Codeine Withdrawal

[Sonya]

I recently (two weeks ago) had microscopic back surgery. Although the surgical procedure was successful, I believe I am now paying the BIG price for those "wonderful" little pills that "held me over" in the interim for the severe pre-op pain that I experienced as well as the short period of post-op pain that I endured. I was prescribed Tylenol#3, Lortab 7.5, Lortab 10 and Percocet and LOTS of it. I was legitimately in a GREAT deal of pain! The problem was, the more pain medication I took, the more I needed (and the more I TOOK). NOW, I don't HAVE anymore. I also have no legitimate NEED for the pain medication to ask my physician for. It's not that I "want" to take the pills - but my "body" is telling me otherwise. I can't sleep at night. I'm breaking out in sweats and chills simultaneously throughout the day AND night. I'm extremely irritable, depressed and cranky. I am convinced that these are the symptoms of codeine/hydrocodone withdrawal. WHAT do I do about this? I can't STAND it!!! I have three children to take care of (two of them are babies). I can't take care of myself now because I am "sick" so to speak. I have been completely honest with my husband about this. He agrees that this is probably withdrawal, I need to do "cold turkey" (what choice do I have anyway?) and tough it out for the next week or so. IS THIS WHAT I HAVE TO DO or SHOULD I INVOLVE MY PHYSICIAN WHO PRESCRIBED THESE NASTY DRUGS IN THE FIRST PLACE? Like I said, what choice do I have but to do "cold turkey" and SUFFER anyway? You're prescribed all these highly addictive pain medications pre and post operatively. Then you're "cut off." Two days ago, he told me that he was "concerned that I was becoming addicted to pain medication." I think we're way beyond "becoming." I had my husband tell him that we were already concerned about addiction and I had my husband ask him what the symptoms of addiction and withdrawal were. All he told him was "daily, ongoing use." That wasn't the answer I was looking for. I wanted to hear PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS! Should I call my physician back and tell him that I am SUFFERING here??? My husband and I like and respect my doctor SO VERY much. We're not angry nor do we hold him responsible for this. We just want help in getting me "back to normal." I am TERRIFIED that I am going to go back into a "withdrawal" state again today. The last time I had codeine was 5:00 PM yesterday and I have NO more resources to prescriptions. I WANT TO STOP TAKING PAIN MEDICATION NOW! Would you please give me some GOOD SOUND ADVICE RIGHT AWAY SO THAT I MAY GET MY LIFE BACK??????? Thank You SO MUCH and GOD BLESS YOU!!!!! Sonya :-)



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[teri]

This is a very hard thing to quit.  I posted a message a week or two ago.  The important thing to do is talk to you doctor.  The best way I found is to slowly taper the medication.  They can also give you benyl for stomach cramps.  If you want to talk to someone I am here, I am at the end of the tapering and it still is hard.  I to am a mother to a baby and an older child.

Teri

[Kimberly Reed]

I can so relate to your problem, I hope you get this message because there is help for you.  I have had Kidney stones for the past 8 months and I also have been taking the same pills that you have and when I was cut off 5 days ago I had the same symptoms.  I was aweful, so I did call my doctor (Kaiser) she gave me no advice accept deal with it.  So I called around at Kaise and they have a Chemical Dependantcy center, this is a common problem for chronic pain sufferers.  The center put me on what they call a Taper.  You start of with a liquid that contains a dose of narcotics comperable to what you have been taking and every week they cut you back by 10%.  It is too much to go through alone, it is the same as herion withdrawal.  It's not your fault and you don't deserve it.  Don't feel guilty, even if you took them sometimes for mood enhancement ( I did ) don't feel guilty, anyone would.  I wish I could say I knew the Taper worked, but I am just starting on it myself.  Your not alone, I also have a concerned husband and 2 school age children.  I am 33 and to be honest with you I would rather just keep taking the pills, they make me happy.  But I can't my doctor won't let me so this is my only answer.  I would love it if you would email me so I can have someone to talk to and relate to (Zeldagirl_***@****)  I hope this helps some.  Thanks   Kim

[tc]

You should definately tell your doctor and go through withdrawal treatment and counseling.  John sounded a little harsh.
Good Luck

[Neena]

This is for Kimberly Reed.  Please e-mail me.  ***@****
Hang in there...you are not alone.  I cannot find your address in these postings.

[Jim]

i have just found this site....and i am very happy to know that i am not alone with this problem..I am a 50 year old male that has been taking atasol/8 with codiene for more than 20 years..what a nightmare i am living.i suffer from migrain headachs since i was in my teens.T he problem is that i take these pills not because they make me feel high but to avoid a headach.And i have tryed so hard so many times to stop cold turkey and was advised not to because of the danger of going into shock.i'm at the end of my rope now.I have spent a fortune on these pills over the years,and being from Canada codiene is bought over the counter.can someone really help me get off this merry go round....or do i just die with this?

***@****

[three]

Hi Jim. I'm also in my fifties and am trying desperately to ween
myself of T3's. What I understand is that the atasol has a very
limited amount of codeine in it. You're probably suffering more
from mental and emotional withdrawel than physical but that doesn't lessen the problem, does it? I'm searching myself for a detox centre in my area but we have very limited resourses. Have you tried cutting the amount you use down on a daily basis and keeping a record? This is the route I'm taking. I've cut all the pills in half. I use them for headache also but would rather put up with the pain than the 'panic' I feel when I'm out. My heart goes out to you and to all on this list. It's a double-edged sword, isn't it? Pain...or addiction, if you're an addictive personality. If we can get through those 'five' days doctors and others keep talking about, then it's one day at a time. Good luck to you and hang in there.

[Peter]

what i want to learn is that i am taking 19 pills, that is 10mg codeine/300mg paracetamol per a pill,every day. As ý am just 20 years old i wanna know the effect of this dose with sideffects.and i sometimes get so nervous that i am going for high stakes and find myself in a bad trip. i wanna share your experiences. my legs are shaking, dont want to eat and talk and engage in the world going around me.i think of myself more creative as i am a musician and painter. finally, write about the experiences you have because i dont feel myself normal.....

[three]

Hi  Peter. I don't know about the paracetamol but I'm sure you
can look that ingredient up on the net. As for the codeine, ten
miligrams x 19 pills are equal to 190 mg. of codeine a day.
I am on 120 of codeine and 1200 mg. of acetomenophene. [Did I spell that right?] In time the acetomenophene toxifies the liver.
If taken in high doses [somewhere between 4000 and 7000] I have heard that it can do this instantly. I have tried to cut down
the four T'3's a day but find myself almost impossible to live with. My blood pressure goes very high from stress. You are twenty and have a very good chance of beating this before you become a lifelong user. I have also tried to get help from a detox center and because of my headaches they won't take me.
If there is ANY chance you can get into a detox, do so. Believe me, you don't want to live in my shoes, thirty years from now and still be fretting on how to get clean. I wish there were more I could say to help you. After you admit that you have a problem, its' uphill from there. I have to go it alone. I'm trying. It's not easy. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Well here I am taking a chance.I have been addicted to
acetaminophen with codine since I was about 23 and today
is my 38th birthday.Living in canada you can get them over the counter and thats what I do.I travel around to different pharmacies so nobody thinks I might have a problem with
them,yeah right.I have been in detox 3 times the last time about 6 years ago.I cant go into detox again it isnt possible for me right now.I go through about 400 pills a week with each pill 8mg of codiene and 325mg of acetaminophen.I take anywhere
from 30 to 60 pills per day.Why am I not dead probably because my sysytem got use to them.I am sick and tired of being
sick and tired.Right now I have about 10 pills left and
I know this isnt enough to taper myself off but I dont want to buy anymore.I have been through withdrawl a couple of times and I am dreading it.The worst part is the headaches and at night
I know my legs are going to ache so bad,the leg aches at night are so intense it drives me nuts.So happy birthday to
me I have to stop now!Please if anyone knows how to withdraw
a little bit easier please pass along some info.No I cant
go to my doctor for help,this time its on my own and my
husband of 4 years has no idea and I cant let him know.
I am so glad I found this site,especially since I saw
the letter from a fellow canadian who knows just how
easy it is to get this stuff here.Sorry I cant put my
real name.thanks again anonymous

[brian]

I'm sure you must have your reasons for not wanting your husband to know, but if you really want to recover you MUST confide in him.  You need his support both for the detox and for the hard part, i.e. staying clean.  If he loves you as I am sure he does, he will accept your situation.  With respect to making the detox easier, if you are not willing to involve your doctor, will you involve another doc?  An addiction doctor can use drugs such as buprenorphine to ease the withdrawal.  Other helpful drugs include clonidine and benzodiazepines (xanax, valium, etc.).  If you are unwilling to seek medical help, your only other alternative is to slowly wean yourself off the codeine.  A typical approach would be to reduce your dosage no more than 5% every few days.  This gives the body time to adjust and makes the final withdrawal a bit easier.  However, there is no way around some withdrawal symptoms unless you use buprenorphine.  Finally, your biggest problem may be the amount of aceteminophen you have been ingesting.  You should have a liver test done, and should start taking milk thistle (which helps repair liver damage.)  Best of luck.  Brian

[Anonymous]

thanks for the feedback brian,though going to a doctor for a prescription to help is not for me cause if 2 are good 4 is better,know what I mean? So I am doing this slowly weaning myself off.And I am going to try the milk thistle.Herbs I can handle.Are there any more natural herbs that will help make this a bit easier?

[Brian to anonymous]

Well I understand your reluctance to get prescription meds, but clonidine is simply a blood pressure med that will help with the withdrawal.  It has NO abuse potential.  Benzos do, but if you have a small amount there is no real harm.  As far as herbal meds, Valerian helps calm you during withdrawal as does Kava.  Valerian or melatonin may help you sleep.  No herbal meds will do more than help slightly however.  Good luck with the taper!

