Everyone's pain response is different, and what works to control one person's pain may not work for another. So typically, a physician will start a patient at the lowest recommended dose, assess for pain control and side effects, and increase the dose and/or frequency until some optimal therapeutic level is reached. For most people, that is below the level at which they feel "buzzed," although that depends on a lot of things, especially the drug. Some of these drugs (Fentanyl or Versed, for example) have strong amnestic as well as analgesic effects, and so, you don't remember the pain -- or anything else much really -- from the period you were taking the medication.
Constipation is a real issue, and if you are taking these therapeutically , you'll want to be drinking a lot of water and taking a stool softener.
You can definitely get a buzz if you choose to take these medicines (Vicodin, hydrocodone) in greater than prescribed amounts, but if your self-description as having developed tolerance already is correct, you will whip through what is prescribed in record time, and then what? Your doctor may stretch the limit some, but that won't go on for long, and I believe all states now have computerized cross-reference systems to detect people who are getting multiple prescriptions for the same or related drugs from multiple physicians.
Frankly, if you're in a state where medical marijuana is available, that is a better option for you. The worst side effect from smoking weed is that you may eat the entire bag of Oreos and then fall asleep. If medical marijuana is not an option, then a little (4 to 6 fl. oz.) fine sippin' whiskey consumed slowly over a period of 2 to 4 hours ought to impart a nice rosey glow.
If you are taking any opiate--or benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Ambien, Valium, Librium, Halcion, etc.--drinking is a very bad idea. This goes double for barbiturates, e.g., Seconal (reds), Nembutal (yellows), and Tuinal (rainbows). Opiates, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol are all central nervous system depressants, and can dangerously depress your breathing and heart rate, or cause you to vomit and aspirate the vomitus into the lungs, which can produce often fatal or life-threatening conditions. Think stomach acid dissolving delicate lung tissue, and you'll understand why this is something you really do not want to experiment with.
Of course, if you are taking any heart medications, especially for high blood pressure or an arrhythmia, you need to be especially careful. Of the available recreational drugs, marijuana is probably the safest short-term, but this too can cause a vagal response wherein the vagus nerve is irritated inducing a sharp drop in blood pressure, sharp enough to cause the temporary loss of consciousness. This happens more often when wine or other alcohol and a significant amount of food is also consumed. All of these things are vasodilators. Vasodilators open up the pipes, but cause blood pressure to drop and heart rate to increase. And eating of course moves blood flow from the periphery to the the gut, which can contribute to the problem.
So, be careful, and of course don't drive while doing any of these things. Sorry to preach, but I used to work in the trauma center in Baltimore, and I don't want you getting your next batch of Vicodin because you had to be admitted to one of those places.
Bullseye
