Codeine Detox

[Collagek]

Hi there, I am trying to detox from Codeine ( Neurofen Plus, 200mg Ibruprofen & 12.8 mg Codeine) Untill now i have been failing miserably, taking anything up to 96 per day.
What i have started doing instead of taking them throughout the day (12 at a time) i am waiting 24 hours between doses.Saturday i took 12 at 13:00 and didnt take any more untill 09:30 this morning.

Am i going about this the wrong way? Am i just extending the length of time it will take to detox and thereby prolonging the W/Ds?


Any Advice will be appreciated.

Collagek
Hopefull third detox lucky

[Mariyah2]

That is an awful lot of pills you were taking per day. The ibruprophen can make you stomach bleed and that is from low doses. If you can quit c/t it would be the best for you. Can you talk with your doctor? I don't mean to be gross but, are your stools black? I hope all goes well for you and that you beat this addiction. This board is a tremendous help and people will be here to help you and give good advise.

Wishing you the best.
M

[Collagek]

Thankyou for responding so quickly. Yes i have spoken to my GP and all he could say was " You will get over it, It wont last" he has even refused to refill my prescription for 5mg diazapam which i get about once every 3 months and take as and when i need them, mainly for muscle spasm in my lower back. I have spoken to Changes(Drug & Alcahol (alcohol) Services) but they have told me i am not a prioity case as im not injecting. I havent taken such a large ammount in quite a while as i have been trying to kick the habbit for some time now. Though this morning i have taken 24, however i wont take anymore untill around lunchtime tommorow, if i take any at all. I recently quit smoking pot and cigarettes. About 9 last night i started getting stomach cramps and this morning i started running.

How long does it take to get Codeine Out of my system?
How long will i feel so anxious for?
Does it get any easier?

Collagek
Hopefull Third Time Detox

[sosad5306]

You are definitely moving in the right direction!  Cutting back is sure to be helpful if you have the will power to taper.  I personally do not so I really admire you for being able to control yourself.
My advice would be that as long as you keep reducing the amount you are taking, then what you are doing will be beneficial to getting off codeine completely.
If I were you, and I think you said you take 12 every 24 hours...I would do that for two or three days, then cut down to 10, then 8, then 6, etc, until you are done.  The hard part, and the part that would just be prolonging the w/d's would be if you got down to say, 6 every 24 hours and had a weak moment and decided to get high and take 12.  I am the queen of that.  That is why I can never taper.  I just don't have the willpower.
I hope this all makes sense!

[Mariyah2]

It will probably take anywhere from 4-8 days for the physical symptoms to subside and takes longer for the insomnia, depression and fatigue. I can't believe your doctor will not help you with this and I am sorry. Can you take off work for any length of time? You will probably get chills/sweats, anxiety, depression and feel downright horrible for the first few days. I know there are quite a few people who are tapering and that might be a good way for you to go. You should make sure you have plenty of liquids and immodium (for diarhea (diarrhea)) and some over the counter sleep medicines. If you like to read, pick up a good book that you can get lost in. It really helps to get your mind off the w/d's. You might find it helpful to taper down some more. If you took 4 pills in a.m., 4 in afternoon and take your last dose at night. I would do that for a few days and then cut to 2, morning, noon and night. I suggest tapering because of the amount you take, although it would be super if you could c/t. It is a hard thing to go through and with the help of this board you can make it through this. I am praying for you and please keep posting. I will be here to help you and many others will be also.
Bless you,
M

[1911]

I was taking a lot of codeine so here is my experience...if it helps.

When I went more than 4 hours without my 4 codeine pills, my body started craving and I'd then find myself taking 8-10 to make up the difference.   The body seems to know what it wants and doesn't like it when deprived for hours.

You might want to consider a schedule of taking a few pills every 4 hours to avoid that deficit craving.  Then gradually reduce the number you take every 4 hours.  

I got down to where I was taking 1-2 pills every four hours and decided it was time for C/T.