[shelly]

I just like the rest of you am addicted to pain pills.  I have been taking at least 15 Lortab 10's a day for the past 5 months.  I am contemplating quiting them all together I am tired of hunting for them after my script has run out and it has begun to really control my life.  I have in the past gone through the withdrawal from them and I know how awful it is. For the next few days it looks like I will go through this again.  There is something else I feel I should say Two weeks ago we buried a friend of mine she was 30 and she died from and overdose of oxycotin and xanax.  This has also made me want to quit all the more.  Feel free to email me back either ***@**** or ***@****       Good Luck and God Bless

[C. Weston]

Hello everyone:

I, too, am a Canadian that has been addicted to Tylenol #1 for about 20 years. I was using about 300 pills a week. I found the only thing to do was stop cold turkey and refuse to keep buying them. I was also "burning down" various drugstores because I was ashamed of the number of these things I was buying. But I finally realized that I was so immune to the things that I really wasn't getting much out of taking them anyway, just ruining my liver and wasting money. I think a large part of the addiction to such small, repetitive doses is psychological. The main symptom I suffered was a very loose bowel, for which I took Imodium (immodium) for a few days, rebound headaches for which I took plain aspirin - that was it other than the fear that I couldn't cope (I had a few panic attacks), but after a few days abstinence, I realized that I was just fine. I actually experienced some elation as my own endorphins began to kick in again. If you have access to a mild tranquilizer, that can prevent you from going too squirrely. Also, drink alot of water, everytime you would normally reach for that pill. Of course I will never touch another narcotic again because I would never want to go through this again. I also put in a call to Narcotics Anon. and spoke to a volunteer when I first decided to make the break. To be honest, smoking is a much harder addiction to break than these things. Take heart - if I can do it, anyone can. I was very afraid to try, believe me. But after a few days you WILL wonder what the fuss was about. And you won't believe how much better you feel. This experience has also given me the guts to stop smoking. For a good treatment of addictive behavior, try Allen Carr's books -some of them are even at the library. Good luck to everyone!

[Geoff H]

I can sympathize with you all. I am from Canada to, and have been taking Tylenol with Codeine for 22 years, I average about 40 - 50 pills a day. I am at the point now where I feel so sick all the time, I get bad headaches. I need to get major help. Can anyone help me out. I am so desperate, and feel that is is ruining my life, my marriage and my family. Whats the best way to kick this stuff once and for all.

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

Please find an addiction medicine specialist.  This way you can be detoxed with a minimal amount of suffering, enhancing your chances for success.  Furthermore, you are taking dangerously high levels of acetaminophen and should have a liver screen done to determine if you have liver damage.  I would begin taking milk thistle, an over the counter supplement which has been documented to protect the liver and even to somewhat reverse damage.  Finally, you are going to need the support of your family and a group like NA to learn to live without the narcotic.  You can do it!  Good luck.

[Diane Goguen]

I too have been dependent of Fioricet with Codeine.  Have been taking them due to having 2 spine/neck surgeries in past 7 years.
When I run out of them, even if its for 1 day....my body goes into severe depression, I become very emotional, and feel crappy all the way around.  Anyone out there have the same problem with Fioricet with Codeine, and if so...what helps when coming off these pills?
***@****

[Ann Marie]

I want to thank everyone that has visited this site.  I finally admitted to myself about 24 hours ago that I have been abusing codeine for probably 1 1/2 years now (200 pills per week).  I have received answers on the symptoms I am feeling and at least don't feel as stupid for having a problem with codeine anymore.
Thank you everyone

[ex junky]

I was a herion junky (no needles) I tried to wean myself of for 2 years It didn't work All my junky "friends" told me to go on  the methodone program. But I didn't want to change habits I wanted to get have no habits. I went to my doctor he give me cloidine YEAH RIGHT that lasted 2days and it was right back to the junk I've never had codiene withdrawal but herion withdrawal is not very nice But any way one way around the worst part off it was methodone but I bought some off of someone and waited till about 24hrs after my last herion fix then drunk 60mg 's off the juice then the next day I drank 40mg's then 30mg's then 20mg's and that was that i was able to get up and function in life for those 4 days i didn't feel the greatest but it was a hell of alot better then going through the major withdrawal I was told about this techniqe be many ex junky's The doctors told me there was no way "you must go on the methodone program" but from what I've seen and heard methodone withdrawl is worse then herion  which is worse then codeiene I think it is a government conspirecy to get all the junky's names and to get them wired to something that can be taxed But what do I know I'm just a junky or should I say ex junky.

[Chris. b.]

I am currently 6 days into a cold turkey from codiene. I've tried before and failed after about 4 ( I remember why now!!) I have been using approx 1500mg of codiene a day for about 4-6 months with very few days off. The problem with me ids I am addicted to the "fix" and this is the hardest. Last time I ended up going to the docs and they gave me a tapering regime (no good cos I was taking far, far more than they could prescribe using over the counter meds!!) ,so inevitably I started over again. This was about 2 months ago. In the end the "fix" had gone withthis amount and so the stotry goes. I have had limited benzos so's not to get hooked on them and I don't have control over them. The first 2 days weren't too bad, the came the cramps, diahorhoea, sweats,  restlessness and worst of all agonizing depression. I don't cry, but I have had to make an exception for this withdrawl. MY GOD THIS IS HARD. The docs won't give me more now in any case so I would have to pay a fortune off the internet and over the counter, which here in England are mixed with either paracetamol or ibuprofen (a nasty cocktail) if taken in too great amounts! I have another 3 days before I am back at work, so here's hoping!!   Chris, England.

[Chris. b.]

Notice i'm the first to write in 7 years, can't be that long since anybody went through their similar journies. Well I thought I would update from yesterday when I was on day 6 of cold turkey. Day 7 has been far more positive. I have managed to get up and stay up all day. Yers, I had to force myself but it has paid off. A wise man once told me an anecdote about the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, "Bill W" he used to suffer bouts depression in general and after 27 years of sobriety wondered why the 12 step programme was not working for this. It occurred to him that he was being too self indulged and not other centred. He practised by going from lamp post to lamp post at first in an attempt to force himself to do what he didn't want to. He then immersed himself in helping others and he never suffered again. Addiction, is addiction whatever guise it comes in. Anyway I feel far less depressed today and am sure I have turned the corner. I am fortunate in that I am not experiencing cravings, but still getting sweaty and am stilkl a bit low. More about the future without drugs or alcohol, but mainly just withdrawl. I'm pleased i've managed to stick with it cos believe me, it has been one of the toughest things I have done in my life and I have cold turkeyed from a number of drugs and alcohol. Yesterday I had pretty much spent 6 days in bed and cfelt I couldn't come out. Today has been a lot different and my legs have stopped aching too!! My symptoms are all above, but didn't include a runny nose, aching limbs and an inability to know whether I was too hot or too cold, never comfortable. (seem to remember that one with alcohol withdrawl as well - a long time ago fortunately). So its onwards and upwards from here. I still have mild symptoms, my appetite is moderate, nopt bothered whether I eat or not. I've found bannanas good and multi-vits. Bannanas have a natural "feel good" chemical in them anyway. Not that I noticed that yesterday - way too depressed for that and for the wisdom of Bill W. I think sometimes you just can't function, but with withdrawl it has ALWAYS been transient 2-5 days max, this time 3 days of horrendous depression and today on the up, but still not there. I have withdrawn from a list of drugs, some together and must admit I have found this to be as or nearly as bad as any opf the others for the depression, but just a nuisance for the physical symptoms.

[cmjmmorgan]

Thanks for your comments.  I too was searching for help and thought, gee wiz I know someone else is going through the same as I am.  Where in the hell are they?  Day six symptoms are much better.  Still very tired. No more runny nose, not depressed, still have mild palpitations.  How long will this last?

[pillgirl]

I am Canadian. I have taken 25 Tylenol #3 a day for the last 4 years.That's 8 at a time. 8!!!! I hate myself because of it. I ran out of resources and am taking about the same amount of pills of Tylenol #1 just to cut the withdrawl. The pills make me gag. I can just imagine my liver eating away at itself and I'm queasy all day. Does that stop me from swallowing 8 T#1's ? ! No.

I need to get off this. I'm afraid of the depression that comes with the withdrawl =(

[all too clear]

I, too have gone through the withdrawal, and it lasted about 7 days..... with some aftereffects which have now subsided. I am searching and reading today as I am getting those cravings again- the high- which isn't that high, really. I just want to remind myself that it isn't worth it. In adddition to codeine, I was also using fentanyl 'occasionally'. The withdrawal was horrible- lows, insomnia, muscle twitches, crying, emotional nightmare. Anyway- Chris- keep at it..... you will get through. Sounds like things are already improving for you.
And thanks for posting.... you just reminded me to stay clean.  

[Braincell]

Sounds like your doctors are full of it!!! An easy codeine withdrawal can be acheived with a controlled valium program over about a week, two max, and although the valium is a great feel good mood enhancer, if taken strictly to a codeine detox program the discomfort will be far less then anything else, but of course we all are different and will have different reactions. The caution is to be strict with the valium, cause if you get hooked on that the withdrawal & consequent side affects are far more severe than codeine/opiate withdrawal.

I have been on 700 - 800 mg of codeine per day on & off for over ten years and also have had up to 20000 mg of  paracetomol per day regularly and been through several different types of withdrawal programs, some even designed by myself. The valium, or benzodiazapene approach is the best and easiest. Unfortunately doctors are reluctant to take this path for fear of people becoming addicted to their new substance, which is more dangerous if addicted to.

The jerk who said the problem is you is half right, generally there will be an underlying cause to get us on the pills in the first place, but once hooked it all becomes physical and not mental. So if your hooked on codeine dont beat youself up, it happens, even to a mental giant such as myself. Just seek the right support, which may not be your own doctor, there are certainly specialist doctors who cater to this addiction, find out who and where and take it from there.

Your all welcome.

[KarenMarie]

Hello...I am 31 years old and I have been taking 12 to 25 T3's a day for all most a year....until now....I haven't had any for 4 or 5 days now.  For the past 2 days I have been having loose stool, nasuea and what is really scaring me the most is have been sweating alot but getting chills too and my skin feels cool even though I fell hot and I am sweating....This is really scaring me....can someone please tell me if these symptoms are withdrawl???
Thank You!!

