something new.
Lortab, Percoset (oxycodone/APAP), Tylenol3 (codeine/APAP), and other narcotic/acetaminophen combinations aren't very good for recreational use because of the very low mass ratio (often 1:100) of opioid to acetaminophen. I decided to try the cold water filtration method to remove as much APAP as possible from my pills. I crushed four pills (totaling 20mg hydrocodone, 2000mg acetaminophen) and dissolved them in around 50mL of water. I let the solution sit in the freezer until it was beginning to form ice around the edges of the glass. The APAP mostly falls out and settles as a paste on the bottom of the glass, while the opioid remains dissolved in the water. I squeezed the mixture through a dress shirt (finely woven cotton) into another glass. Then I let that sit in the freezer a few more minutes, filtered it again, and took a good swig of soymilk (to coat my mouth - the solution is extremely bitter) before chugging the small amount of dope-water. Then I sat down to watch 'Mr. Show' and wait for the magic to happen.
12:00 AM (T+0:20)
So far, not much. My stomach is churning a bit though, and that's usually a good sign. I ate a decent meal about two hours before drinking the hydrocodone, so I don't have an empty stomach. Absorption may be slowed down by that. Mr. Show is keeping me amused, so I can wait.
12:30 AM (T+0:50)
I feel a mild relaxation, but not as much as I'd expect to from 20mg. It's likely that my actual dose was lower due to inefficiency in the filtration procedure. Should I wait another 20 minutes or so and then take two more Lortabs? I haven't had any alcohol tonight, and there is one beer left in the fridge... I could try that as well. A small amount of alcohol usually potentiates opioid effects well for me.
1:20 AM (T+1:40)
To get my blood pumping, I played tug-o-war with my dog for a while. That was nice. Normally the ache in my elbow keeps me from getting too frisky with her, but it was not an issue. I really love my dog, and sometimes I am plagued with guilt when pain prevents me from keeping up with her energy level (which is high!). I think she's gotten as much out of this drug experience so far as I have - now she's asleep under the coffee table. At this point I'm in a good mood and feeling relaxed, but only a mild opioid euphoria. I don't have a high tolerance, so normally 20mg would have me reeling. So, I just drank one beer and took another 5mg/500mg generic Lortab. Let's see where things go from here! Currently watching: The Simpsons, Season Five, Disc 1 (Treehouse of Horror IV).
1:40 AM (T+2:00)
Ok, perhaps I was just being impatient. Now that familiar wave has arrived and submerged me in an ethereal bubble bath.
3:00 AM (T+3:20)
My girlfriend went to sleep a while ago. I've been lying weightless on the couch, surfing the internet on the laptop, chatting vigorously with people. The kick-in was long in coming, but it happened. I am comfortably numb, even a little itchy. I think I'll take my clothes off. Nothing like being naked on a mild spring night, wrapped in a warm opioid blanket. I'd sort of like to be in bed cuddling my girlfriend and our dog, but I don't want to fall asleep yet. This is too good.
3:40 AM (T+4:00)
Still in heaven. I will feel so much better when I wake up if I go shower, shave, and brush my teeth now. So I think I am going to get off the internet and do that. I'll add a retrospective in the morning before submitting this experience report.
7:00 PM (T+18:40)
I had a great shower, enjoyed shaving, cleaned up a bit, laid in bed around 4:45 AM and had a delightful, light, lucid sleep. All day today I've felt very mellow. A little while ago I took two more of the Lortabs, because hey, it's Satuday night :) But that's it for this weekend. I love opioids... I'm glad that I'm one of the 'lucky ones' who can use narcotics, enjoy them, and not go overboard or become addicted. I think
that's just me, though - I don't want to suggest to others that preventing habituation or even addiction with narcotics is easy. It requires a great deal of self-control, and the ability to ratiocinate rather than rationalize.