The withdrawl symptoms were terrible for 4-5 days.   I took time off telling people I "had the flu".   When I needed more time off, I said, "They now think I have pneumonia" which gave me an added excuse for more recovery time.
After 5 days my W/D symptoms start to subside, but it took at least two weeks before I felt my body had flushed out all the codeine.

As each week went by, I felt better and realized the wonderful benefits of being free of pills.  I was happy to just feel normal again.

I congratulate you on wanting to quit.  It is a slow process...not an event.  Try to remember, "Nothing good happens fast in life or when flying airplanes."

This Forum is here to help, to reassure, and to let you know you are not alone.   (I only check in once a week, but others are here on a daily, if not hourly basis.)

GEORGE
Week 9  C/T  

[Collagek]

Hi, Taking time off work is not a problem as i am currently unemployed and the doctor has me signed off and have been for alost 6 moth now as i ended up in A&E not so long ago. I got stuck in Tesco's doing my shopping and they had to get an ambulance to come and get me(Most embarasing)I only had 2 items in my basket and my back ceased up.

I spent almost a year on Subutex which was great i had almost no w'd's and it was all going great untill they dropped me to under 2mg per day and then i started getting chronic back pain again. I have been using Heat Pads on a daily bases since November. I was clean for almost 3 months when i got a bought of rather serious diareah and after 2 weeks of nothing but Cold Dry toast and water i went back to see my gp who prescribed me a course of codeine. I was not impressed but as i was getting rather sore and had problems walking due to the fact the my backend looked something like the Japanese Flag so i though "Sod it" "i will be ok" My GP knows i used to be addicted to codeine and had just gone through a year detox.

As i mentioned before i spoke to him about this last week and he doesnt seem to care. So this time i need to do this alone with no help apart from the members here.

I was given some medication yesterday but i am unsure if i should take them or not as they were not prescribed to me.

EFEXOR XR75 For Anxiety
5mg Diazapam To help Relax
20mg Tamazapam(Spelt Wrong) for sleeping

The only tablets i have taken so far is the diazapam and last night i took one of the tamazapam and i slept like a baby.

As these pills were not prescribed to me are there any dangers in me taking these tablets?

I havent had any yet but its getting close to my 24hr dose time and have a load of house work to do which i have been putting of for a while.

Are there any dangers i should be aware of?
I know that the tamazapam robs the body of natural sleep and should only be used if absoultly if nessacery.

Any advice?
My thoughts and thanks go out to you all and hope that one day we will all be clean.

Collage
Hopefull Third time Detox

[barber75]

Hi just wondered how you got on I am in day 7 of detox and finding it hard I took 15 pills a day for two years ranging from 8mg to 12.8mg to 30mg when i could get them How long did it take to get off this ****

[Xandria]

Hi there, the effexor will not help you at all, unless you will be taking it for 4-6 weeks regularly.  It is just an antidepressant (linked to increased suicide risk), and it needs to build up in the system to be effective.  Besides, the common side-effects mimic withdrawal symptoms (high anxiety, diarrhea, sleep problems etc.) so taking it casually is dangerous and can make you feel much worse.  I was placed on effexor to help me quit smoking, and it really reminded me of w/d symptoms.  Needless to say I had to stop asap.  The diazapam and tamazapam will help a bit with anxiety/sleeplessness, but try to really go easy on these, as they are highly addictive as well and withdrawal can result in seizures.

[Coolio Hernendez]

Where or how do you get enough pills to take 24 a day....Wouldnt you run out after 10 days ?

I am trying to understand....The state you are in must be different....

There must be some reason that the doctor doesnt care.

[irinanochka]

I have the same question. So many people mention immense amounts of pills they take. Where do you get them? I started with one vicodine per day and ended up with 4 before I realized I had a problem. I am off now. But to keep up my habit of 4/per day took a lot of efford and financially was not sustainable. Do doctors prescribe this much medication?
I am so sorry to hear that your doctor doeswn't care. May be you shoulod consider changing your doctor.
The best of luck!