Scared and lost in Minnesota

[Jul07Asker]

I don't know what T3 is, but every other time I withdrew from Vicodin those were the exact symptons I had.  You feel physically like you're going to die and there is no position where you feel comfortable, and you can't sleep, and your stomach hurts, and the chills....everything you mentioned. Hope this helps.

[KarenMarie]

Thank you for your response.....It really helped!  How long did you suffer from those withdrawl symptoms you had?  T3 is Tylenol and Codeine.  I never want to take narcotic painkillers again if this is how they are going to make me feel when I stop taking them.

Thank you again.

[journeyjo]

my doctor percribe vicodine for me 5 years ago, for chronic hives and angio edema,  on a daily bases, and i mean big hives, i am in much pain,,,now i know that vicodine is a  weird thing to perscribe for something like that, but it helped,,i take 6 -10mg of narco on a daily basis,  i want more , but thats all i get, i use to get a lot more but i guess the DEA made them lower my amount.  i am hooked, and it just ads to the misery of hives.  i want off of them, and i am going to try the 5% cutting down thing. man,, when it is time to take my meds, my legs hurt like crazy and i feel heavy and tired, and feel like i have the flu all the time, my body wants more, WHAT i don't understand, is WHY DO THE DOCTORS DO THIS TO US? WE TRUST THEM TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!  it makes me mad at the doctor, i mean i feel like sueing them, for making me an addict, especially since i wasn't in the normal kind of pain? even tho they helped at first, they are killing me now, and making me feel worse,,,its like cigerettes, they make them, u get hooked on them, then can't smoke in puplic,,, then the government taxes the heck out of all the tobbacco addicts... whats wrong with that picture?  why are these doctors allowed to keep writting these scripts? over and over,,,i just don't understand?

[Jul07Asker]

So that's what T3 is!  Ha, that wouldn't cure anything for me, I was taking Norco which is like I think Tylenol 10 mg, but in the last few months I found I got high enough with a half a pill and that made them last longer...I felt I was wasting a little of it if I took a whole one, but on occassion I did.  BUT I used to take a whole pill as a dose and still take about 6 a day. I did notice I was slurring my words and was concerned that my clients would notice.  Anyway, those withdrawals were much worse for me with all your symptons lasting a good 5 days and usually by the 7th day I was completely functional with a minor bit of physical discomfort if any at all.  But I was around people during those times, so I really focused on the physical discomfort and just claimed to have a bad cold or the flu.  THIS time I'm detoxing off a lower dose and took a week alone to do it.  So the physical discomfort was only about 3 days but the depression was extreme....for me, because I am not normally a depressed person at all.  I am a million times better today, today is my 6th clean day.
This board and these people are a saving grace!  You should be feeling much better very soon.  Keep knowing that.  (Boy, it's so easy to help others, and so weird that I still ask for advice for myself...maybe that's good medicine for us...as you feel a little better, find someone whose just starting their detox and help them!)
Good Luck, hon.

[Nikki2433]

Hi all,
I just want to say thank you al so much for posing your comments. It helps me so much knowing I'm not the only person in this predicament. I've been taking paracetemog500mg+30mg codiene for painful periods for about a year now. Ican't remember a day this year I haven't had at least 10 of these tablets a day. But after reading all of your comments and seein that so many have had it much worse than me, I'm goning to start (from tomorrow) to get off these addictive pills!! Can I just ask, if someone has come off tablets can they ever go back to taking them occassionally just when they are in pain? Coz they really help the pain and depresion my periods bring!!

[journeyjo]

not only am i taking 6 - 10mg norco a day, i am taking 90 ultram a month that the doctor gave to me to boost the vicodin...all i know is the pills aren't helping anymore and by the end of the day i hurt wanting more, especially my legs,, man they hurt, i have headaches too, from what i have read thats part of it,,,some people on here like taking the pills, while others are in hell,,, kinda funny, the difference in all of us.. i wish everyone luck getting thier life back, and to the ones who are enjoying it now, it won't continue.. sooner or late,r  u will b in the same boat as most of us, so i wish u all luck too.

[KarenMarie]

Good Advice!   I liked taking Codeine for a long time....then I just got sick and tired of taking so meny all the time....I would gag just trying to get the pills down.....I am so glad that I am getting off of them....I have to admit though I hate feeling sick all day for the past 3 or so days.
It kind of scares me beacuse I want to feel good again and I am afraid I won't.

[Jul07Asker]

Every day will get better.  Keep going!!! (I feel GREAT today!!!!!)

[pheggie101]

Well Sonya i found myself in kind of the same predicament here. I have dealt with abuse for years (my ex),never have i had a pill problem, maybe i took like 6-8 my whole life. Anyway 12 days ago i crashed my harley, broke a number of bones, collar, shoulder blade, dislocations etc. etc. The Er doc gave me 4 vics and a script for 16 more. Then i saw my doc and she gave me 40 with 3 refills. At first they worked great, took away the pain, no buzz, i slept. but i needed more and more. One night i got electric jolts in my legs, and the runs. I was sweating and miserable so i gobbled up 3 pills, and all gone. Th e next day i tossed what i had left before it got worse, Saw my doc and told her and she was like no way it takes longer to get hooked, ha ha.........they addict us and then wonder why...i could have been another casualty, she even said well ill write another script cause you didnt need to toss them...............i said no.............Jim

[faith.77]

i just want to tell you all that you and your families are in my daily prayers....any kind of drug just reaks havoc, and it's so hard to get through it.....I can't say I had a 20-30 a day habit, i never took more than 4 a day, but they were vicodins, and i really had to keep it at just 4. i have seen what it can do to people. and i hate that so many people with pain probs, or even straight up drug addicts just get judged and looked down upon.they don't know how it is to be in that situation and they want to avoid it at all costs....and continue to judge and pretend that they would be completely okay if they got a big jug of some oxcycotins or something. yeah right.
but anyway, i feel for all of you, and im glad i found this site.

another question.....what would you suggest a heroin (my friends little brother) addict to do for help if they don't want to take methodone? my friend OD'd back in Jan, was in a coma for 3 weeks straight, and since his body was going through wdrawals the stress on his heart was too severe so they had to induce him in a comatose state after he had 2 strokes....he is only 25. anyway, im really close to his older brother and have watched him steal so much from his family and friends....and he almost DIED, yet when his gfriend breaks up with him, he just totally changes and goes out and gets wasted.....and uses.....he was trying to just eat vicodin instead, but its not getting him anywhere but closer to death. so if there are any heroin addicts/recovering out there that has a suggestion, i would love to hear it!

thanks !!!

[KarenMarie]

Thank you Faith!  It is cool to see people who understand!  I wish I could help with with heroin question....I hope someone can help with that question.
I feel a little better today....today was a weird day....I felt like I was dreaming all day or something....kinda weird.  I just can't wait until all of this is over.

[scared of what´s next]

I have been taking 20 tabs of diclofenac100 +50 codeine(so that´s about 1000 m.g. of codeine)  for 2 years. I am sure that I have serous liver damage etc. but at the time it didn´t matter. Many times I tried to taper but always found an excuse to go right back to where i was.If we had willpower- we wouldn´t be in this mess. I am on day 5 of total withdrawal & an finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
The 1st day was the easest & I thought piece of cake- I can really do this- day 2 & 3 were so bad that I couldn´t even leave the house and by the, I had to much invested to start over(although I did make some bizarre phone calls pleading for deliverance, in moments of weakness). My advice is to just stop- maybe the process should be awful- awful enough so that you never- ever want to do this again, because the worst part is trying to stay clean afterwards & I am afraid.
I had to totally isolate mysef to get through this(let´s face it- we are masters of manipulation & lies- lying even to ourselves). So what do I do- now that I am starting to feel better & can get into my car & start all over? It seems like most other drugs are social- you do them w/other people or even getting them is an adventure- we do them quietly & go on w/ our daily lives- no one knows(at least they don´t say anything)- so what´s next? how do I keep from backsliding? How do I heal the pysic pain that made me almost kill myself? how do I face a shiny, brittle world? and when will I ever sleep again?

[lost one]

I'm in deep. I've been taking 15-20 lortab per day for atleast 4 years. This past weekend My wife left me, my father is dying, and my life is falling apart. I quit cold turkey on saturday.  I feel the pain that everyone on this board is going through. However, I am not dealing with it very well. I'm not a weak person. Ex athlete, business owner,  the person who always will lift the heavy objects. Right now i feel as though i can't pick up my head. WEAK, tired, coughing , just feel like i can't go on... What can I do? Any new things to try? (over the counter) My wife, before she left, was kind enough to call and get my doctor to drop me as a patient. HE got this problem started and now won't help me out of it.    LOST

[[e-mail]]

Hi, I know how you feel, (its easy to say isn't it) but I myself have lost very close family recently and I am due to lose another to cancer very shortly and she is very young. I have been taking codiene for about 10 years (10 or more a day) and knew I had a problem, but I always said to myself, "I can quit anytime", when going on vacation I always had to have supplies with me in case local stores did not sell it. I had a major problem, but what has brought me back into reality is the fact that a routine blood test I had a few days ago that showed that I have got liver damage which the practitioner is convinced is caused by alcohol. As I do not drink alcohol at all, the only other explanation is the painkillers (which I had not told him about). I have realised what these tabs have done to me and have gone COLD TURKEY! I feel much more positive and realise that I have been living in a haze for the last 10 years. Keep off the tablets and although you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, these will pass and you will feel more positive in your mind to deal with the personal issues in your life at the moment as you will see more clearly. You have to talk to your Doctor if you are struggling as there are medicines that help with the withdrawal and if they are not sympathetic, get a better doctor. Be proud of yourself because you are strong enough to face this problem "head on" and you WILL do it.

[London piller]

I have been abusing Codiene for the last 6months. I have been taking up to 15 tablets of Nurafen Plus with 12mg of Codiene and Ibuprofen a day. I take it because of the way it makes me feel. I had a contraceptive coil fitted in January and started having bad periods but when the the periods stopped, my codiene intake continued. It makes me feel happy when i'm sitting at my awful desk at my crappy job or when I'm talking to my husband who constantly gets on my nerves.

Im on day 2 of cold turkey and woke up in tears, walked to work on the verge of tears and the situation has not changed all day. Has anyone who takes them just to feel good amaged to stop?

Any help/support will be gladly appreciated.

[Catherinec333]

Hi there people, I have just ended a 6 year addiction to pain killers. The main substance was codeine and i was also prescribed it by the doctor for kidney pain. The main thing i notice with all of your questions and statements is that alot of you state that its not a mental problem with the pills its a physical problem.  I think you need to "get real". There are woman in here who have given birth, do you mean to tell me you are so worried about the physical side of withdrawl when you are clearly strong enough physically to handle almost anything.  I truly believe it has a hold on you mentally and you will not and most importantly can not beat this demon until you are completely honest with yourself about what is really going on.  You are an addict!! As ugly as that may sound it is the truth, and believe me, when you accept this fact you can then begin to heal. Most people, in fact i would say all drug addicts take the drug to mask feeelings they dont like to feel.  The things i masked was shyness, insecurity lack of self esteem and just a general sense of not knowing who I was or what my place in the world was.  I was put on a "countdown" or slow withdrawl, but there came a day when i had had a guts full of taking the damn things and truly believed the longer i satyed on them the longer my recovery would take. So i just stopped taking them, the withdrawl is not pleasant but it is bearable!!! I think that a week of insomnia and sweaty bodies is definiely a small price to pay for having your life back.  being free from addiction, no more waking up every morning thinking about your next hit, where to get them from etc etc. It feels so damn good now i tell you.  You have to find out deep inside the reason you take them, because believe me until you do, that problem will always be there and so will the temptation to use again.  Please contact me if you need help with this subject. My email is ***@****

[Catherinec333]

Hey there, just read your message and decided to post this back to you.  As you can read from my story i was addicted to codeine as well and I too was taking Nurofen Plus, I was on up to 48 a day for around 6 years, it wasnt always that amount but it soon grows because of the toloerance you build up in your system.  Please please listen to me when I say they are very dangerous when used in large amounts, its not the codeine but the ibuprofen that does the damage.  It put me in hospital with a perforated stomach ulcer and a whole in my stomach lining, never have i felt such pain before. I didnt want to tell the doctor what i had done and hoped against hope that it was something else, but when i started vomitting up blood and no amount of morphine was helping i had to come clean. (And they were incredibly supportive and nonjudgemental).  Lucky for me I did because I found out later you can bleed to death with that problem.  Taking paracetomal in large amounts is also very dangerous as once you f*%k your liver you have to either get a transplant or die. Not very good options. You can get off this!!! Do not let some horrible little pill own your life, have you not given enough of your time, energy, thoughts and emotions to this demon!! I will post again in a couple of days and talk you through the withdrawl.  I have done it 4 times and only once with the help of medication so I know how it is.  I am still alive and happier than I have been in years.  Please tell your doctor what your taking and even if you are not ready to give it up at least get your self safe.  If they dont listen, keep trying until you find someone who does.  You need to be safe first if your not ready to go cold turkey.  Stay strong everyone and I will post again with info and what its like on the other side of the addiction.  :)

[codeinequeen]

I am currently on day 3 of cold turkey withdrawl.  I have quit this way a number of times and always suffer with the same symptoms.  Every time I go through it, I promise myself I will remember how this feels and never do it again.  Over the counter codeine should be abolished in Canada.  I am curious if anyone has ever suffered from urinary problems as well.

[migsufferer]

I take fioricet for about a year now.  I take only 8/day max, per my neuro.  I have cronic head, neck and shoulder pain due to a birth defect that was exacterbated when I gave birth to my daughter.  I suffered for 2 whole years, in pain almost 100% of the time.  When the neuro gave me the fioricet it allowed me to work again.  I've just found out I'm pregnant and I cut the amount in half that day.  With tapering, but without any anxiety meds b/c it's bad for the baby, will I feel terrible until I'm completely off the medicine?  Being pregnant and having the headache of the century has been my worst nightmare.  I haven't slept for more than an hour per night in 2 1/2 weeks.  I feel like I'm in hell and not sure what to do.  Any help?  Please?

[natesylas702]

I put a e-mail that I just made cuzz i want to no if n-e one has irregular heartbeat or chest pains from oxycodone,loratab,basically i took any n everything with codiene... I been taken them since i was sixteen till twentyfive yrs of age.Lately ive been feeling BAD CHEST PAIN,AS WELL AS IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT????? iVE BEEN TO DA DOC N THEY KEEP GIVE ME DA RUN AROUN!!! See Dnt have health insurance! I grew up in LAS VEGAS liven the fast life! Fast life indeed I feel like Im bout to croke! IM ONLY 25 WIT THREE B-E-A-UTIFUL CHILDREN. DOES N-E-ONE FEEL THE SAME ?????????????????

[fancydancy]

My husband is addicted to pain killers for the past 6 years, the doctor stopped giving him the prescription in November, now he has gone through about $40,000 buying them on the street. They give him a Euphoria, he is starting chem depend in September, but I am at rock bottom, he tells me he has stopped but I don't believe anything he tells me. He has gone through withdrawal many times, done what all of you have done and are going through, he justs want the high, the Euphoria. I think what Catherineec says is true. I have asked him to leave but he won't leave. Just to let you all know that your problem affects us all, and I know you probably all know that too. I can't worry about him any longer, I have to worry about myself. How many chances are you suppose to give? Thanks for listening.

[wifeofabuser]

Hi Everyone,

I am the wife of a Tylenol with Codeine abuser.  He has been taking them for 14 years and I can't even begin to describe the toll his addiction has taken on our marriage, our finances, the family, etc.  He was taking 25 to 30 pills of the Tylenol #1.  Two weeks ago his liver and kidneys finally gave up from the years of abuse and I had to have an ambulance come and get him because he was so sick he couldn't even get out of bed.  He's 40.  He had to go through 3 rounds of dialysis and the prognosis was that he was going to have to go through several months more but thankfully his kidneys have started to work again.

Now he can never take Tylenol and Ibuprofen again or he faces death.

Do I think he's going to stop?  In my heart I'm really not sure...

I beg you to please stop, if not for your sake, for your spouse and children's sake, because once you are gone, you're gone.

[frustrated but in love]

My husband has been addicted to Hydrocodone 10's since 2000 we had a car accident and the doc put him on them.  3 1/2 years later I convinced him the leg spasm, the aweful pain, depression and other symptoms was coming from hydro's.  We decided he would get off of them.  so we Went cold turkey.  3 months to the date he dehydrated and had high blood pressure lots of unbearable pain and suffering.  He finally beat it.  2 years later his dad is diagnosed with cancer and he starts taking them again they were there one or two then 10-15.  Now it is 2 years later and he is depressed, withdrawed from people, he sees stuff and its not there and he knows it.  He has attempted to go cold turkey and its hell so he stops.  I agree with the person who said why are you taking these.  He has been an addict to several things- Acohol, pot, sports, Sex, and always has to be in extreme now its only codiene.  See the longer you take them you don't feel good anymore and you tend to feel sorry in extreme amounts for yourself.  And it is hell on your loved ones due to no one likes him when he is like this.  He is hateful.  And he is normally the most loving person.  I need help.  I have been married to him for 25 years and I love him.  But I can't stand this anymore I fill like I'm addicted.  What can we do to help him get off easily.  

[Savas]

Welcome to the future, where little pills are given to you in an irresponsible fashion by doctors.
You have an addiction now, physical or otherwise. And dealing with it won't be easy, but you have to be aware that with today's medical philosophy, you're kind of on your own.
     So...go ahead and ask your doctor but be prepared for him to not be of any help. In fact, be prepared for him to cut you off. Mention "addiction", and most doctors think only of covering their own a**es.
There's three posts on this board. "Nutrition and Withdrawal", and "Amino Acids and Recovery". Also a Clonidine thread I think called "Thomas Recipie".  Unless you can spend 10-20 thousand dollars on "special treatments", this is your best option.

[frustrated but in love]

Thank you... I just want him well.  and back to normal if that can happen.  

[brysboo]

[brysboo]

I am a 36 year old mother of a 15 year old daughter and married to the man who helped me create her. 7 weeks ago I had major knee surgery. I have been on more than 200 percocet a month for almost a year. I have dabbled in drugs legal and illeagal most of my life but this withdrawl is by far the worst time of my life. I lie to my loved ones to my doctors and make the pain be way worse than it really is. Sometimes I just want GOD to take me I have convinced myself at times they would be better off without me. Although I know in my heart they need me and would miss me. I cant afford rehab and am not convinced it would do any good anyway. I am lost in a sea of complete addiction and have found myself doctor hopping. I am ashamed I am scared I am lost I am a shell of my former self . I cannot even remember what it was like o be sober and love being sober. Any advice will be well received good or bad thanks Melissa

[nuttyiestmum]

[ANon978]

I am on day 4 of being clean of a 2 year codeine (nurofen plus) habit.  I saw my local GP who is also an acupuncurist.  He gave me a list of alternatives - cold turkey, acupuncture and methadone.  I went with acupunture.  Having gone through withdrawals several times before i didn't want to go cold turkey and decided to give the acupunture a go.  I have been used as a pin cushion the last three days and it has helped in a very big way.  One of my biggest problems in the past is the aches.  Worst feeling i've had where you are so tiried and nearly asleep when intense aches go through my limbs, and going through this cycle for days.  Four days of no sleep is no fun.  With acupunture i have been able to sleep a solid 6-7 hours whilst withdrawing.   My doc also prescribed me Valium for when the depression/anxiety gets bad.  You just have to be careful no to replace one addiction with another.  THERE ARE NO MIRACLE CURES!!  but i would highly reccomend acupuncture.