[arachnoidcystgirl]

I stumbled across this forum because I searched on google for a away to stop the water retention codeine causes. And to answer your question: yes in the UK doctors prescribe this medicine. I have been on some form of codeine since 2005 for serious medical problems, but I hate the side effects they have caused. For one the codeine in co-codamol form made me gain 10 pounds in 2 weeks back in 2005.

[heathag]

Have you tried immodium liquid for your stomach. I found that to be a life saver!

[tx122]

96 Nurofen plus ohhhhhhhhhhh boy that is a lot, i took 60+ a day, and am only clean 13days, i went cold/turkey. there is no point in sugar coating it, you need to find some strenght to stop, and now,not tomorrow, because we all know tomorrow never comes, im sorry to be the one to tell you but it will hurt a lot,.after 7/8days you start to feel better, a lot better. i know what you are going throu, but you can do it, you just have to want to, really want to,everyone says they want to stop, but as soon as you put another pill in your mouth, it means you want to stop but not really,you will deff need some/lots of help from your doctor,its his juty to help you, or have you been to him so many times, just to get more pills he realises you dont want to stop, you just want more pills???????????

sorry if i sound harsh, but only you can stop this, nobody else can do it for you
everyone is here to help, really help, i really hope you find the courage to stop i really do, i know how much pain and hurt these pills cause you and others around you
you can do it, please dont ever stop trying to give up

as for anyone wanting to know how we get these many pills, they are sold over the counter, you can get 100s a day if you want
good luck, keep us posted

[rello]

Hey collegek
Ive been tapering of neurofen plus for about two months now. I tried cold turkey a few times and failed. could never get past day three,
Ive gone from 40 a day in january to just    (4 a day date)  I did my last taper last monday. The one thing ill tell ya is every time you go to a lower dose or go longer without taking them you'll feel it .It usually take me about 3 or 4 days to get used to it.
When i was on the much higher doses its didnt really matter if i took 11 or 12 tabs. I still got relief from withdralls . ..
Why dont you stretch it out till you just feeling a bit unconfortable and just take 6 or so. i found  if i left it too long between doses i'd feel like **** and i'd have to take more than before just to feel ok..


I found this site by accident and its a GOD send!!!!!!!!!!!
I changed my diet COMPLETELY .I only eat fresh fruit and veg and im in the gym every day.

On the days when i felt like **** i went on the tread mill and walked for about an hour
Your natural endorphins will replace some of the pill high you are getting..

Then i used to spend about another hour in the gyms jacussi.
F@*kin great for the muscle aches

Try and keep busy. Its a pitty your not working. Nothing worse than hanging around waiting for symptoms to pass

Keep moving dont just sit around waiting for the WDS to go away
Get out and about it really helps

I cant believe im only taking 4 a day now .I thought id never get here..

NB!!!!!
This is is very important!!!!!!!
Realise you will feel a LOT of anxiety .Youll think you much worse than you really are . I was in a panic wondering will my symptoms get much worse. then id get stuck into reading posts from other people on here and before i new it  an hour or so would have past . and i wouldnt feel that bad.

Get up tomorrow morning and go for an hour long walk Weither it be around the shops or a walk in the country it doesnt matter Try not to sleep to much Your body clean's and repairs itself while you sleep
so you will have a lot less codiene im your system when you wake up after a 10 hour sleep than you would if you only had 6 hours

Which ever way you decide to get off these tablets your body is gonna take about 4 to five days to adjust to its new state

(((((There is great advice on TAPERING in the health pages)))))))

If you taper you will have discomfort Every time you lower your dose
IF you choose to sit around and go out of your mind  waiting for the symptoms to pass a lot of which is in your head (anxiety) OR you can get out and about and walk some of it off . I suggest
the latter

Trust me mate it gets better .

I cant believe i dont have to take anymore tabs for another nine hours and i only have to take 1and a 1/2 then im free for another 12 hours
Its a great feeling knowing that im gonna be free from these things i stop  taking them this friday and i already have those first four days planned out i wont be sitting around waiting for them to pass

DO IT YOUR WAY.  YOU'LL GET THERE IN THE END!!!!!!!!!!!