Good luck all

ANON

[xyborx]

I'm one day 2 of a 190mg/day dihydrocodeine (3 years) withdrawal. I take 100mg/kg tyrosine each morning and walk for about 2 hours along the beach... I feel fantastic, no symptoms whatsoever.
I just took another dose and am now stoned of-my-face and have to go out to dinner. I'll try to get of this stuff later, it really takes over your life.

[livingsober]

My name is Joe, and I am a recovering cocaine/crack addict and alcoholic (16 months) My question is being asked on behalf of a friend of mine who is also in recovery from alcoholism, but who now finds herself desperately struggling with a rather serious Tylenol/codeine addiction. Living in Canada, T1's and T2's are readily available for the consuming, and T3's are fairly easy to get, especially when one factors in that she is dealing with a legitimate chronic pain issue. My friend has no cartilage left in one ankle due to an accident a few years ago, and has had steel pins inserted. This means that her bodies natural cushion/shock absorber is non-existent, and therefore each and every movement of her ankle joint creates bone-on-bone friction/grinding, resulting in enormous pain. She thus medicates with codeine as a means of being able to handle the pain during her day to day living. However, she recognizes that her codeine consumption is out of control, and desperately wants to get off of them. The problem is compounded by the fact that all of the other pain med's that have been prescribed leave her feeling too 'out of it' to function normally in day to day living. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[worried_daughter14]

After years of suspecting that my father seemed to consume quite a few panadeines (codiene) I have started monitoring his use and found he takes about 40 per day. He is very secretive and hides not only the tablets/boxes but the empty sheets until he can dispose of them without mum knowing. Hence he must know something is wrong but I'm worried as to how to confront him. I don't know how to get him to kick the habit and if he knows I'm on to him, he'll just lie about his use and find a better way to hide the evidence. My husband and I are about to give birth to his first grandchild and I feel so angry at him for not caring enough to live to see him grow up (and yes I know this is an extremely selfish and ignorant emotion).

[stringbean447]

I just stopped the codiene merry go round 2 months ago.After 5 years!!. I'm lucky I'm still alive. I'ts not the codiene so much as the tylenol. Tylenol will kill you. I know a few who died horrible deaths because of it. It will cause liver failure. NOT might cause it. Please talk to your father and soon. It will kill him. Make him see a doctor. If he's to ashamed to see one ,drag him to one. I quit cold turkey  and it was not pleasant. But not as bad as I thought it would be. The first 24 hours not much of anything. The next 48 hours was bad. vomiting diahrea ,nightmares when I could sleep. Depression .But after the first 3 days i felt OK again for the most part.In a week I felt wonderful and i have not had the desire to use them again,yet. I tried the taper method 50 times. It won't work for most people. You'll be right back where you left off in no time at all. and be taking even more I do not recommend it.Be wary of a doctor prescribing something else as well .a person will only switch addictions.If you can get him to go to  detox facility get him to go. They can help with the withdrawal. the 48 hours after is the worse. but it's only 48 hours and gets better fast. But make him do something,or plan a funeral. That sounds awful for sure,but it will be the result of doing nothing,both him(mostly) and you. You care for him obviously so have a frank but caring talk to him SOON. He has to get honest with himself or he will suffer. You'll notice I said will suffer ,not might suffer.Addictions have a common denominator. Dishonesty. It will kill you. Good luck and hope to hear you here soon,

[geraldine_potts]

I was in car wreck last december i hurt my back .I been taking codoine and musler i cant make it with out talking them I need help to getoff pleae help me

[none440]

I have been an addict of hyromorphone and codiene for about 20 years. I have been clean for 71/2 months and want to tell you all what I think may help you be at ease with some of your symptoms. The painkiller affects the reward portion of the brain. It significantly reduces the anxiety and fear level you normally feel. If you feel really anxoius while coming off, and fearfull, please know that this is so temporary. Hang in there. Also eat lots of potassium(bananas) as this will help the cramping in the legs. yes valuim helps but the withdrawal from valuim is a worse hell than you are currently feeling. I know

[balwant]

hey ppl... im from india.... im hooked to corex a cough syrup with 15 mg of codeine per bottle and dextropropoxyphene pills.. it started as a recreation which became an addiction.. i really feel relaxed and stress free after takin diz stuff... but recently i had anal bleeding and costipation ..... do i have intestinal ulcres????? is it colon ulcer????? is it due to codeine ??????

[cl3]

I have been taking loratab 10 for about a year now, daily dose highs of 40(10's) I have been tapering this week with addication to quit.  Today I have had 22.5 and I'm cutting back at a rate of 10% or more daily.  Does anyone have any advice as to whether taping is easier than cold turkey or does the end still produce rough times.

[Greatgreebo]

Welcome to the forum....The original post date of this thread is 8 years ago. These people are not here any more. Go to the top of this page and hit the green 'Post Question' button. Start a new post of your own. This will get you the help and answers you need.
Good luck,
Greatgreebo

[Palpitations]

I suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain due to nerve damage and disc problems.  I have been taking codeine for about 4-5 years and about 8 months ago began experiencing heart palpitations.  I freaked out thinking I am having a heart attack.  I was taking zanax at the time for panic attacks so I stopped taking that thinking that was causing the problem but that didn't seem to make any difference.  I saw a heart specialist who did a stress test and determined my heart is just fine but when I finished the test my heart was palpitating so badly I could barely breath.  My regular doc put me on blood pressure medicine to help the symptoms. It helps somewhat but they are still there.  I wake up first thing with shortness of breath and palpitations until I take my heart meds.  Does anyone know if long term use of codeine can actually cause palpitations even though I took the codeine for years without any heart issues.  I would like to get off of these anyway but would really like to know if this is the cause.  Thanks!

[Timeout427]

I know what your going through. When I first started having them they scared me to death. I thought for sure something was wrong with my heart. Like you I had all the tests done and came out clean. That didn't stop me from still thinking something was wrong. I didn't believe the doctor, I didn't believe the tests. I had made up my mind that there was something causing the problem. As it turned out the palpitations were caused by stress. A doctor didn't tell me this, a friend did who was having the same problem but I didn't know he was. He told me that palpitations will not harm me but they do scare you to death. He went over all the things he was feeling (Same as mine) and told me he got rid of them by just getting some excercise. I was good until I heard that part. How the heck can I excercise when my heart feels like it's going to stop or jump out of my chest?? It took some long repeted talks to get me to do it but I did. I just started walking. It kept up for a couple of days but then started to taper down. I then read everyhing I could on palpitations and still with walking everyday I began to feel better and not be so scared. It's to the point now that when I have them, which is only at the most once a month and not long at all I'm not even scared anymore. I know even when I feel them start that I'm just stressed a little and it's no big deal. I know they won't hurt me, I'm not going to have a heart attack or die. Also with just knowing nothing is going to happen to me....It helps!!! I know the more you think about it, the more you worry about it, the more often it will happen so slow down and don't panic. Like me, you will be fine. Just give this some thought because it really did help me. I hope you can force yourself to do some walking. That's the hardest thing to do. Good luck and I hope this helped. Please ask if you have a question.

[Timeout427]

I have been on Roxicet 5-325 for three years. (Perocet) I needed them for pain. (RA) I am now taking three pills a day. I needed them for pain but to be honest with myself I know I can do without them for the pain. I have limited myself to just three like the doctor says but instead of taking them for pain I take them for the high I get. I need to stop them but I'm afraid of going through withdrawals. Because of the kind of work I do I can't say anything to my doctor. I have to do this myself and I want to taper off so as not to go through any kind of withdrawal. If I'm taking three pills a day what do you feel would be the safe way to start tapering off. Example: Start taking just two a day for a couple of weeks then one a day for a couple of weeks then a half ....and so on?? Can anyone give me some advice please?

[pink_dog]

Hi,
I found this message thread a few days ago and its been helpful to read through all the comments, even if they were written years ago.  I guess withdrawing from codeine feels the same in 2008 as it did in 2000.  I have been taking it for about a year now, for nerve pain from a disk in my neck.  I'm due to see a surgeon next month, but have been trying to come off the pills and deal with the pain by restricting my movement, which is actually possible, but it limits my activity.

I have been getting all the physical symptoms mentioned in this thread, but I'm finding the depression and irritability very hard to deal with.  I suffer from depression and anxiety anyway, and take meds for that, so going back into a depressive downswing is very scary for me.

I also have a daughter, but I'm also going through a very nasty divorce and property settlement with ongoing abuse from my ex.  But now he can only harass me through the legal system, and our daughter because I have cut off all contact apart from email.

I got no helpful advise about codeine withdrawal, just that I guess eventually it will end and until then ...... one day at a time.
J.

[skip66]

Like you all I was addicted to codeine I was taking for pain (in my case Migraines).  I used the tapering off method, cutting back a half a pill every three days. It took over a month, but It really helped with the major problems. I had only slight stomach pain but no diarrhea. My doctor also gave me colidine to help with the high blood pressure and sweats.  I have been off the codeine now for almost three weeks but my legs still ache and I still feel yucky, no energy, don't feel like doing anything. My doctor said it will take time, guess he was right. Does anyone know how long to feeling better?    Al

[bex333]

hi, ive been taking codeine now for about 2 years, it started when i had an operation to remove a lump from my abdomen. the little white pills i was sent home with were amazing, when they ran out i went to the doctors and rrquested more for afterpains ! sure enough i was given a script for 100...as time went on i was using more and more and now here i am consuming up to 25 tablets a day all 30mg codeine each. my doctor became aware of the problem and now i am given a weekly script but i have friends who can get hold of it and i beg or lie. i aM ASHAMED OF THE STATE IM IN BUT im more scared of withdrawal, so far ive gone nearly 48 hours and no bad effects as yer except for the depression, i think its a dangerous drug which should be a lot more closley monitored. i really want to stop taking the pills but im already looking for a way to get some more as i cant pick up another script till next week (i lied to the doc that i was going on holiday to get more pills) sad aren't I !!!!!!

[mr.lucky66]

Codiene is a strange narcotic . A shrink I knew once said it causes strange mental effects. It's also rough on the stomach but is addictive. One of the worst problems with codeine is all the other stuff you take with it like tylenol,(liver poisen) and the ingredients in cough medicine. I used to gag down a bottle of rob. AC  or another kind that would twist my guts about for the 360 mg. of codeine. I found the cleaner stuff but I don't want to get into all that. The point is there is life after codeine and you don't need to go on methadone and probably don't need sub to get off and stay off. all the best

[sommer900]

I've been addicted to codeine for ten years and have now decided that enough is enough.  After my accident I had to take more and more to get the same effect so I eventually added large amounts of morphine to the equation.  The poblem is that the fun alway ends and you can't get a high enough dosage for the same effect.  So, I can only say, that you have to take the bull by the horns, grit your teeth and show what you're made of and do the withdrawal terror.  You'll have to put up with a week of living hell (insomina, shaking, suicidal) and go through the valley of the shadow of living death.  But it's a small price to pay for getting your live back and ending the destruction.  After about a week you should be able to sleep normal again and it might take a few more weeks to get your energy level back again.  And then you'll have to rework your life and decide why you love it.  MANY HAVE DONE IT = SO WHY NOW YOU?  Good luck

[danzanangel]

i could have cried with  relief when I saw this forum, for 1 1/2 years I have been addicted to taking over the counter painkillers.
Nurofen plus tablets which contain 12ng codeine and 100mg of ibruprofen. I had not realised that there where so many people wth one sort of painkilker addiction or anothrrit stated for me shortly after my 9 year old son died. After omly a few days of his unexpected death a friend offered me 2 nerofen plus tablets as I had such a bad headache from crying. These tablets lifted me immeadiately and blocked out the pain of loosing my precious son. Soon I was taking thm every day and increasing the amount because it stopped me feeling the high I wanted to feel and not the  horror I felt when I  didn't take them..I've only tried cold turkey once and that was unbareable.I was trawling the towns where  I live trying to buy boxes of them where people didn't recogmise me. I WAS TAKING 32 TABKLETS A DAY WITH 12MG OF CODEINE IN THEM, SWALLOWING 8 TABLETS IN ONE GO AND  ONE AFTER THE OTHER. I had an appt with my GP today' I was totally honest with her about the amount of medication I was taking, she wants me to go for kidney and liver function test., I think she may have saved my life, she has given me 30mg tablets of coedeine that i take2 four times a day and then after 2 weeks we reduce it by 1 a week so i only take 3 a daty etc, she also gave me a little diazepam incase i  had a panic attack wilst I was waiting to reduce.. If I hadn't read any of yor stories today then I probably would not have gone to the doc. i feel 100% better for doing so, so this time in three nonths I could be clean off all of them and feel normal again, even though i dony now any of you, everone of u has upliftedmy stamina and making me ready to this.                      GOOD LUCK TO YOY ALL

[danzanangel]

even if no one reads this it is very cathartic for me to write on this forum so i can see the progress i am making on a day to day basis. This is my first day in two and a half years that i have'nt gone out and bought a pack of neurofen plus. My first day of not swallowing 32 tablets just to feel like a human being. I woke up this morning expecting to have a really bad headache and crampy legs but i did'nt first thing. As the day has gone on though i have started to get a bit irritable, and have cramp in the back of my legs and ankles. My doc has reduced the amount of codeine i take on a daily basis from 384 mg to 240. She was not allowed to prescribe me any more than that. I must have damaged my insides something terible. I hope i can do this, i am so determined to do it. If i can go through the pain of losing a child then surely i must be able to do this. I feel so much relief that i have finally got this problem out in the open, my husband and mum knew i was taking quite a lot of these pills but they obviously had no idea how many a day i was taking. When i told them both yesterday they both said if they'd known how many i was taking they would never have gone to get any for me, it would be really nice to hear from anyone else who is going through the same thing so we can compare how we are getting on. My GP was absolutely wonderful yesterday so if any of you are frightened to go and admit to your GP that you have this problem, my advice would be to go and be totally honest with them, I was so ashamed to tell her i was taking 224 tablets a week at a cost of £41.93 a week. Just think of the money i have wasted, money that I could have spent on my two children. If you dont tell them how many you are taking then they cant give you the help you really need. If I fail this three month weaning off course the next stop is a drug clinic and i really dont want to be going there. I hope all of you are doing well and have not sucummbed to going back and buying any more, I went in to my local pharmacy yesterday and told them no matter if i beg them to sell me any please dont do it, They all hugged me and told me they were so relieved that i had finally taken the bull by the horns and done something about it. Anyway thats enough of me blabbering on, please let us all know how you are all getting on. The best of luck to you all. xxx

[tina588]

I suffer from migraines a lot and I take panadiene 15s every day just so i dont get the pain. I also suffer from irretable bowel snydrome which i take pain killers so i dont feel the pain. I take them so as to prevent pain so i can enjoy my day. I saw my doctor yesterday he told me to stop taking the codiene he gave me some tablets to prevent migraine called sandomigran. Going out today taking no painkillers was hard having to put up with any pain as i could take panadol but they do nothing so i didnt bother.

[worried878]

This is an old post tina...if end up needing any help...post a new question to draw attention to ur needs

[BrandyLeeV]

I think this addiction to codiene is just as serious as any other heavy duty drug!! I know how bad it is, honestly ...I have been there. I was at the point of taking them to numb out emotions, and it worked quite well. They killed more than physical pain for me. It got so bad I was even taking 3 Tylenol 3' s at a time, That was went things were at the worst. Wow man, trying to quite was not happening!! When I did I like psyched out on everyone, I could not do it!!! But I did find  a way out... I got on my knees, broke down and asked Jesus to forgive me for everything, and to come into my heart and help me to stop taking these things. And he did! I am now free, it was a little tough but I just placed my faith in him, I flushed them down the toilet and put my trust 100% on him, and he carried me through with very few withdrawl symptoms... But I did do a lot of praying in that time!

[joann1975]

Welcome to the forum....glad to hear you are clean...this is a very old thread. You may want to repost this as a new thread.... just click back to forum and post new question. Also, to save typing time & energy you may want to cut and paste your post first.

You will find lots of support on the forum for aftercare....would love to hear how long you have been clean!

JoAnn

[lostandalone67]

It's funny I have been taking Tyn#1 for 6 years and started with about 30 a day over the last few months I wanted NO MORE...I am trying to get off them slowly and the last 4 days went from 20 a day to 6. I really thought I was the only one out there with this problem , well maybe I beleived myself to be...the last few days have been hell...I have been experiencing the worst nausea and panic attacks i have every had. I do suffer from panic attacks and maybe the Tyn#1 was masking them buy giving me a certain High.....I am so afraid of this feeling of helplessness!!!. I suffer from high blood pressure and the last few days it has spiked and i am wondering if anyone had the same effect with there withdrawl. Guess I am just overreacting or letting the panic attacks take control

[kim715]

You have posted on a pretty old thread.Go to the top of page and hit post a question and start a new one you will get more responses that way.

[Heidi1026]

Hi everyone,
I've been taking codeine4 3 times a day for years.  Unfortunately my doctor is always late in refilling my prescription.  I am in so much paini it's unbelievable.  Head, legs, lower back, pain......does anything treat this.  I take the meds because I have terrible arthritis. But it's true, the more you take, the more you need.  Any ideashow to get through 2 days?
Heidi

[hatingwithdrawals]

Talk to your doctor. If he is still late in refilling then try over the counter tylenol with codeine and caffeine. It's not codeine 4, but it will tide you over.
Good Luck!

[Cindy885]

I guess this is for everyone.  I have had a prescription for Tylenol 3's for a few years now for headaches and migraines.  I admit in the past I have taken them to get high.  Its such a nice feeling sometimes to numb mind body and soul for a little while.  This progressively got worse recently.  I had my presciption filled of about 100 T'3's and I went through them in a matter of a few weeks.  I know I used them because I was dealing with a lot of stress, so much stress that I was actually physically sick to my stomach, and taking them made it go away, but also made it worse.  I also deal with some anxiety as well, and anxiety and stress combined are not good! Again I have been going through a rough time in life, a messy break up etc.  So I used them to avoid dealing with what I was going through.  The end result now is that I have smartened up!  I haven't taken anything for 10 days now, and I think or I hope I am finally starting to feel better.  The withdrawal has been horrible, headaches, pain, irritability, depression (on top of feeling sad to begin with), night sweats, chills, and stress.  And stress on top of the stress I was avoiding.  Fatigue as well. I also have a difficilt enough time sleeping to begin with, I feel like I am going to have a heart attack,my heart beats so fast sometimes, nervousness, vomiting and loss of appetite etc.  

I have not taken them as long as some people on here or worked myself up to as many pills, but it was enough to induce withdrawal.  Again day 10 my heart is starting to feel normal, the headache is starting to go away, I am still very fatigued.

I have only one person in my life thats knows about this, because well its emabarrassing.  Most people that know me, think of me as strong and healthy.  I usually eat well, I exercise 5 days a week usually.  So I am starting to focus on me, and being healthy again ... mind, body and soul.  I wish everyone luck!

[Fairybread]

Been an abuser of Codeine for nearly two years. I have issues regarding self-control, especially in relation to my way of thinking.  condeine has the ability to take away certain ways of thinking - something zoloft is unable to do. I have no intention of quiting, nor would I recommend it. To those who up their intake due to tolerance, it's not necassary. I myself found that required a higher mg of Codeine to acheive what I "needed", however I quickly learnt to take the gift from God at certain times of day:

Before breakfast
Before lunch
Before dinner

This take the drug before consuming food. In addition, consuming say a cookie between breakfast and lunch for example will decrease the affect of the Codeine when taken before lunch.

For those who consume Codeine recreationally, I would highly recommend moving to marijuana or something lighter. The withdrawel symptoms of Codeine near of severity of Heroin withdrawel. ******* ouch! It feels as if someone is injecting ice into your
Knee-caps. Then there's the headaches, liquid **** pouring from your anus, muscle pain, vision problems, rapid heart beat, hot flushes followed by sweating and lastly, depression.

[Fairybread]

Damn iPod keyboard, sorry for spelling and sentence structure
Where I said "I wouldn't recommend" quitting, I am referring to myself. I think it great when people move forward and away from substance abuse

Good luck to all.

[tropicalkhandi]

this forum was a gift from the gods....this is catharthic writing for me as i have just today made the revelation that i am addicted to codeine.  thought i was a few years back and weaned off the neurofen plus, but how i hit the strong pains and strong pain plus, sometime 8-12 day, not as bad a some but bad no matter how you look at it.  as i lay here in the dark and the rain, aching and running to the loo every 10 minutes because of the stomach pains and diarreha, thinking its because i broke 3 ribs a couple weeks ago and the codeine wasnt cutting the pain so the dr gave me endone (oxyconton) it helped but i went off the codiene for 3 days and felt worse.  thought it was just the ribs until i started looking at the forums about codiene withdrawlas this spark idea cam to me in a moment of utter clarity that this might be the problem...got me written all over it.  i cant and wont go cold turkey as that has never worked for me but i have already cut down.  stopped the endone too and will aim for plain panamax or asprin.  i have severe arthritis and the codeien had been the only thing that helped since they took vioxx off the market....wouldnt you beleive.....i havent told my husband but he he isnt stupid.  i will in the next few days so he can help me from myself.  thanks for this forum.

looking forward to the furture for the first time in many moons....

[Sandra14k]

I am here to speak for/to:  the spouse's of the victims of OTC drug addictions??  My husband of 34 years, who is now 56 years old, has been addicted to codiene for at least 30 years now!!!  Together we have tried pretty much everything, to get off of these "demons"!!!!  I call them "demons" because there is nothing positive about these pills??  I feel they need to have a negative conitation to them, for a constant reminder of what you are "really" dealing with.  My husband most days would welcome the "peace" of just "checking out" of this life, if you know what I mean????  We are once again, in the midst of another shot at getting off the demons.  Sadly we do not have a doctor that understands the ramifications of quitting cold turkey.  That in itself is a whole nother talk show.............trust me!!!!!  Anyhow this is what we have come up with and are willing to try, to get this man through the tuffest "body breakdown" a person coould go through.  I have been through this with him many, many times and each time, I learned something new, as I stand by and try to help him heal.
I am equiped with the following for this time around:
Vitimins.......Multi..............nutrience will need a boost!
Vitimin "E".........helps with leg cramping!
Hot Water Bottles...(at least 2).....leg cramping and other body crampings!
Heating Pad...........sometimes hot water bottles aren't enough as they are being used in different areas of the body at the same time another cramp comes on!
Imodium (immodium)............for the runnnnnnnnnssssssssss!
Lots of Gatorade/Propell/ or any other drink of the like that boosts your electrolites??  I was told this in emerg, one of the times I had to admitt my husband.
Plenty of Towels, dry bedding, dry jammies or the like???  
Ladies: the hot flashes and night sweats are very much like our own menopause issues!  If your there yet??????
Plain Crackers................for the stomach if they can't keep anything down??
Pail or Pot...........which ever you choose.........for the wrenching times!!  They will be there.....trust me!!
If you can get them out for walks, or even the treadmill, this will help the leg cramps and hopefully strengthen the muscle a bit to help combat the cramps.  
As much sunshine as possible, even if just sitting in the sun through an interior window.  The sun has natural healing affects. vitimin "D"
Sometimes the dark is all he can handle, but I try and get him as much sunshine as possible????
Any thing you can think of for comfort is "essential".  
He or she will be misserable and there isn't much that can be done at this point, except to be there for them, no matter what comes your way??  Its a very difficult time for all involved and sometimes you just want to run away.  Sometimes I feel like "I" need some help too, but I push myself all the way through and do what needs to be done, in hopes that "this time" we will get through this and beat the "demons"!
If this letter helps even "one" person..............then I have done my job with helping you???
My heart goes out to all of you that are suffering with an addiction and those of you who are suffering along with the addict!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandra

[princessjulieanne]

I am from Canada as well and been addicted to mersyndol for the last 5 years and I believe finally ready to stop taking it.  In spite having 3 drugstores in my town, they all seem to know my face and its getting harder and harder to go in and get them.  When you know the schedule of all the employees its enough.  I was averaging 3 bottles of 100 per week and now down to 100-150 pills per week.  I have withdrawn before from Lorazepam and from aderal (Adderall) (spelling I'm sorry) but in a way it was easy because I couldn't get any of it so just had to tough it out but with the Mersyndol I'm a 3 minute drive to the drugstore.  I keep saying I can't possibly be that bad because I don't get high and I totally function.  Its the no sleeping and the headaches that scare me the most.  I am in for a busy week next week at work so just trying to cut back a bit this week and next but planning the week of the 23rd to go cold turkey as I do not have to work for 4 days.  Any input as to what to expect, how to make it easier would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and good luck to all on their journey!

[co_addict]

This is day 9 of a cold turkey codeine detox. I have been addicted to codeine for 14 yrs due to fibromyalgic pain, the last 4 years much heavier addiction emerged. I have been taking 2 to 300 mgs codeine daily and 40 mgs Oxycontin plus Serapax and Valium with some alcohol thrown in for an increased buzz. Yes I have legitimate pain, thats how I have justified it, however the more you take the more you need the less it works, and then you have no idea what your natural pain levels are because any natural opiates in the system are drowned out. Hence my very first and by the grace of God/goddess/higherwerpower/universal conciousness :) the last detox. I am scared of how I am going to manage pain in the future, but I've just proved to myself that I can endure as its now day 9 and not been pretty! Anyway currently the worse symtom is 'jelly legs and arms' not the pain so much but a horrible weak insipid feeling that does not allow me to lye still, so very little sleep, deep heat has dampened some of the cramps, and the diaria was semi welcome after years of trying to **** golf balls through the eye of a needle (thats opiates for you!) I go to NA (Narcotics Anon) for support I don't feel so alone there and get the encouragement to continue on, if they can stay clean for 20 plus years of heavy addiction so can I.......well it hurts to type so gonna stop, I heard this detox is longer than heroin because codeine stays in system much longer (liver) I am 51. Cheers M

[aussieman78]

I'm 30 years old from Australia and have been taking 10-12 tablets containing paracetamol 500mg & 12mg codeine or 200mg Ibuprofen & 12mg codeine, basically whatever I could get my hands on for the past 5 or 6 years every day. I now find myself travelling anywhere up to 100kilometres to get them. My local pharmacies won't sell them to me anymore. I started taking them for pain relief for a dislocated knee and got hooked. I take them because they give me energy and keep me awake, I wake in the morning feeling tired but as soon as I have 3 of these  tablets I am wide awake and feeling great. Sure its an inconvenience getting them but do I have a problem? Do I need to stop taking them and feel ****? Any advice much appreciated

thanks

[adagio99]

I had my gall bladder removed and it caused severe diarrhea which has not stopped now for 11 years.      I took Questran for the diarrhea and it worked for about 3 years, then it gave me alot of leg pain and I had some strong allergic reactions to the it.    Doctors told me to keep taking the Questran, now I suspect because they did not know what else to do.  

After a few more years, and several trips to the emergency ward I quit taking the Questran.   Diarrhea came back with a vengence and the leg pain was now permament.  

So the doctor prescribed pure codeine.   It worked well on the diarrhea and finally let me get more than a few hours of sleep every night.   Then the doctor got worried she was giving too much codeine, I was taking a max of 180mg a day, and usually 120mg a day.  

I had no trouble quitting codeine and felt much better in my head.  I DID NOT have a need for it other than the diarrhea and the sleep.   However, nothing else seems to work.   The leg pain is severe and I can not walk more than a few hundred feet.    The diarrhea is dehydrating and the raw bile most uncomfortable.

So.  What is a person to do?   I hate what the codeine does to my head as I am an organist and performance is difficult with codeine.

I get so weak from lack of sleep it is unbelievable.    

I have quit codeine for months at a time with no problem at all, just the raw bile and leg pain.    I have lost faith in doctors.   I just want no more pain or diarrhea.

No wonder people become addicted.  I guess I am lucky, quitting is actually easy for me, I feel clear and have more mental energy.

Is there no such thing as a pain killer that works?

[Brambles22]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm posting here anyway.                     In 1975 my six year old son, a previously normal able-bodied little boy,  was left extremely severely handicapped by hospital negligence, my husband could not cope with this, and had a nervous collapse. Over the following 20 years he had several more “nervous breakdownsâ€� and his G.P. prescribed Lorazepam, he stayed on this, and various other medications  ( rarely visiting the Dr, mostly done by repeat prescriptions requested over the phone) until 15 years ago, when without warning the Dr withdrew it.
My husband suffered severe headaches because of the Lorazepam withdrawal, and he was prescribed "Solpadol", (not Solpadeine that you can buy over the counter), paracetamol & codeine to counter them. He’s been on this muck ever since (again repeats over the phone)………..until three days ago.
I have been trying to persuade him for years to stop taking them, and eventually tried ramming home the effect it was having on him, and our family, but like all junkies he wasn’t prepared to listen, he wasn’t a junkie or an addict, he wasn’t addicted……..oh what!!!!...............his only motivation through the course of the day was his next “fix�!

Two years ago we moved to France, and at first the local pharmacist was happy to give him the paracetamol & codeine on the strength of his repeat UK prescription, but last month the pharmacist told me that he could not provide it any more without a French Dr’s prescription, (my husband has put off going to the Dr here because he has an absolute phobia about Doctors and hospitals etc in general) so he got me to visit the Dr and he was given a prescription for just 84 tablets, nowhere near the quantity he’s used to getting, he has hinted over the last few weeks or so that he was running low, and I told him several times to go and see the Dr, but he hasn’t, and he has alternated between refusing to do so, asking if I'd go with him to translate and explain, and expecting me to go and do it for him, but has now finally blamed me for his shortage of the drug.
Finally he ran out of the tablets and has had to go “cold turkey� and he has been very sick, weak and in pain, since coming off them, yesterday he lost it, and told me it was my fault he was in this situation!

OK……..I’ve kept my mouth shut over the years, the days of aggro I get after even the slightest remark or comment about his pill popping are unbelievable, but I finally exploded……. he’s been stuffing this muck down his throat for years, nobody has forced him to take it, all he does is open his mouth and swallow, with total disregard for the impact this senseless, mindless, stupid, self indulgent act has had on his family, his health and his life in general.

I have to admit, in all honesty, I have had great pleasure in watching him suffer this last three days….
It makes up a little for all the hurt he has inflicted on my children, and myself, over the last 35 years, i.e.his bad moods, thick, heavy, black, sulky silences, bouts of depression, irritability, short temper and outrageously volatile temper tantrums, warped, twisted thinking, constant whingeing, and all the other gross and hideous nasties associated with being a drug addict.
It makes up for the years of having to be both mother and father to my kids,
It makes up for the years of verbal abuse, inflicted on all of us, when he either had too much or not enough of his fix.
It makes up for my two girls leaving home as soon as they were old enough as they could no longer cope with him, and despised him for his weakness and lack of control.
It makes up for my kids having to go without because
a,) these pills cost money, and he spent more money on them than he ever did on his children
b,) he didn’t have the patience, because of these drugs, to be a real father, the kids were walking on eggshells around him all of the time, and that’s not healthy.
c,) he couldn’t cope with work, or stress of any kind because of the control this c**p had on him, so I was the main breadwinner……….. and one wage does not go very far.

It makes up for him blaming my disabled son for his need for “something to calm him down�, (claiming at the same time that he is not addicted!) as he still after 35 years cannot face the fact that his son is disabled!
What a load of rot. It was just another excuse for self indulgence.

I know it sounds heartless, but yes, I am glad he is suffering, short lived as his suffering will be………( if he stays off them) he certainly won’t be suffering for 35 years like his family has………….

There are a million and one excuses, (no, not reasons) why people take drugs, most of them selfish, and addicts seem to spend more time trying to justify why they do take them, rather than accepting the reasons why they shouldn’t, or seeing how much better life could be without them, and most importantly, realising or caring what it’s doing to themselves and their families……… you can only be supportive for so long before it wears you down, and wears you out…………..

Yes, Doctors are in a very small way, partly to blame for addiction, taking the easy option, conveyor belt medicine, get them in, give them a prescription, get them out, and yes, my husband’s GP (being one of the idiot kind) had told him that they were not addictive, and this statement, unfortunately was just another convenient excuse for my husband to happily keep on perpetrating the myth that he wasn’t, and couldn’t possibly be addicted, could he? The Doctor had told him so……….urrrgh!!

But nobody, absolutely nobody except you yourself, forces you to take this muck, you do it voluntarily don’t you? Just open your mouth and pop it in?……Really easy isn’t it? Makes you feel great doesn't it?    And to hell with the consequences.....??!!                                  
I do hope you can all get off this stuff, not just for your own sake, but for that of your families, it’s obvious some of you are trying, but many of you are so pathetically full of self pity and wondering how YOU can cope, you should try thinking  about the others like myself  who have had to live with the results of your self indulgent cravings,,,,,,,,,,,,we’ve always had to cope..... even when it’s been an absolute b****y nightmare living with you...

[milenaky]

I can see how angry you are, and boy do you want him to pay for what he made you go through....
However, just an observation.......... nowhere in your looooooooooong note did I read a glimps of you trying to help him. And don't write that you did.... if you ever did...... your tone would have been very different. This is all about you, and how much you suffered... the only selfish, angry, pathetic, little, sorry creature here.... is you.
Probably, the solution here would have been for you have left long time ago... frankly don't understand why you stayed if it was so bad (and that's what makes you pathetic).... ohhh but if we want to be completely honest, I'm sure you'll come up with a reason why you stayed.... nobody stays with a "junkie" for free.
Yep... probably that would have been the solution for him too.... because just reading you makes me try those pills... but then again, I have a job to do and help the one I love...
Thanks, you showed me what NOT to do.... HATE!!!!

[narla]

I'm a 47 year old woman who has been taking an analgesic / calmative for approx: 20 years. They contain 500mg paracetamol,10mg codeine and 5.1mg doxylamine succinate.I live in Australia and this medication is available over the counter no prescription needed.Along with this I am also been treated for depression & panic attacks with zoloft / sertraline hydrochloride 200mg per day. My doctor had no idea about my codeine addiction,I also used alcohol daily 3 to 4 bottles of spirits a week.                      My reason for doing this to my body was simple I was sexually abused by my brother who was 10 years older than me between the ages of 7 to 10, 20 years ago I told my parents and it was like it was swept under the carpet, I had to choose if I wanted a relationship with my parents or not,I did. So to deal with everything the alcohol started first as a 14 year old it made me forget what had happened as a child, as I got older and had my own children it brought all the memories back. I was desparate to have a girl first I did not want my daughter to have an older brother,I did have a girl first then my son, As the years went on the alcohol wasn't working as well at fogging my brain.I was given codeine for a migraine and that was my start at self medicating by the time I was 47 I was taking 18 to 24 codeine per day plus the alcohol and anti-depressants, now I could sleep. Two weeks ogo I had a blood test my liver has been damaged, hopefully it can be repaired. So now I have to give up the codeine and alcohol which have been a constant in my life for a long time, my doctor is helping me seeing me on a weekly basis and using low doses of diazapam/valium to help with the withdrawal symptoms it is now 2 weeks since I touched either alcohol or codeine it's hard but I'm looking forward to a life without them and enjoying good times with my grandson.

[NorcoQueenoftheUniverse]

I liked your comment about the "government taxing the methodone"  I never thought of it that way but it kinda makes sense...

good thinking and stay clean......

[buana]

Hi,
finally, after 8yrs I decided to try and get my life back. From a very active, athletic individual I ended up addicted to codeine, without strength and without the skills required to survive a day without drugs.
My codeine usage started due to spinal surgery 9 yrs ago, which got repeated 5 yrs ago.
Then I realized that it's a lot easier to deal with life's issues through a mind numb by codeine. Stressed at home? pop a pill. Nervous at work for presenting in front of a large audience? pop a pill. Want to have a good time with the kids? pop a pill. It seemed to me it's a 'cure all' miracle pill. However, 3yrs ago I left Melbourne, Australia for 2 weeks in Europe and I was left without my daily intake. From sweats, shivers, sleepless nights, cramps, depression,... I had them all in the period of 7 days.
However I"m in a 'catch 22' here as without a pain killer, I have to continuously fight my pain as a result of the 2 back surgeries. I tried other pain killers but nothing works. With codeine I DO NOT FEEL THE PAIN. Can you imagine how this is for someone for who the alternative is 24hrs of pain?
I could get panadeine forte from GPs and I've done it for years, but convenience wins.. I"m buying Nufofen Plus OTC.
Currently I have cut down to 3intakes. 10 pills per intake. Tomorrw I'll cut another pill out. 3xday, 9pills = 24pills.  A few weeks ago I was consuming 2 packs a day or more. (>48). However I know that I"ll get to the point where my pain will become more and more intense and I do not know how to deal with whole situation. Suicide? Chronic pain can wear you down and decrease the quality of life to a level where it's perceived as not worth living. However I have a lovely wife (knows nothing) and 4 kids.
What I miss most is the energy that I used to have. It's not there anymore. Truthfully the codeine doesn't do much for me anymore. I'm too used to it.
Anyone out there who's experienced chronic pain and codeine addiction? Any options?
Currently I only see two- constantly in pain (to the level that it affects your life) OR happy Larry... Well, based on these choices it's easy to go for the wrong option...
Any ideas, help would  be much appreciated.

[netta46]

Hello

I got addicted to over the counter medication a few years back. A mixture of codeine and nurofen. A deadly combination for me since I am bipolar and take lithium. I kicked the habit for a while but then slowly went back on it. I am now reducing partly because I have to. The pharmacists are on to me!

I used to take four at a time in the morning another four mid afternoon and four in the evening. Four the last two days I have taken two in the morning and two in the evening. I feel like ****!

For those of you taking codeine combined with paracetomol please be careful. the paracetomol will kill you in the end. It attacks the liver.

[NicoleL1986]

I, too, have been an abuser of nurofen plus for 2 years now - taking from 6-14 of the evil pills every day. It started off as a pain management solution to a tootheache, however I continued to take them after a dentist appointment and the pain subsided.

I never realised the horrible side effects long term use can have, and after researching what I was doing to my body I swore to never take anymore again - and I have been successful.

My withdrawals were not as horrible as others I have read on here - there were a couple of nights where I was stuck on the tolilet with diarreoah and vomiting. I was also restless through the night, with only 4 hours of sleep each night. After 5 days, I was through the worst stage and I have never felt better.

Throughout this process I have not craved nurofen plus at all. I think one of the main factors due to this was staying positive. I also exercised everyday to release natural endorphines, and also consumed only healthy foods - no salt, no sugar. I have no doubt that these factors helped in my recovery. Overall, I would say try to stay positive and work through the detox with exercise and fresh fruit and veges.

Good luck everybody - remember, BE POSITIVE!!! Think of the end goal - you will have your life back! xo

[forget]

I have been taking narcotics for 18 months.  It started with severe back pain during a pregnancy and ended with spinal surgery that I am still in physical therapy for.  I was taking 60 mg of percocet a day... and now am down to 6 pills of T3 a day.  I am hoping that by weaning off the percocet, to the vicadin, to the T3s, and now trying to wean off those by taking 6 a day for 3 days, 5 a day for 3 days and so on..... I can escape the worst of the withdrawal symptoms.  I have withdrawn twice.... once fully... so ignorant me for taking it again, but how do you recover form surgery without narcotics? and another time just a few days ago.  I made it to day 4 and was screaming "SHUT UP!" at my 3 yr old.  My sweet baby who wasnt doing anything wrong.  I cannot go into a withdrawl state like that again.  I have to stick to my plan.  Once I am off, I never never NEVER want to even see a narcotic pill again.  I quit smoking cold turkey about 4 years ago, surely I can wean off this, right??